45° Side Bend

Setup

1. 01Set a 45 degree back extension bench so the pad sits at the top of the hip.
2. 02Position yourself sideways on the bench with the outer hip on the pad.
3. 03Hook both feet securely under the foot rollers, one in front of the other.
4. 04Cross the arms over the chest or place hands lightly at the temples.

Execution

1. 01Start with the torso in a straight line with the legs.
2. 02Lower the torso sideways toward the floor as far as you can control.
3. 03Pause briefly at the bottom without twisting.
4. 04Bend the trunk sideways to lift back up until the body is straight, without over-extending past neutral.

Checkpoints

• -Hips stay stacked and square to the bench the whole set.
• -Movement comes from side-bending the trunk, not from the hips.
• -Shoulders stay in line with the hips with no rotation.
• -Tempo stays controlled in both directions.

Common mistakes

• -Twisting the torso instead of bending purely sideways.
• -Bouncing out of the bottom position.
• -Setting the pad too high so the hips do the work.
• -Hyperextending sideways past neutral at the top.