45-Degree Side Bend
Reviewed by Bryan Cortez, MS
Bend sideways without rotating or folding at the hip.
Demonstration
Demonstration production queue
The written coaching card is ready. The owned video is next.
Physique Skool is filming one canonical demonstration per exercise. Until this movement is published, use the setup, execution, common errors, programming, and substitutions below.
Browse Physique Skool on YouTubeHow to do it
Setup
- Lie sideways on a 45-degree bench
- Secure the feet and place the hip on the pad
- Stack shoulders and pelvis
- Cross arms or hold a light load at the chest
Execution
- Lower the torso sideways through a controlled range
- Flex laterally to return to a straight body line
- Keep the chest facing forward
- Repeat without bouncing
Common Errors
- Rotating the chest toward the floor
- Moving at the hip instead of the trunk
- Dropping too deep
- Swinging a heavy dumbbell
Cues That Work
- Stay between two panes of glass; shorten one side; return to a straight line
No-Fly Zone
Avoid heavy low-rep loading, rotation, or a range that produces pinching rather than controlled side flexion.
Programming
Sequence priority
Late
Direct lateral-flexion fatigue can affect bracing, so place it after the main compound work.
Progression
Model — Double
Fallback model — RPE
Keep the pelvis stacked and range identical; reach the rep cap before adding a small external load.
Best program fit
Full body
Load increments
If it hurts
Pain is information, not a challenge to push through. Stop the set if pain is sharp, worsening, or changes how you move. These are exercise-selection options, not medical diagnosis or rehabilitation advice.
Work down this list in order. Stop at the first change that removes the pain.
Step 1
Setup tweaks
Use bodyweight, a shorter range, or a more supportive bench position.
Step 2
ROM / tempo / bias
Use a three-second lower and a one-second neutral pause.
Step 3
Implement swap
Cable side bend or suitcase carry for an anti-lateral-flexion context.
Substitutions
Approved fallback
Cable side bend or suitcase carry for an anti-lateral-flexion context.
The Evidence
This directly trains lateral trunk flexion. It is not automatically appropriate for every back history and does not replace anti-lateral-flexion training when that is the program goal.
SFR — 1.8
Put the exercise inside a system.
Get the companion workbook, trackers, program files, and community support.