Obliques exercise
Lying Windshield WiperHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Lying Windshield Wiper?
- Lie on your back with your arms out to the sides, palms down.
- Lift your legs straight up, together, over your hips.
- Slowly lower both legs to one side, keeping both shoulders on the floor.
- Bring them back up to the centre, then lower to the other side.
Cues
- Shoulders stay glued to the floor.
- Slow and controlled, no swinging.
- Legs together, like one wiper.
Common mistakes
- Shoulder lifting: lower your legs less far.
- Swinging the legs: slow down and pause at the bottom.
- Back arching: bend your knees to 90° to make it easier.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Lying on the back, arms out to the sides, legs straight and together pointing at the ceiling, lowered to one side then the other, stopping above the floor. Bent knees (90°) are the beginner version and the hanging wiper the advanced one; neither is shown.
Starting position
Lying face up on a mat. Arms straight out to the sides at shoulder level, palms down, pressing lightly into the floor. Legs straight and squeezed together, raised so they point straight up (hips at 90°). Lower back pressed into the mat, head resting on the mat.
The movement
Keeping the legs together and straight, slowly lower them to the left by rotating the pelvis, only as far as the right shoulder stays on the floor. Pause just above the floor, then bring the legs back up to vertical using the side of the waist. Repeat to the right. Both shoulders and arms stay flat; the legs move in an arc around the hips like a wiper blade.
Breathing
Breathe in as the legs lower, out as they come back to the centre.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Hip flexion 90° throughout; knee flexion 0–5°; feet together.
- Pelvis rotates with the legs; ribcage and shoulders stay flat (shoulder lift under 1 cm).
- Arms at about 90° shoulder abduction, flat on the floor.
- Path: feet trace a smooth arc through the vertical in the frontal plane of the hips.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Lying Windshield Wiper is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
