I performed 100 Russian twists every day for a week
Here are six things I learned
With summer nearing the end of summer, many of us keep our inner thighs in our minds. My next physical task should include a core workout. What better way to demonstrate the lovers who are boss than using the waist-cutting Russian twist?
I’ve risen to many physical challenges in the last 6 months. I’ve done 50 Burpees, 100 squats, and 100 jump jacks per day for the past week, to mention a few. Since I’m a trained PT, I’ve found that many exercises I’ve performed have become natural to me. As a journalist, I’ve checked everything I’ve learned regarding these exercises with experts to ensure I provide you with the best tips on form and technique.
Imagine my delight as I realized I’d been executing the Russian twist wrong all my existence! If I’m making mistakes, it’s likely that you’re doing it, too. Do you want to learn more about performing Russian twists properly and how I served 100 twists daily for a week? Find out more…
WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF RUSSIAN TWISTS?
If appropriately performed, when done correctly, it is a great exercise to master. Russian twist can be a fantastic essential stability exercise that can improve and strengthen your abdominal muscles, reducing the size of your torso and even boosting your performance in athletics.
Highly efficient and effective This ab rotation exercise provides you with a more excellent value for money than simple sit-ups or crunches since it can focus on all core muscles and strengthen your spine.
A rotational core movement, this Russian twist targets mainly the external and internal Obliques, which are muscles located at the sides of your abdominal region, and the powers of the rectus abdominus that form the six-pack.
In addition, it activates many other muscles. These include those in the abdominal transverse (your deep muscles of the core) as well as the erector spine (a collection of muscles that run along your spine), and your latissimus Dorsi (found on the side of your back middle) as well as your hip flexors.
Although the Russian turn may seem simple, it’s much more complicated than it looks. This is because you must be able to lean back in the beginning place and maintain the challenging isometric posture as the body rotates between sides and requires an enormous amount of stability, balance, power, and strength.
In addition to building a solid, sturdy core, adding rotational exercises like Russian twists and turns into your routine provides more variety in the movements you perform to test your body to move in various ways. Although the body can traverse three types of planes of motion: frontal (side-to-side) and sagittal (forwards and forwards and backward), and transverse (rotation), we often fail to build our muscles through rotational exercises, and stick to practices that are sagittal or frontal such as deadlifts, squats and crunches rather.
Training with rotation could assist you with completing your daily chores more efficiently. Think about twisting your body to reach something or shifting objects from one side to another — all while improving your strength via rotation. This can aid in boosting your athletic performance when you engage in activities that require a lot of spins, like tennis, golf, and boxing.
HOW I DO RUSSIAN TWISTS
Russian twists for beginner: If you’re unfamiliar with this form of exercise and actual work generally and have never attempted Russian twists correctly before, begin by doing the most accessible version in which your feet remain on the ground all through. Here’s how:
● Place your feet on the floor and keep your knees bent to a 45-degree angle. Then, press your heels down into the flooring.
● Engage your core muscles and as you lean forward slightly, the torso and legs create the shape of a V. Keep your spine straight, and pull your shoulders backwards, and keep your shoulders from rounding or slumping.
● Make sure your legs are to a fixed position. Then gradually twist your body towards the left as you exhale slowly in an controlled movement. Take a deep breath, return to the center, and repeat the process with the opposite side. One repetition is enough.
● Try to hold your arms straight and towards the front with your hands parallel to the ground (you could also join them should you wish to) and let your eyes follow your arms’ motion.
The traditional Russian twist After you’ve learned the fundamental move above and you feel that your core is ready for the next task, you’ll be able to move to this more traditional Russian twist that you could have seen in which your feet are elevated off the ground. Here’s how:
● Sitting on the floor with your knees bent at a 45-degree angle would be best. Your heels should rest on the floor. Place your sit bones on the flooring.
● Maintaining your spine lengthened with your spine straight and the shoulders back, hold your core, and then lean towards the back of your hips so that you form a V using your torso and thighs.
