BOSU Ball Cable Side Crunch
In SetGrip: Cable Side Crunch (BOSU Ball)
- Secondary muscles
- Obliques
- Body part
- Core
- Laterality
- Bilateral (both sides together)
- Category
- Strength
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Standing on a BOSU while a cable drags at one hand doubles the job: the obliques bend the trunk against the stack while your ankles and hips negotiate the dome. The instability caps the load well below a normal Cable Side Bend, so treat it as a control drill rather than a strength movement.
How to do the BOSU Ball Cable Side Crunch
- Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, holding a cable handle in one hand.
- Place the other hand on your hip.
- Engage your core and slowly bend sideways towards the hand holding the cable, keeping your back straight.
- Pause for a moment at the bottom of the movement, then slowly return to the starting position.
- Repeat for the desired number of repetitions, then switch sides.
Tip: Slide your hand down the outside of your thigh as a guide and stop when it reaches the knee, not further.
Muscles worked
Primary
Abs · Core
The obliques on the side opposite the weight do the work, contracting to pull the torso back upright; you should feel a tight band running from the ribs to the hip on that side.
Secondary
- Obliques — The obliques are the prime movers here, both bending the trunk sideways and resisting the pull of the load as you lower.
Common mistakes
- Leaning forward instead of sideways — keep your hips and shoulders square to the front so the bend happens purely in the frontal plane, otherwise the hip flexors take over.
- Loading both hands on dumbbell side bends — a weight in each hand counterbalances and leaves the obliques little to do; hold one side only and let the free arm hang.
- Rushing the stretch — the loaded side has to lengthen under control, so pause for a count at the bottom before pulling back up with the obliques.
- Going too heavy — this is a small range of motion and the spine is loaded laterally, so pick a weight you can move for 12 to 20 clean reps.
Where it fits in a workout
Put side bends at the end of a session with the rest of your core work, once heavy squats or deadlifts are done. They pair naturally with cable or dumbbell crunches using the same station.
How many sets, how heavy and how hard: see what the ACSM position stands support.
Variations and alternatives
Similar exercises
Without cable
When to talk to someone
- Chest discomfort, feeling faint or lightheaded, or trouble breathing during or after exercise can be signs of a heart attack. In the US, call 911 right away; elsewhere, call your local emergency number.
- Heart, metabolic or kidney disease, or symptoms like these when you are active: talk to your doctor before you start or step up training.
- Pregnant: ask your obstetric care provider which exercise suits you.
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More exercises
Sources
- ACSM position stand on exercise quantity and quality (Garber et al., 2011)
- ACSM preparticipation health screening (Riebe et al., 2015)
- ACOG Committee Opinion No. 804 on exercise in pregnancy (2020)
- CDC: About Heart Attack Symptoms, Risk, and Recovery (2024)
Sources checked on October 17, 2026. Full citations are in the exercise library.
Animation and exercise data: ExerciseDB, licensed to SetGrip. General information, not medical or coaching advice.