How to do a Russian Twist
Reviewed by Jim Parker, CPT, B.A. Kinesiology
About Russian Twist
Workouts with Russian Twist
Target muscles worked
Instructions for Proper Form
Russian Twist is one of the more common core exercises. This exercise targets multiple muscles in your core, but the reason for including this exercise is usually to target your obliques. By raising your feet off the ground, engaging your core, and twisting to each side, you can better target this specific muscle in your core.
- Sit in an upright position with your knees bent and feet off the floor underneath a stable object.
- Hold onto a weighted apparatus or clasp your hands in front of your chest with your elbows slightly flexed.
- Extend your hips to angle your torso 45 degrees from the floor.
- Rotate your shoulders to the right while keeping your weighted apparatus or your hands in the middle of your chest.
- Once you have rotated far enough to touch the weighted apparatus or your hands to the floor by your side, rotate your shoulders to the left to again touch the floor.
- Keep the movement controlled as you return to the starting position.
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Do Russian twists make your waist smaller?
Russian twists can help strengthen and tone the muscles around your waist, particularly the obliques, but they do not directly make your waist smaller. Waist size reduction primarily depends on overall fat loss, which is achieved through a combination of a healthy diet, cardio exercises, and full-body strength training. Russian twists can contribute to a more defined and toned appearance as part of a comprehensive fitness regimen.
Which core muscles do Russian twist work?
Russian twists primarily work the obliques, which are the muscles on the sides of your abdomen. They also engage the rectus abdominis (the "six-pack" muscles), the transverse abdominis (deep core muscles), and the lower back muscles to a lesser extent. Additionally, Russian twists can involve the hip flexors and upper back muscles for stability and balance during the movement.
Common Form Mistakes
Overusing Arms
Make sure you’re using your core to twist to each side rather than simply reaching to either side with your arms. This will make the exercise more effective.
Weight & 1 Rep Max Calculator
Average Russian Twist standards by male, female, weight, age and height
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Alternative Exercises to Russian Twist
1. Crunches
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2. Ab Crunch Machine
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3. Plank
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4. Bicycle Crunch
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5. Leg Raise
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6. Scissor Kick
94.2 mSCORESWAPPED 3,697 TIMESScissor Kicks are a bodyweight, core exercise that involve raising your feet off the ground, and kicking your legs up and down. By raising your legs off the ground, you’re already working your core. By continually alternating which leg is raised, you’re constantly forced to keep your core engaged for stability as well as to keep each leg raised.
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7. Sit Up
93.8 mSCORESWAPPED 3,387 TIMESSit Up is one of the most common exercises out there. It’s a bodyweight exercise that targets your core. Sit Ups are very similar to Crunches, however, rather than raising just your shoulder blades off the ground, you raise your entire upper body. This gives you a bit more range of motion than Crunches, however you’ll start to lose some tension in your core at the top of the movement.
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