# Standing One Side Side Crunch And Raise - Canonical: https://fitwill.app/exercise/9350/standing-one-side-side-crunch-and-raise/ - Media ID: 9350 - Primary muscle: Obliques - Body part: Waist - Equipment: Body Weight - Video: https://fitwill.app/videos/9350/standing-one-side-side-crunch-and-raise.mp4 ## Description The Standing One Side Side Crunch And Raise combines two actions into one coordinated movement: a side bend of the trunk and a lift of the opposite-side leg out to the side. You stand tall with your fingertips lightly placed behind your head, then crunch your ribcage down toward one hip while raising the knee on that same side up and away from your body. The two motions meet in the middle, letting the elbow travel toward the lifted knee before you lower both back to the start. This exercise is a practical choice for anyone who wants to train the waist without getting down on the floor. Because you perform one side at a time, you can feel and correct the difference between your left and right obliques, which is useful for people whose trunk feels uneven from desk work, sport, or carrying bags on one shoulder. The single-leg stance also quietly challenges balance and hip control, so the glute on your standing leg works to keep your pelvis level throughout every rep. The main muscles at work are the obliques on the side you are crunching, assisted by the rectus abdominis as the trunk shortens. The raised leg brings the hip abductors — mainly the gluteus medius and the muscles along the outer hip — into play, while the supporting leg's glutes and stabilizers hold you steady. The hands-behind-head position means your arms contribute almost nothing, which is exactly the point: the work stays in the trunk and hips. Setup matters more than it looks. A narrow, staggered stance with a soft bend in the standing knee gives you a stable base, and keeping the fingertips behind the head rather than laced behind the skull protects your neck from being pulled. Your torso should stay facing forward the whole time; if your chest rotates toward the moving knee, the obliques stop doing their job and the movement turns into a twist rather than a crunch. Execute the rep by exhaling as you lift the knee and draw your elbow down toward it, then inhale as you lower the foot and stand back to full height. Move at a pace you can control — this is not a speed exercise. A common use case is as a warm-up activation for the waist and hips, or as higher-rep core work between strength sets. Aim for smooth, repeatable reps of eight to fifteen per side, and stop when your balance or form starts to drift rather than when the burn peaks. ## Instructions 1. Stand with your feet about hip-width apart, then stagger them slightly and shift your weight onto one leg with a soft bend in that knee. 2. Bend your elbows and place your fingertips lightly behind your head, opening the elbows out to the sides without lacing your fingers behind your skull. 3. Brace your midsection lightly, keep your chest facing forward, and set your gaze on a fixed point ahead of you to help with balance. 4. Lift the foot on the same side you intend to crunch, raising the bent knee out to the side and slightly up, away from your body. 5. As the knee rises, bend your torso sideways so the elbow on that same side travels down and toward the lifted knee, shortening the space between ribs and hip. 6. Squeeze briefly at the top, with the elbow close to the knee and the side of your waist fully compressed. 7. Lower the foot back to the floor with control and return your torso to tall, neutral standing before starting the next rep. 8. Exhale as you crunch and raise, inhale as you lower and reset. 9. Complete all repetitions on one side, then switch legs and crunch to the opposite side for the same number of reps. ## Tips & Tricks - Keep the hips square to the front; letting the pelvis rotate toward the moving knee turns the crunch into a twist and steals work from the obliques. - If you wobble, widen your base slightly or hover a hand near a wall — but avoid leaning on the support, which removes the balance demand from the standing leg. - Do not pull on your neck with your hands; the fingertips should only guide the head, and the crunch should come from the ribs moving toward the hip. - The lift and the side bend should finish together — if the knee rises long before the elbow moves, the hip is doing all the work and the waist is unloading. - Crunch the ribs toward the hip rather than reaching the elbow toward the knee only; the shortening happens at your waist, not at your shoulder. - Keep the standing knee softly bent and let that glute grip; a locked knee makes the pelvis sway and the reps less stable. - Avoid swinging the leg up with momentum; a slower, deliberate lift keeps the outer hip muscles, not momentum, driving the raise. - If your lower back pinches, reduce how far you side bend and focus on compressing the waist rather than chasing a big range. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Which muscles does the Standing One Side Side Crunch And Raise work? The obliques on the crunching side are the primary movers, supported by the rectus abdominis. The raised leg recruits the hip abductors such as the gluteus medius, while the standing leg's glutes stabilize your pelvis. ### Why does the Standing One Side Side Crunch And Raise pair a side crunch with a leg raise? Combining the two brings the elbow and knee toward each other, which shortens the same side of the waist and trains the trunk and hip together. It also keeps you honest: if either half of the movement is weak, you will notice immediately. ### Is this exercise suitable for beginners? Yes, it uses no equipment and little load, so beginners can learn it safely with a smaller range of motion. If balance is difficult at first, stand near a wall or widen your stance until the pattern feels natural. ### Should I hold my hands behind my head the whole time? Yes, keeping the fingertips behind the head prevents your arms from swinging and pulling you through the rep. The trade-off is that you must avoid yanking your neck — the movement should come from your ribs, not your head. ### Why do I lose my balance on the standing leg during this exercise? The single-leg stance shifts all your weight over one foot while the other side of your body lifts, which challenges the hip stabilizers. Soften the standing knee, fix your eyes on a point ahead, and slow the leg raise until control improves. ### How many reps should I do per side? Eight to fifteen controlled reps per side works well for most people. Since you do one side completely before the other, count the weaker side first and match it on the stronger side. ### Can I do the Standing One Side Side Crunch And Raise every day? Because it is light, low-load core work, it can be performed frequently, but recovery still matters. Two to four sessions per week is plenty if you are also training core with other exercises. ### What can I use if I need an easier version? Seated or standing side crunches without the leg raise isolate the obliques while removing the balance demand. Once the crunch feels solid, add the knee raise back in for the full movement. ### Is it a mistake to rotate my torso toward the moving knee? Yes, rotation changes the exercise from a side crunch into a twist and reduces oblique shortening on the target side. Keep your chest facing forward and imagine sliding your ribs straight down the side of your body toward the hip.