Dumbbell Side Bend

Muscles worked by the Dumbbell Side Bend

Primary

ObliquesOblique Abdominals

Secondary

Lower BackErector SpinaeQuadratus LumborumDeep CoreTransversus Abdominis

Also called: oblique, obliques, side abs, external oblique, internal oblique.

Equipment

Dumbbell

Also called: db, dumbell, hex dumbbell, rubber dumbbell, hand weight.

How to do the Dumbbell Side Bend

1. Stand upright holding a dumbbell in one hand at your side.
2. Keep the opposite hand on your hip or behind your head.
3. Bend laterally toward the dumbbell side, lowering it along your thigh.
4. Return to upright, then bend to the opposite side using only your obliques.
5. Complete all reps per side.

Form tips

• Avoid leaning forward or backward — move strictly sideways.
• Use a controlled tempo in both directions.
• Keep the weight close to your leg throughout.

At a glance

Dumbbell Side Bend in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Bicycle Crunch
• Kettlebell Russian Twist
• Russian Twist
• Side Plank
• Arnold Press
• Bulgarian Split Squat
• Chest Supported Dumbbell Shrug
• Chest-Supported Dumbbell Row

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "dumbbell-side-bend",
  "name_en": "Dumbbell Side Bend",
  "name_de": "Kurzhantel Seitbeuge",
  "name_es": "Flexión Lateral con Mancuerna",
  "description_en": "A standing oblique isolation exercise using a dumbbell to develop lateral core strength and stability.",
  "description_de": "Eine stehende Isolationsübung für die schräge Bauchmuskulatur zur Entwicklung der seitlichen Rumpfkraft.",
  "description_es": "Un ejercicio de aislamiento de oblicuos de pie con mancuerna para desarrollar la fuerza lateral del core.",
  "category": "strength",
  "force_type": "push",
  "mechanic": "isolation",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "equipment": "dumbbell",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "obliques"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae",
    "quadratus_lumborum",
    "transverse_abdominis"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "hypertrophy"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "core_focus"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": true,
  "is_bodyweight": false,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand upright holding a dumbbell in one hand at your side.",
    "Keep the opposite hand on your hip or behind your head.",
    "Bend laterally toward the dumbbell side, lowering it along your thigh.",
    "Return to upright, then bend to the opposite side using only your obliques.",
    "Complete all reps per side."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stehe aufrecht, halte eine Kurzhantel seitlich in einer Hand.",
    "Lege die andere Hand an die Hüfte oder hinter den Kopf.",
    "Beuge seitlich zur Hantelseite und lass sie am Oberschenkel entlanggleiten.",
    "Rücke zur aufrechten Position zurück, dann zur anderen Seite beugen.",
    "Alle Wiederholungen pro Seite ausführen."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Párate erguido sosteniendo una mancuerna a un lado.",
    "Coloca la otra mano en la cadera o detrás de la cabeza.",
    "Inclínate lateralmente hacia el lado de la mancuerna, bajándola por el muslo.",
    "Vuelve a la posición erguida, luego inclínate al lado opuesto con los oblicuos.",
    "Completa todas las repeticiones por lado."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Avoid leaning forward or backward — move strictly sideways.",
    "Use a controlled tempo in both directions.",
    "Keep the weight close to your leg throughout."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Nicht nach vorne oder hinten lehnen — nur seitlich bewegen.",
    "Kontrolliertes Tempo in beide Richtungen.",
    "Halte das Gewicht während der Bewegung nah am Bein."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Evita inclinarte hacia adelante o atrás — muévete estrictamente de lado.",
    "Usa un tempo controlado en ambas direcciones.",
    "Mantén el peso cerca de la pierna durante todo el movimiento."
  ],
  "met": 5.0,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "start": "images/flat/dumbbell-side-bend-start.webp",
      "peak": "images/flat/dumbbell-side-bend-peak.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "dumbbell-side-bend");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.