How to Do The Russian Twists Exercise Correctly With Good Form
The Russian twist is a simple, yet effective core exercise that works the obliques.
It also engages the frontal six-pack ab muscles, core, hips, and shoulders.
It’s an ab workout that’ll shred your midsection, melt off love handles, and build core strength.
But contributing to your good looks isn’t the only reason to do this dynamic core exercise.
Russian twist has long been valued by athletic trainers for decades.
It not only engages the entire core, adding to better posture, stability, and range of motion, it trains for movements.
It’s particularly essential in sports like tennis and golf where their swings involve twisting of the torso.
Russian twists allow those athletes not only to train for the muscles but also for the movements.
Learn how to do the basic Russian twists the correct way.
Once you master the basics, there are more variations you can add to elevate your workout.
What Is a Russian Twist?
The Russian twist is a strength training exercise that works all of the major abdomen muscles, which include:
- Six-pack abs muscles (rectus abdominis )
- Lower abs (transversus abdominis)
- Internal and external obliques muscles.
How to Do a Russian Twist Exercise
Again here’s a recap on how you perform the Russian twist in 3 easy steps:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet should be kept together and slightly elevated above the ground. Lean back so your torso is at a 45-degree angle to the floor.
Make sure to keep the spine straight and not rounded.
- Stretch your arms straight out in front of your chest with one hand on top of the other.
- Contract your abs and slowly rotate to the right as far as you can, pause then reverse this movement all the way around to the left as far as you can. That is one rep.