Lying windshield wiper
Also called lying windshield wipers, floor windshield wipers.
What is a lying windshield wiper?
A lying windshield wiper is a bodyweight core exercise performed on your back with your arms spread on the floor and your legs raised together. Lower the legs to one side, bring them back above your hips, then repeat to the other side. Your pelvis turns while your shoulders stay down, and the obliques help control the rotation.
How do you perform a lying windshield wiper?
Set up
- Lie face up with room on both sides. Spread your arms at shoulder height, palms down, and rest your head and shoulders on the floor.
- Bring your knees over your hips, then extend your legs toward the ceiling. Keep your legs together with the knees straight or at a small, fixed bend.
Execution
- Brace your midsection and press your palms down as you lower both legs toward the left. Let your pelvis turn while both shoulders stay on the floor.
- Stop the sweep before either shoulder starts to lift or you would need a swing to get back. Your feet do not need to reach the floor.
- Bring your legs back above your hips under control and briefly settle at the center.
- Lower toward the right with the same control, then return to the center. A trip to each side and back counts as one repetition.
Common mistakes
Chasing a floor touch
Use the range you can reverse with both shoulders down. If you roll onto your side or cannot return smoothly, shorten the sweep. Stop the set if the movement is painful.
Whipping the legs across the middle
Settle above the hips between sides instead of carrying a swing into the next descent. If that pause is hard to control, use bent knees and a smaller arc.
Changing the knee bend as the set gets harder
Choose your knee angle before starting so the reps stay comparable. End the set when you cannot keep that position, then choose a bent-knee version for the next set if needed.
Where it fits in a session
As part of your core work, with enough room to move to each side.
Begin with bent knees and short sweeps if the straight-leg version is difficult to control. Count a left-and-right cycle as one rep and finish each set before the return becomes a swing. Progress by gradually straightening the knees or extending the arc while keeping shoulder contact. Change one at a time so you can compare your sets.
Muscles worked
Primary
Secondary
Schematic surface view. Some muscles are partly visible or not shown.
The obliques contribute to trunk rotation. The abdominal wall also helps control trunk position, while the hip flexors hold the thighs raised. These are anatomical roles applied to the movement, not a measured ranking of muscle activity during wipers.
Variations
- Lying leg raiseRaises and lowers the legs in front of the body instead of sweeping them from side to side.
Frequently asked questions
What muscles do lying windshield wipers work?
The internal and external obliques contribute to the rotational movement. The rest of the abdominal wall helps control your trunk, and the hip flexors support the raised legs. That describes their roles; it does not establish which muscle works hardest or grows most from wipers.
How can I make windshield wipers easier?
Keep your hips bent and bend your knees to roughly a right angle. Move both knees together through a short arc, with the feet off the floor and both shoulders down. Gradually extend the knees only when you can lower and return without a swing. The demonstration shows the straight-leg option, not the starting point everyone needs to use.
Should my feet touch the floor?
No floor touch is required. Reverse within the range you can control while keeping both shoulders down. A small sweep with a smooth return is a useful starting point; forcing the illustrated depth is not the goal.
Should my lower back stay completely flat?
Your pelvis turns as the legs travel sideways, so contact under the lower back changes during the rep. Keep the upper back and shoulders supported rather than trying to pin the whole pelvis in place. Reduce the arc if you start rolling onto your side.
Are lying and hanging windshield wipers the same?
Floor wipers keep your upper back supported. Hanging wipers use a bar for support and require you to hold yourself from your hands. They have different setups, so treat them as separate exercises rather than assuming that completing floor reps makes you ready to hang.
How do I count a repetition?
Start above the hips, lower to the left and return, then lower to the right and return. Count that full cycle as one rep. Keep the same counting method, knee bend and range when comparing sets.
Sources
- Flynn W, Vickerton P. Anatomy, Abdomen and Pelvis: Abdominal Wall. StatPearls. Updated 2023. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/books/NBK551649/