RUSSIAN TWIST
For those of you that regularly go kayaking or canoeing, the range of motion of the Russian Twist will be familiar; however, for the vast majority it won’t since exercises that involve moving through the transverse plane, namely those that require you to twist, are often overlooked. As a consequence the Seated Russian Twist is an ideal exercise to strengthen some of those core muscles that would otherwise be missed, in particular your obliques, to help achieve the ever so desirable v-shape in males and the relative appearance of a narrower waist in females.
Skill Level: Intermediate
Training: Muscular Strength
Type: Integrative Core Exercise
Force: Rotation
Equipment: Dumbbell
1° Muscles: Internal Obliques, External Obliques, Rectus Abdominus
2° Muscles: Deltoids (Anterior, Lateral), Erector Spinae
SET-UP
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet on the ground.
- Keeping your back straight, lean back so your upper body is approximately 45-degrees to the floor.
- Hold a single dumbbell, of an appropriate weight, with your arms bent in front of your chest.
- Brace your core and raise both legs off the ground.
EXECUTION
- Originating from the hips, slowly rotate your upper body to your left.
- Originating from the hips once again, slowly rotate your upper body to your right to complete one rep.
- Repeat for the prescribed number of reps and sets.
- The rotation of your torso should originate from your hips, not your lower back. It is also fine to slightly rotate through your upper back, just as long as your lower back remains locked.
- Always use a slow controlled movement.
- Keep your back straight for the entire range of motion.
- Maintain the angle of your body at 45 degrees to the floor.
- Avoid allowing your shoulders to hunch forward.
- Only your torso should twist. If you struggle to maintain good form reduce, or even remove, the weight for this exercise. If you need to regress this exercise further, perform with your feet on the ground instead of suspending them.
- Avoid allowing the weight to touch the ground; if this happens this means you are over-rotating through your lower back.
- Cable Woodchop
- Side Plank
- Raise Side Plank
- Bicycle Crunch
