Weighted Russian Twist

Setup

1. 01Sit on the floor with knees bent and heels lightly touching the ground.
2. 02Hold a plate, dumbbell, or medicine ball with both hands in front of the chest.
3. 03Lean the torso back to roughly 45 degrees with a long, braced spine.
4. 04Keep the chest proud rather than slumping into the lower back.

Execution

1. 01Rotate the torso to one side, bringing the weight beside the hip.
2. 02Let the shoulders and ribcage turn together while the hips stay mostly still.
3. 03Rotate through the center to the other side in one controlled motion.
4. 04Continue alternating sides, counting each side as one rep.

Checkpoints

• -Rotation comes from the ribcage, not from the arms swinging across a still torso.
• -The 45 degree lean is held constant through the set.
• -The spine stays long; no collapsing into flexion at the lower back.
• -The weight travels on a level arc, not bouncing off the floor.

Common mistakes

• -Whipping the arms side to side without any real trunk rotation.
• -Rounding the lower back as fatigue builds.
• -Rocking the whole body instead of isolating the twist.
• -Tapping the weight to the floor with momentum.