Windmill Exercise Guide
Reviewed by
Valerie Zeller
Printable version
Windmill is a bodyweight exercise that works your abs, hamstrings, deltoids, wrist flexors, front deltoids and side deltoids.
Windmill is a great easy move. When done correctly, it can effectively target your arms, core, legs, lower body, shoulders, upper body, upper legs and waist.
It requires no equipment to do.
How to do Windmill
Exercise
Stand with your feet at shoulder width and your arms held out at shoulder height. Engage your core by drawing your belly button in towards your spine.
Bend forward and twist to your right as you reach down and across with your left arm to try and touch your right foot. Keep your legs as straight as possible. Raise yourself back up to the start position and repeat the movement by twisting to the left and reaching across with your arm.
Aim to keep your spine as straight as possible and to hinge from the hips.
Illustrated Guide
Learn how to do windmill from this step-by-step illustrations:
Muscles Worked
The muscles used for windmill may change slightly based on the your trained range of motion and technique, but in the most general case, the muscles used for windmill are:
Primary Muscles
- Abs
- Hamstrings
- Deltoids
- Wrist Flexors
- Front Deltoids
- Side Deltoids
Synergyst Muscles
- Lats
- Upper Pecs
Frequently Asked Questions
Training, Progressions and Regressions
Interested in how to improve your Windmill faster?
Windmill Training and Progressions
Standards and Averages
Wonder how do others perform in Windmill and how should you?
Windmill Standards and Averages
Alternatives
Wonder how to work the same muscles with other exercises?
Variations
Wonder how to make Windmill either easier or more challenging?
Discover more
Classification
| Type(s) | Bodyweight, Calisthenic, Strength, Warm Up |
| Muscles Worked | Abdominals, Biceps Femoris, Deltoids, Latissimus Dorsi, Wrist Flexors, Anterior Deltoids, Posterior Deltoids, Pectoralis Major |
| Difficulty Level(s) | Easy, Simple |
| Equipment | No Equipment |
| Location | At Gym, At Home, Outdoor |
Muscles Worked
| Target muscle(s) | Abs, Hamstrings, Deltoids, Wrist Flexors, Front Deltoids, Side Deltoids |
| Synergyst muscle(s) | Lats, Upper Pecs |
