How to do a Windmill
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
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.
Sets & Reps Calculator
Average Windmill standards by male, female, gender, weight, age and height
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Alternatives & Variations to Windmill
1. Leg Raise
96.5 mSCORESWAPPED 68 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.
2. Crunches
94 mSCORESWAPPED 62 TIMESCrunches are one of the most common exercises out there. It’s an easy to perform, bodyweight exercise that targets your abdominals. Crunches are very similar to Sit Ups, however, instead of raising your upper body all the way into a near sitting position, you only raise your shoulder blades off the ground. This is a great exercise for beginners looking to build core strength.
3. Flutter Kicks
88 mSCORESWAPPED 40 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.
4. Bicycle Crunch
91.8 mSCORESWAPPED 36 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.
5. Leg Pull-In
94.9 mSCORESWAPPED 33 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.
6. Dumbbell Side Bend
38.8 mSCORESWAPPED 32 TIMESDumbbell Side Bend is an isolation exercise that primarily targets the obliques. The use of a dumbbell adds resistance to the movement, helping to build muscle mass and strength in your sides. This is a simple exercise that aids in improving core stability and can be easily incorporated into any abdominal workout routine.
7. Windshield Wiper
27.1 mSCORESWAPPED 29 TIMESPerformed on the ground, the Windshield Wiper targets the core muscles, specifically the obliques, by moving the legs in a side-to-side motion while lying on the back. This version requires less upper body strength compared to its hanging counterpart but is equally effective in building core stability and rotational strength.
- Intermediate
- Abs
8. Reverse Crunch
87.7 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESReverse Crunch is a variation on the more standard crunch, although it may appear closer to something like a Leg Raise. Rather than engaging your core to bring your chest towards your pelvis, you instead elevate your legs, and bring your pelvis in towards your chest.
9. Plank
92.8 mSCORESWAPPED 28 TIMESPlanks are one of the most common core exercises out there. This is a bodyweight exercise that is performed for time rather than reps. Planks don’t require any movement, instead they force you to place yourself in a position that requires you to engage your core, and maintain that muscle activation for the duration of the exercise. This is a great way to help build strength and stability in a way that will translate to a variety of other exercises, and your daily life.
10. Russian Twist
96.2 mSCORESWAPPED 25 TIMESRussian Twist is one of the more common core exercises. This exercise targets multiple muscles in your core, but the reason for including this exercise is usually to target your obliques. By raising your feet off the ground, engaging your core, and twisting to each side, you can better target this specific muscle in your core.