3 Twisters Exercise for a Powerful Core

Twisters exercise involves rotational twists of your torso to engage your oblique muscles. 

Twisters are an efficient bodyweight exercise, ideal for burning calories and tightening the abdominal muscles. They sculpt your core and carve out a strong, desirable waistline. Strengthening your core is pivotal for enhancing force generation and improving movement in your lower body (1). The versatility of twister exercises allows athletes to target their core, especially their obliques, using bodyweight, free weights, or machines based on personal preference and convenience. 

This article highlights three superior twister exercises designed to build abdominal muscles and fortify the core. It also outlines the advantages of these exercises and provides detailed, step-by-step guidance to ensure correct form. Continue reading for these insights and more.

3 Effective Twisters Exercise

• Russian Twists
• Waist Twisting Disc
• Standing Bar Twists

Russian Twists

Russian twists are the first twisters exercise this guide will consider. This effective bodyweight exercise primarily focuses on your core, just like a situp. However, it’s much more than traditional sit-ups as it targets all layers of your waistline and other muscle groups.

Russian twists work on your abs, obliques, and hip flexors while recruiting other secondary muscles from your lower back. You can do Russian twists anywhere with enough floor space and no required equipment. For more gains, add some free weights like dumbbells, kettlebells, or a medicine ball. 

You can also use resistance bands when performing this exercise. Below is a step-by-step guide highlighting how to do the Russian twist with the right form.

1. Lie on the floor and put your feet together. You can have someone spot you by holding your feet so they don’t move during this exercise.
2. Bend your knees and raise your torso so your body creates a V-shape with your thighs, place your hands close to your chest, and keep your back neutral. This is your starting position.
3. Next, slowly twist your torso to the right, slowly return to the starting position, and twist your torso to the left, again slowly returning to the starting position. This makes it one rep.
4. Repeat for as many reps as you desire. 

Benefits

The Russian twist is an effective twisters exercise for building core muscles. Below is a list of its benefits.

• It helps to improve body balance and give a proper body posture, reducing the risk of injuries.
• Effective for burning calories (specifically belly fat) and sculpting well-defined abs.
• It works the core muscles and the lower back.
• It improves the flexibility of the hips.
• It improves your form for deadlifts, squats, and pull-ups.

Waist Twisting Discs

Like the Russian twist, the waist-twisting disc is a piece of home exercise equipment with a rotating surface that works your abdominal muscles and lower back. You can use it standing, sitting, or squatting, depending on your preference or training goals. Below is a step-by-step guide highlighting how to use the waist-twisting disc standing with the right form.

1. Place your feet on the disc, slightly narrower than hip-width apart.
2. This is your starting position: Keep your back straight, pull your shoulders back, slightly bend your knees, and brace your core.
3. Next, twist your torso to the right while your hips and knees face opposite directions.
4. Return to the starting position, twist your torso to the left while your hips and knees face the opposite direction, and return to the starting position. This makes it one rep.
5. Repeat this for as many reps as you desire.

Benefits

The waist-twisting disc is a twister exercise similar to the Russian twist. It improves joint mobility and can build a strong core. A study shows that machines can be great when doing exercises that target your core (2). Below is a list of benefits of performing this exercise.

• Effective for burning calories and sculpting well-defined abs.
• Improves the range of motion of the hip and knee joints
• It works the core muscles and the lower back. 
• It helps to improve balance and give a proper body posture, reducing the risk of injuries.
• This exercise has so many varieties, e.g., standing, in a squat position, or sitting. 

Standing Bar Twists

The standing bar twist is a weight and strength training exercise that works your abdominal muscles. It primarily utilizes a barbell and allows for both standing and sitting positions. If you want more strength and muscle gains, you can incorporate resistance bands. Below is a step-by-step guide highlighting how to twist the standing bar with the proper form.

1. Grab a barbell or PVC pipe and carefully place it on the back of your neck muscle. 
2. Stand straight with your feet at shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight, pull your shoulders back, slightly bend your knees, and brace your core. This is your starting position.
3. Brace your core and slowly twist your torso to the right. Then, reverse the movement back to the starting position, twist your torso to the left, and return to the starting position. This makes it one rep.
4. Repeat for as many reps as you desire.

Benefits

The standing bar twist is a relatively simple isolation exercise that builds and strengthens the core muscles. Below is a list of its benefits.

• It strengthens the core muscles, mainly focusing on the obliques.
• Improves the hip joint mobility by strengthening the hips.
• This exercise helps to improve balance and give a proper body posture, reducing the chance of injuries.
• Improves an athlete’s rotational strength and overall athletic performance.
• Effective for burning calories and sculpting well-defined abs.

FAQs

Is the Twister good for belly fat?

Twister exercises are generally suitable for burning belly fat. They primarily target the abdominal muscles. Twisters sculpt your core and give you that perfect, strong waistline. There are a plethora of twister exercises, which we covered in this article above. 

What are twisting exercises?

Twisting exercises are bodyweight, free weights, or machine exercises that effectively work on your core muscles, giving you well-defined abs. They can also strengthen your core and improve your overall stability.

What are the benefits of the twister machine exercise?

The benefits of the twister machine are very similar to those of the twister exercises listed in this article. They help sculpt your core, improve mobility and balance, reduce the chances of injuries, and improve athletic performance. 

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References

1. Rivera C. E. (2016). Core and Lumbopelvic Stabilization in Runners. Physical medicine and rehabilitation clinics of North America, 27(1), 319–337. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pmr.2015.09.003 
2. Vinstrup, J., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jakobsen, M. D., Calatayud, J., & Andersen, L. L. (2015). Core Muscle Activity, Exercise Preference, and Perceived Exertion during Core Exercise with Elastic Resistance versus Machine. Scientifica, 2015, 403068. https://doi.org/10.1155/2015/403068