Russian twist

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Want an exercise that’ll rev up your abs game like a triple Americano boosts your productivity? Russian twists might be a good addition to your regimen. The standard Russian twist looks something like this: You lean back, raise your legs off the ground, and twist your torso from side to side. The primary target? Your core, of course! "The Russian twist targets all the muscles in your core, making it a great abs exercise when you’re tight on time," says Peter Donohoe, NASM-certified personal trainer, core strength teacher at the Boston Ballet, and functional performance specialist for Amanda Hudock, ACE-CPT. If you're speeding through a bunch of reps or throwing a huge amount of weight from side to side, you can lose the integrity of the movement that way, Hudock says. You need to prioritize the quality of your reps in order to prevent injury and get stronger. WH is here to help you with just that. Read on for everything you need to know about Russian twists, including how to do them with great form, where they fit into the bigger picture of core exercise, and how to modify them to scale back or amp up the challenge. How To Do Russian Twists How to: • Sit on the floor and bring your legs out straight. • Lean back slightly so your torso and legs form a V-like shape, bracing your abdominal wall to engage your core. • Balancing here and keeping your legs stationary, twist your torso from side to side. (Demo’d by trainer Pro Tip: It’s important to move slowly, Hudock explains, ...

When we think about The entire core helps us stay balanced and perform a ton of exercises without falling over or straining our backs, but the obliques in particular have an important role. They're the muscles that run along the sides of the waist, from the ribs to the hip bones. We use them every time we twist our torsos, or bend down to one side or the other. "The obliques help stabilize us and keep our torso protected," Specifically, there's less of a chance your lower back is going to become strained if you have strong obliques that can help support your body through any twisting or turning movement. "It is so important to train and build strong obliques muscles to help us perform better in exercise, sports, and everyday functional movements," Burrell says. Here, Burrell demonstrates 13 obliques exercises she loves. They all require either no equipment or a simple weight, like a dumbbell or medicine ball, so you don't need to go to a gym to do them. Check out the moves below, find a few of your favorites, and add them onto your next strength training session or at the end of a Bonus: Many of these moves also inevitably work other parts of your core, and a few even require your upper body and butt. • "This exercise primarily targets the obliques, but it also works the whole side of the body including the shoulders, core, and hips," Burrell says. • Start on your side with your feet stacked on top of each other and your bottom forearm directly below your shoulder. • Engag...

The Russian twist is a brilliant exercise for the core. It does not just target your abs but also works on your side and lower back muscles. Hence, it is perfect for all those who want a flat belly. You do, however, need to keep in mind that if you don’t perform it right then it can leave you injured. The Russian twist is a very simple move that helps you flex targeted muscle groups quite efficiently. In addition, it comes with multiple variations! People often add extra weight by holding a ball, weight plate, or dumbbell. This helps in enhancing the contraction of muscles. Unfortunately, many people make mistakes while performing this move and end up in pain, taking them away from their fitness goals. Hence, we want you to pay attention to the points that we are listing here and avoid any injuries. 3. Not maintaining the correct angle The main reason for hunching is not maintaining a proper angle. The bottom line is that posture is everything when it comes to this exercise. According to fitness experts, you need to maintain a 45-degree angle between your thighs and upper body. Those who face a problem in keeping their back straight can make a wider V to sustain the pose. Maintain the posture by doing these twists correctly. Image courtesy: Shutterstock 4. Working your legs too much If your knees or legs are moving when you perform this exercise, you’re doing it all wrong. This usually happens because you are not keeping your core engaged, or you’re going too fast. The mov...

A Russian twist (also known as a Romanian twist) is a core workout that targets the abdominal muscles. The Russian twist is performed by sitting down with your knees bent at a 90-degree angle, and your lower back at a 45-degree angle off of the ground, while engaging your abdominal muscles as you twist your upper body from side to side. It is easy to learn and perform, and it is one of the best moves to strengthen your core. Submit The Russian twist exercise has many benefits. It improves your isometric core strength, serves as anti-rotational training, helps you manage your weight, and targets many muscles. Whether you do your Russian twist techniques with weights or not, this move targets your obliques, transverse abdominis, erector spinae, latissimus dorsi, rectus abdominis, hip flexors, and scapular muscles. If you want defined abs, improved posture, and a strong back, you should try out these twists. Engaging in proper Russian twist form will minimize your risk of injury and maximize your muscle growth. To exercise with the correct form, you need to do the following. • Sit on the floor • Lean backward until your core is engaged • Tuck in your chin • Keep your arms in front of your chest • Rotate your body left and right in a slow, controlled manner In the twist guide that follows, we will cover four Russian twist variations. These include weighted, cross-legged, punch, and decline twists. When performing a body twist, some common mistakes could lead to injury. For ins...

