The Seated V-Shape Torso Tornado

Trail Log · Movement Breakdown

The Russian twist is the kind of exercise that looks deceptively manageable in demonstration videos and then absolutely wrecks you when you actually try it. You sit on the floor with your legs bent, feet anchored under something immovable or held by a partner, and your upper body elevated to create a V-shape with your thighs. Your arms are fully extended in front of you with your hands clasped, and you look like you're about to make a very important announcement from the world's most uncomfortable chair.

From this V-position, you rotate your torso to one side until your arms are roughly parallel to the floor, exhaling as you twist. Hold the contraction for a beat — really feel those obliques firing on the side you're rotating toward — and then rotate to the opposite side with the same control. Back and forth, side to side, like a very determined, very uncomfortable metronome.

The Russian twist is exceptional for training rotational core strength, which is the kind of strength that powers every twisting movement in sports and life — swinging a bat, throwing a ball, turning to grab something from the back seat of the car without pulling a muscle. Your obliques, which are the diagonal muscles on the sides of your midsection, are the primary movers here, and they respond enthusiastically to this kind of rotational training. You can add weight — a medicine ball, a plate, or any object you can hold — to increase the challenge. Just keep the movement controlled, because whipping around with a heavy object and a flexible spine is a recipe for lower back complaints.