Exercise guide · Beginner · Stretch

Side Lying Floor Stretch: How to Do It & Muscles Worked

The side lying floor stretch is a bodyweight exercise targeting the lats, with secondary emphasis on the obliques and glutes. It is performed lying on your side, reaching overhead, and lifting the bottom leg to create a stretch along the side of the body.

Primary muscles
Lats
Secondary muscles
Obliques , Glutes
Equipment
Body Weight
Level · type
Beginner · Stretch
Demonstration of the side lying floor stretch
Front view: muscles worked by the side lying floor stretch. Primary: lats. Secondary: obliques and glutes.
Back view: muscles worked by the side lying floor stretch. Primary: lats. Secondary: obliques and glutes.
Primary Secondary

How to do the side lying floor stretch

  1. Step 1: Lie on your side with your legs straight and your bottom arm extended straight overhead.
  2. Step 2: Bend your top knee and place your foot on the ground in front of your bottom leg.
  3. Step 3: Reach your top arm over your head and grab onto something stable, like a wall or a piece of furniture.
  4. Step 4: Slowly lift your bottom leg off the ground, keeping it straight, until you feel a stretch in your side.
  5. Step 5: Hold the stretch for 20-30 seconds, then slowly lower your leg back down.
  6. Step 6: Repeat on the other side.

Side Lying Floor Stretch alternatives

More exercises that train the lats as their main target:

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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.