core component — of every good strength training program. Without a strong, stable core, your form is likely to break down pretty quickly during your heavy Instead of letting your core become the limiting factor in everything from your Credit: PeopleImages.com – Yuri A / Shutterstock The Benefits of the Russian Twist • Rotational Control • Isometric Core Strength • No Equipment • Scalable • Teaches Upright Posture • Improves Power Potential • Strengthen Your Obliques • Engage Your Lats Just as the name suggests, the Russian twist is about a controlled maneuver to teach you how to intentionally rotate — and Since you’ll be holding your torso at a 45-degree angle throughout your reps, you’ll be getting in a lot of time under extreme You’ll deploy exactly the amount of control you need to maintain your torso angle while moving If you need to increase the level of challenge There are plenty of ways to make this move more accessible if you tend to have trouble maintaining your balance. If you raise your feet, you’ll make the Throughout the Russian twist, you’ll be keeping your torso in a rigid, upright position. Staying locked at about 45 degrees will train your body to Enter You’ll need your lats to work overtime here, especially when holding an external load. How to Do the Russian Twist In some ways, the Russian twist is a straightforward movement. In other ways, it will require a lot of precision and control to execute it properly. • Sit on the ground with • Lengthen your sp...

• ​ What is the Russian twist exercise?​ It's a seated rotational (side to side) movement of the upper torso (thoracic spine) that engages the core. • ​ What muscles do Russian twists target?​ It primarily targets your core (abs, lower back, hip flexors and obliques — the muscles that help rotate your core) but also requires support and stabilization from your entire body. • ​ Who can do Russian twists?​ Anyone who can get to the floor safely and doesn't have a spinal injury should be OK to perform this exercise, Balam says. • Bring your hands together toward the center of your chest — clasp them together if that's your preference. • Your torso and your thighs should form a V-shape at this point. • To make this move advanced, you can also lift your legs off of the ground, bringing your shins up into a tabletop position. • Russian twists are usually done with a two-count cadence — 1-2, 2-2, 3-2, 4-2, 5-2, and so on — to keep track of how many reps you do in a set. • With every count, you're rotating sides. Add one to the count each time you return to the side you leaned toward first. • Aim to do the same number of reps in each timed set. No matter what your current ability level is, you can lower or crank up the intensity to suit your needs by tweaking rest periods or duration and frequency. There are a slew of ways to modify this exercise, regardless of whether you're a beginner or ready to take things to the next level, Balam says. He recommends the following modification...

• Begin seated and lean back slightly. If your abs are strong enough, lift your feet a few inches off the floor. Either hold your hands in a fist at the center of your chest or extend your arms out in front of you. • Keeping your core engaged, twist your upper body to the right without lowering your feet or arching your back. • Hold for a second before twisting back the other way. • Continue alternating sides without compromising your form. Show Instructions

• Start by lying on your back on a mat. Flatten your back into the floor and engage your abdominal muscles. • Lift your head, shoulder blades and mid-back off the floor until your body forms a 45-degree angle with the floor. Bend your knees and bring them toward your chest. • Once you're in this V position, actively engage your core further by drawing your bellybutton to your spine. • Maintain this position while slowly rotating your hands from side to side. • Allow your gaze to follow your hands and coordinate your breath with each part of the movement. Exhale as you twist, inhale as you return to center. Show Instructions Slow down your pace and position your hands closer to your torso to keep the movement closer to your center of gravity, Becourtney says. Crossing your feet can also help, since it decreases the stability demands and makes the exercise slightly easier, he says. If these tweaks don’t help you control your knees, try putting your feet on the floor, he says. This position is a good place to start and gradually build up strength. With practice, you’ll be able to perform the exercise with your feet off the ground and legs uncrossed.

Imagine a vertical line that runs through the body, neatly dividing it into halves. Any movement you make parallel with this line is done in the sagittal plane. Now consider the movements you make during your workouts and how many of them are parallel to this line. It’s probably most of them – from classic All of these are excellent exercises that will do you a world of good, but they do not prepare your body for another kind of movement you do regularly, especially if you play a lot of sport – twisting. Consider another imaginary line that cuts your body in half at the waist. Movements where you twist your upper or lower body parallel to this line are said to be done in the transverse plane, and the chances are you don’t do so many of them during your workouts. Rectify that by doing the Russian twist, which works in the transverse plane and strengthens muscles that you might be missing with your straight-up-and-down How To Do The Russian Twist Start by sitting on the floor, with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Then lean back so your upper body is at a 45-degree angle to the floor. Keep your back straight at this angle throughout the exercise, as it will be tempting to hunch your shoulders forward. Link your hands together in front of your chest, then brace your core and raise your legs up off the ground. Rotate your arms all the way over to one side, then do the same in the other direction. Count that as one rep and aim for 20 in total, or set a timer for a m...