The sideway scissor is a floor-basedabsexercise performed lying on your back with straight legs held just off the ground and crossed side to side, training the lower abs and inner thighs under a held hollow position. Unlike the vertical scissor kick, the legs never rise or fall: the whole set is one long leg hold while the hips open and close, so the rectus abdominis pins the pelvis flat while the adductors and hip flexors take turns crossing. It fits the end of a core session or as a burnout straight after leg raises.
What Muscles Does the Sideway Scissor Work?
- Primary: Rectus abdominis (lower abs), iliopsoas (hip flexors)
- Secondary: Adductor group (inner thigh), tensor fasciae latae
- Tertiary: Transverse abdominis, quadriceps, neck flexors
How Do You Set Up for the Sideway Scissor?
Lie flat on your back on a mat with your legs extended and heels together. Slide your hands under your glutes, palms down, so the heels of your hands lift the pelvis a fraction and take the arch out of your lower back. Press your lower back into the mat, point your toes, and raise both legs together until your heels hover about six inches off the floor. Hold there before the first cross.
How Do You Perform the Sideway Scissor?
- Lock your knees straight and hold your heels six inches above the mat with toes pointed, lower back pressed flat.
- Open your legs out to the sides until they are roughly shoulder-width apart, keeping both heels at the same height.
- Sweep your legs back together and cross the right leg over the left so the ankles overlap.
- Hold the cross for a count of one, squeezing your inner thighs together and your abs down into the mat.
- Open again under control to the same width, resisting any drop in heel height as the legs travel outward.
- Cross with the left leg on top, then open to reset; alternate the top leg on every cross until the set ends.
What Are the Key Form Cues?
- Push your lower back into the mat: an arch returning as the legs open means the hip flexors have taken over.
- Lead the cross from the inner thigh: squeeze an imaginary ball between your knees as the ankles overlap.
- Keep both heels on one horizontal line through the sweep; a dipping heel is a leg you no longer control.
- Breathe out as the legs cross and in as they open, without letting the ribs flare.
- Keep your neck long and chin neutral so the effort stays below the ribs, not in your throat.
What Are the Most Common Mistakes?
- Holding the legs too high: with the heels near vertical the abs have little to resist; lower the hold until the lower abs load, keeping the back flat.
- Letting the lower back lift: the lumbar spine extends with the legs as a lever, loading the discs and facets; tuck the pelvis and shorten the range until it stays flat.
- Dropping the heels as the legs open: fatigue pulls the feet toward the floor and turns the set into a partial leg raise; keep the heels level or end the set.
- Rushing the cross: fast flicks let momentum carry the legs and cut the adductor squeeze; hold each cross for a count.
- Craning the head off the mat: the neck flexors try to help the abs; keep your head down and let the hands under the glutes support the pelvis.
What Are the Best Sideway Scissor Variations?
- Bent-knee sideway scissor: shorter leg lever and less hip flexor demand, for lifters whose back arches on straight legs.
- Elevated sideway scissor: heels a foot off the mat with arms overhead, removing hand support and lengthening the lever.
- Sideway scissor with hold: pause three counts at each cross, shifting the work toward the adductor squeeze.
- Single-leg sideway scissor: one leg holds still while the other crosses over and back, exposing side-to-side differences.
- Scissor kick: the vertical version, legs alternating up and down, for a larger hip flexor range.
How Do You Progress the Sideway Scissor?
- Lower the heel height by an inch or two once you can hold the full set flat-backed; this is the load lever on a bodyweight hold.
- Add two crosses per side each session until you reach 20 per side.
- Add a set at a time up to 4 sets before adding more crosses.
- Slow each cross to a two-count and hold the overlap for a full second before opening again.
How Should You Program the Sideway Scissor?
Program the sideway scissor at the end of a core or lower-body session, after leg raises or hanging knee raises have already fatigued the hip flexors. Run it 2 to 3 times per week for 3 to 4 sets of 10 to 20 crosses per side, resting 45 to 60 seconds between sets. Pair it with a plank or dead bug so the same session trains both a moving and a static brace.