Liftworthy
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Liftworthy

Every exercise ranked by research, by lifters and by results. Find what’s S-tier for your goal, then train it.

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General training information, not medical advice. If something hurts, stop and see a professional.
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Explore/Abs

Dumbbell Side Bend

DumbbellIsolationEasy to learnOne side at a time
Front
Back
Primary

Works

Obliques

You need

Dumbbells

How to do itPictures · 3 steps
1Start
2Bend
Main muscles
  1. 1Dumbbell in one hand, stand tall
  2. 2Bend sideways toward the weight
  3. 3Pull back up with the opposite side

Most common mistake

Holding dumbbells in both hands, which cancels out the load.

Watch a demo

Good for

  • Top 10 for abs
  • Easy on the joints and recovery

Compare with

vs Cable Woodchop
B
For abs
#7 of 23
See the full list →
Research
65
Scored by hand
Results
Soon
From the app
How lifters rate itBe the first
S
A
B
C
D
F
Why research scores it 65
Target tensionGood
Loaded stretchGood
ProgressionStrong
Low costExcellent

Research behind these criteria

  • Target tension: Zabaleta-Korta et al., 2021 · Kinoshita et al., 2023
  • Loaded stretch: Maeo et al., 2021 · Maeo et al., 2023 · Pedrosa et al., 2022 · Kassiano et al., 2023
  • Progression: Plotkin et al., 2022 · Pelland et al., 2026
  • Low cost: Schoenfeld et al., 2021 · Refalo et al., 2023
How scores work

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  • SCable CrunchCable
  • SMachine CrunchMachine
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  • CSuitcase CarryDumbbell

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