Exercise guide · Beginner · Compound

Bent Knee Lying Twist (Male): How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The bent knee lying twist (male) is a bodyweight exercise that targets the glutes and also engages the obliques and hip flexors. It involves lying on your back with bent knees and twisting them side to side, which helps improve flexibility and mobility in the lower back and hips.

Primary muscles
Glutes
Secondary muscles
Quads , Obliques
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Compound
Demonstration of the bent knee lying twist (male)
Front view: muscles worked by the bent knee lying twist (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads and obliques.
Back view: muscles worked by the bent knee lying twist (male). Primary: glutes. Secondary: quads and obliques.
Primary Secondary

How to do the bent knee lying twist (male)

  1. Step 1: Lie flat on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground.
  2. Step 2: Extend your arms out to the sides, perpendicular to your body.
  3. Step 3: Keeping your knees together, slowly lower them to one side, aiming to touch the ground with your knees.
  4. Step 4: Pause for a moment, then engage your core and slowly lift your knees back to the starting position.
  5. Step 5: Repeat the movement to the other side.
  6. Step 6: Continue alternating sides for the desired number of repetitions.

Sets, reps and programming

Suggested sets, reps and rest for the bent knee lying twist (male) by training goal
Goal Sets Reps Rest Effort
Strength 3–5 3–6 3–5 min 1–3 reps in reserve
Muscle growth 3–4 6–12 2–3 min 1–2 reps in reserve
Muscular endurance 2–3 12–20 1–2 min 1–3 reps in reserve

Ranges follow the ACSM position stand on progression in resistance training. Muscle grows across a wide range of loads when sets end close to failure (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), longer rests between heavy sets support strength and size (Schoenfeld et al., 2016), and stopping a rep or two short of failure works about as well as training to failure (Grgic et al., 2022). Estimate your working weights with the strength calculators.

Bent Knee Lying Twist (Male) alternatives

More exercises that train the glutes as their main target:

More glutes exercises

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Sources

  1. American College of Sports Medicine. Progression models in resistance training for healthy adults. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2009;41(3):687-708.
  2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Strength and hypertrophy adaptations between low- vs. high-load resistance training. J Strength Cond Res. 2017;31(12):3508-3523.
  3. Schoenfeld BJ, Pope ZK, Benik FM, et al. Longer interset rest periods enhance muscle strength and hypertrophy in resistance-trained men. J Strength Cond Res. 2016;30(7):1805-1812.
  4. Grgic J, Schoenfeld BJ, Orazem J, Sabol F. Effects of resistance training performed to repetition failure or non-failure on muscular strength and hypertrophy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Sport Health Sci. 2022;11(2):202-211.

Step-by-step instructions and demonstration media are from the ExerciseDB exercise dataset.

This guide is general fitness information, not medical advice. Stop if an exercise causes pain and speak to a doctor or physiotherapist about injuries or health conditions before starting a new programme.