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Exercise library · Abs

Russian twist

Trunk rotation for the abs with your bodyweight.

How to do it

1 of 3

Lean back, hands together

  1. Starting position

    Sit with your knees bent and heels on the floor, lean your torso back and clasp your hands.

  2. The movement

    Rotate your chest and hands from side to side while keeping your hips and knees still.

Most common mistake

Don't move only your arms, rotate your chest as one unit and keep your abs braced.

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Muscle group
Abs
Equipment
Bodyweight
Where
Home or gym
Logged as
Reps

Muscles worked

The Russian twist mainly trains the obliques, the muscles that rotate your upper body to each side. Your rectus abdominis and hip flexors work at the same time to hold you in the leaned-back position, so your whole trunk is working. The further back you lean and the further from your body you hold your hands, the harder it gets.

Common mistakes

  • Your back rounds and you slump. As your abs tire, your upper body often collapses. Keep your chest up and your back long, and lean back from the hips rather than rounding your back.
  • Throwing the weight from side to side. With momentum, the weight does the work instead of your abs. Rotate calmly, stop the weight briefly on each side and change direction with control.
  • Lifting your feet too early. With your feet in the air, the position is much harder to hold, and technique is usually the first thing to go. Keep your heels on the floor until you can do every rep calmly with a straight back.

Variations and alternatives

  • The cable woodchopper trains rotation standing up, and the weight is easy to increase in small steps.
  • The band woodchopper is the same movement at home, with a resistance band.
  • The bicycle crunch also trains the obliques without equipment, lying on your back.
  • The Pallof press is an option if twisting does not feel right for your back, as your trunk resists rotation there instead of rotating.

Sets and reps

The Russian twist is done in reps or to time, not in heavy sets. Many people do 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 twists, or 20 to 40 seconds per set. Decide in advance whether one twist to each side counts as one rep or two, and count the same way every time, or your sessions cannot be compared. Rest a minute or a little less between sets. End the set when you start throwing the weight or your back rounds. The guide to sets and reps explains how to choose.

Make it harder one thing at a time: first more reps or a longer time, then a light weight in your hands, such as a dumbbell or a weight plate, and finally your feet off the floor. That is progressive overload, even in a core exercise. If your back hurts, stop the exercise and have it looked at by a doctor or physiotherapist.

Swap for

Taken, or missing the equipment? The same movement with something else.

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