How to do a Windmill
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Windmill
Workouts with Windmill
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Windmill is a compound exercise that primarily targets the core, obliques, and shoulders. It involves holding a weight overhead and bending at the waist to touch the opposite foot with the free hand. This movement improves shoulder stability, core strength, and flexibility. It's a great exercise for enhancing functional strength and coordination.
- Lie flat on your back with your arms extended out to your sides and palms facing down and raise your legs vertically overtop of your thighs.
- Lower your legs to the right side in a circular motion keeping your feet together until your feet are a foot above the ground.
- Raise your legs back overtop of your hips and repeat the circular motion to the opposite side.
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Alternative Exercises to Windmill
1. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 66 TIMESLeg Raise is a simple bodyweight core exercise that involves laying on the ground and suspending your legs in the air. While your core does play a significant role in raising your legs, the real benefit comes from controlling their descent back to the floor.
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2. Crunches
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3. Flutter Kicks
88 mSCORESWAPPED 39 TIMESFlutter Kicks are a bodyweight core exercise that have you lay on a bench with your legs extended out over one end. This exercise is very similar to Scissor Kicks with the added benefit of having more room under your legs. This can give you a bit more range of motion as your leg descends.
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4. Leg Pull-In
94.9 mSCORESWAPPED 34 TIMESLeg Pull in is a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already engaging your core. Additionally your core helps to pull your legs in towards your chest.
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5. Reverse Crunch
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6. Dumbbell Side Bend
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7. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 30 TIMESBicycle Crunch is a more difficult version of a standard crunch. Instead of raising your torso off the ground for each rep, you keep your torso off the ground, and your core engaged. By cycling your legs, you add more instability to the movement, which leads to better core activation.
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8. Dead Bug
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10. Ab Crunch Machine
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