Windshield Wipers | Illustrated Exercise Guide

Primary muscles: Abs
Secondary muscles: Obliques, lower back
Equipment: No equipment
Exercise for the opposite muscles: Alternating superman

Windshield Wipers Instructions

1. Lie on your back with your arms straight out to the sides. Lift your legs and bend the knees at a 90-degree angle.
2. Rotate the hips to one side, without letting the legs touch the floor.
3. Lift your legs and return to the starting position.
4. Rotate the hips to the opposite side and repeat until set is complete.

Proper Form And Breathing Pattern

Keep your body in a T shape with your back flat on the mat, your core engaged and your abs tight. Breathe out as you rotate the hips and lower the legs and keep the movement slow and controlled.

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Exercise Benefits

The windshield wipers exercise requires a tremendous amount of stability and core strength to be properly executed. This is an advanced move that needs practice and appropriate progression. This exercise helps to regain normal range of motion of the hip joint, strengthens and tightens the core, and tones the abdominal muscles.

Windshield Wipers Demonstration

Sets And Reps

Before doing windshield wipers improve your core strength with bicycle crunches and straight leg raises. Then start with 1 set of 6 to 8 repetitions and increase the number of sets and reps slowly. To make this exercise more challenging, try doing it with your legs straight and your arms close to your body.

Calories Burned

To calculate the number of calories burned doing windshield wipers, enter your weight and the duration of the exercise:

Related Core Exercises

Try these other core exercises to tighten, sculpt and strengthen your abs, obliques, lats and lower back:
Reverse crunches
Back extensions
Side plank
Roll up

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