{
  "$schema": "https://openexercise.org/schema/v0/exercise.json",
  "aliases": [
    {
      "text": "Side Crunch",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Standing Dumbbell Side Bend",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Dumbbell Side Flexion",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Side bends",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Side Dumbbell Trunk Flexion",
      "kind": "common"
    },
    {
      "text": "Side bend",
      "kind": "common"
    }
  ],
  "anatomy": {
    "muscles": [
      {
        "muscle": "external-oblique",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "internal-oblique",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "quadratus-lumborum",
        "role": "prime-mover"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "erector-spinae",
        "role": "synergist"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "rectus-abdominis",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      },
      {
        "muscle": "forearm-flexors",
        "role": "stabilizer"
      }
    ],
    "joints": [
      {
        "joint": "lumbar-spine",
        "actions": [
          "lateral-flexion"
        ]
      },
      {
        "joint": "thoracic-spine",
        "actions": [
          "lateral-flexion"
        ]
      }
    ]
  },
  "classification": {
    "modalities": [
      "hypertrophy",
      "strength"
    ],
    "movement_patterns": [
      "lateral-flexion"
    ],
    "mechanics": "isolation",
    "force": "not-applicable",
    "kinetic_chain": "open",
    "laterality": "unilateral",
    "planes": [
      "frontal"
    ],
    "contraction": [
      "dynamic"
    ],
    "level": "beginner"
  },
  "equipment": {
    "optional": [
      "kettlebell",
      "weight-plate"
    ],
    "required": [
      [
        "dumbbell"
      ]
    ]
  },
  "external_ids": {
    "wger": "576,577,1188,1650"
  },
  "id": "oec:dumbbell-side-bend",
  "instructions": {
    "setup": [
      "Stand upright with your feet hip-width apart and knees soft.",
      "Hold a dumbbell in one hand at your side with an arm hanging straight and a neutral grip.",
      "Place your free hand behind your head or resting on your opposite hip."
    ],
    "steps": [
      "Keeping your hips square and shoulders facing forward, slowly bend your torso laterally toward the weighted side until you feel a gentle stretch in the opposite flank.",
      "Contract the obliques on the unweighted side to pull your torso smoothly back to the upright position.",
      "Optionally continue slightly past vertical into a modest lateral contraction, then return to center under control.",
      "Complete all repetitions on one side before switching the dumbbell to the opposite hand."
    ],
    "breathing": "Inhale as you laterally lower the weight down the side of your thigh, and exhale as you contract your obliques to return upright.",
    "cues": [
      "Bend directly sideways without leaning forward or twisting.",
      "Move strictly from the spine while keeping your pelvis stationary.",
      "Pull with your opposite waist to stand tall."
    ],
    "common_faults": [
      {
        "fault": "Holding dumbbells in both hands simultaneously, which creates a counterbalance and eliminates tension on the target muscles.",
        "correction": "Hold only one dumbbell at a time so your lateral core must work against an asymmetrical load."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Rotating the hips or flexing forward at the waist during the bend.",
        "correction": "Move strictly within the frontal plane as if sliding your back along a flat wall."
      },
      {
        "fault": "Using excessive momentum or over-bending past an active, pain-free range of motion.",
        "correction": "Use a controlled tempo and lower the dumbbell only as far as comfortable lateral spinal flexion allows."
      }
    ],
    "safety": {
      "precautions": [
        "Avoid aggressive overbending or bouncing at the bottom of the movement to protect the lumbar spine."
      ],
      "spotter": "not-needed"
    }
  },
  "measurement": {
    "load": {
      "convention": "total",
      "implements": 1,
      "kind": "external"
    },
    "profiles": [
      {
        "required": [
          "reps",
          "load"
        ],
        "optional": [
          "rpe"
        ]
      }
    ],
    "records": {
      "volume": true
    },
    "reps_counted": "per-side"
  },
  "name": "Dumbbell Side Bend",
  "previous_ids": [
    "oec:side-crunch",
    "oec:side-dumbbell-trunk-flexion",
    "oec:side-bend"
  ],
  "provenance": {
    "generated": [
      "/name",
      "/summary",
      "/classification",
      "/anatomy",
      "/equipment",
      "/measurement",
      "/instructions",
      "/setup",
      "/relations"
    ],
    "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
    "review": {
      "status": "machine-generated",
      "model": "gemini-3.8-flash",
      "at": "2026-10-31"
    },
    "sources": [
      {
        "title": "wger: Side Crunch",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/576/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-3.0",
        "author": "kwrindy"
      },
      {
        "title": "wger: Side Dumbbell Trunk Flexion",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/577/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-3.0",
        "author": "GiglioRosso"
      },
      {
        "title": "wger: Side bend",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/1188/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0"
      },
      {
        "title": "wger: Dumbbell Side Bend",
        "url": "https://wger.de/en/exercise/1650/view-base",
        "license": "CC-BY-SA-4.0",
        "author": "AlucardEvil40"
      }
    ]
  },
  "relations": [
    {
      "type": "substitute-for",
      "target": "oec:machine-side-bend"
    },
    {
      "type": "progression-of",
      "target": "oec:standing-side-crunch"
    }
  ],
  "setup": {
    "grip": {
      "orientation": "neutral"
    },
    "load_position": "suitcase",
    "position": "standing",
    "range": "full",
    "stance": {
      "kind": "parallel",
      "width": "hip"
    }
  },
  "status": "active",
  "summary": "A standing lateral trunk exercise targeting the obliques and quadratus lumborum by flexing and extending the spine laterally against single-sided resistance."
}