Side bends

Side bends work the oblique muscles on the sides of the rib case and core/hip bone area. Building up these muscles will help stabilize your core and will also help you lift more weight in other exercises such as deadlift and squats as your body will stabilize better during the lift.

1. Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medium-to-heavy dumbbell in your right hand.

2. Engage your core and bend at your waist to the right toward the floor.

3. Pulling from your core, bring your body back to start position.

There are some common mistakes you should avoid:

• Not working from your core

• Not letting you bottom arm hang heavy

• Not keeping shoulders down