Side bend
Suggestions, not prescriptions. Exercises here pass automated checks. They have not been clinically reviewed, and no exercise is right for everyone. Adjust to your comfort and ability.
Slide a hand down your side to bend gently to one side. It loosens the sides of your trunk for reaching and turning.
- Main focus
- Flexibility
- Level
- Starting
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Load
- Your body weight
- Stability
- Free: you control the whole movement
Before you start
- Warm up first with a minute or two of easy walking or marching in place, and cool down the same way after.
- Wear flat, closed shoes with a good grip, or go barefoot on a non-slip floor if that feels steady to you.
- Clear the floor around you. Keep a sturdy chair, counter or wall within reach for any move you do standing.
- Build up slowly. Add repetitions or minutes over weeks, not days. If you take a break, work back up gradually.
Talk with a doctor or physical therapist before you start if you have not been active for some time, if you have a health condition or a worry about exercise, if you have fallen or fear falling, or if a clinician has told you to limit activity. This library is general information, not medical advice.
What you need
A stable chair, or a clear spot to stand.
How to do it
- Sit or stand tall with your feet hip-width apart and your arms by your sides.
- Slide your right hand down the side of your leg, bending gently to the right as far as is comfortable.
- Hold for a moment, then come back up slowly.
- Switch sides.
How much
To start: Hold 2 seconds. 3 times on each side.
As it gets easier: Hold 5 seconds. 5 times on each side.
How it should feel: A mild stretch along your side.
Make it easier
- Bend only a little way.
- Do it seated.
Make it harder
- Hold a few seconds longer.
Safety
- Keep your body in one plane. Do not lean forward or back.
- Keep your weight even on both feet or both sit bones.
When to stop
- Stop and rest if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, sick to your stomach, or unusually short of breath.
- Stop if you feel sharp, sudden or joint pain. Muscles working hard is expected. Pain is a signal to stop.
- Stop and sit down if you feel unsteady and cannot settle yourself right away.
- Call your local emergency number for chest pain or pressure, fainting, or sudden weakness, numbness or trouble speaking.
- After any of these, do not repeat the exercise until you have talked with a doctor or physical therapist.
- You feel pain in your back or hip.
- You feel dizzy.
Other ways to do this movement
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Where this comes from
NHS "Sideways bend": stand upright feet hip-width apart, slide one arm down your side as far as is comfortable, hold 2 seconds, 3 on each side. Name and a seated option from the screened catalog entries (standing and chair versions); text is original. Steps, counts and support advice follow the NHS page; wording and extra safety notes are Fitafter50's own.
- Flexibility exercises, NHS (England) (Last reviewed 20 Nov 2023).
- Three Types of Exercise Can Improve Your Health and Physical Ability, National Institute on Aging, NIH (Content reviewed Jan. 14, 2025).
This is general information, not medical advice. It does not diagnose anything or tell you whether an exercise is right for you. Adjust to your comfort and ability.