● Straightening your arms to the side, slowly raise your heels just a couple of inches away from the floor to ensure you’re balancing on your sitting bones. The best way to do this is to cross your legs around your ankles if that is more at ease (doing this may also improve stability).
● Maintain your core posture and braced as you move your body around slowly, and remember to exhale when you move to the side away from your legs and exhale while returning to your center.
I DID 100 RUSSIAN TWISTS A DAY FOR A WEEK — 6 THINGS I LEARNED
1. DON’T DROP THE BALL
Day one was about returning to the basics, i.e., eliminating all I believed I knew concerning the Russian twist and re-starting with a new set of ideas.
It is now clear that if you are looking to perform the Russian turn correctly and decrease the stress on the neck and back for a safer and less painful experience it is important to not touch your hands with the floor as you twist from one side to the other or place your weight on the ground if you’re carrying an exercise ball, dumbbell kettlebell, weight plate or other.
In the beginning, I was a bit the news a bit confusing since I’d always (like most, I’m sure) believed that the ability to touch my weight or hands to the ground was an indication of increased physical strength and endurance or that it offered an intense workout that would yield better outcomes, quicker outcomes. In the end, you’ll find Russian twists performed in such a way on several training programs and online demonstrations.
But, putting your hands or weight down is not a good idea for various reasons, one of the main reasons being that excessive rotation creates a significant strain on your neck and back. That’s why the Russian turn has a somewhat negative reputation in the world of osteopaths and physiotherapists.
Your belly button must always be straight as you rotate your arms from side to side. There is no need to turn your lower back and your belly button while moving between sides because it weakens some of your abdominal muscles and creates more focus on your lower back. Confused?
Don’t be. Take ten minutes to try both ways and soon you’ll realize that if you keep your movements shorter and less twisting and twisting, you’ll notice the work within your abs more.
2. POSTURE IS EVERYTHING
On the second day and Day two, even with my rotations tiny and my feet down during the 100 Russian twists, my body felt the effects of my obliques and abs. Also, I did not suffer from the neck or lower back tension I was experiencing following Russian twists. I blame it on not being too rotated or attempting to put my feet on the ground.
This proves that it is safe and effective when executed correctly and safely. Russian twist can be an effective workout for your body. You only have to use weights for the exercise if you possess a strong core and require more effort.
In this regard I took to Day two trying to perfect my posture. I kept my spine straight, with my shoulders pulled back downwards. A hunch is also a major problem because turning your shoulders and not ensuring that your back is flat causes you to weaken certain muscles in your core, making the workout more ineffective and less effective.
Maintaining a straight spine and keeping my attention on my shoulders and back posture while I lean back, I could hold this posture under isometric tension to be much more complex and challenging.
3. SLOW AND STEADY WINS THE RACE
Three days later, the obliques that I’d neglected to notice felt incredibly aching, however, not to the point that I felt restricted in my activities. As I was determined to push my Russian turns to the next level, I wanted to ensure my technique was in order before lifting my feet above the ground.
This was achieved by slowing down my movements and paying attention to my breathing since it’s pretty easy to keep your breathing steady during a series of reps when performing Russian turns. I figured that this tendencies would only increase when I lifted my feet.
Also, due to these faulty video demonstrations and some workout sequences in movies, it is a great urge to speed through reps with the false belief that it makes you stronger and fitter. more powerful.
Be patient and take your time. This is a great way to maintain excellent form, allowing you to benefit from your workout and become stronger over time. Doing too much or tossing the weight too far around is not recommended, as you’ll compromise the quality of your activities and the danger of injuries.
However, slowing the process down more made me spend much more time in tension while I relaxed, and I confess to having split my 100 Russian twists into two 50-person groups to finish them.
4. GET OFF THE GROUND
As I awoke on day four, I felt my whole core had gone through the mill. However, I wanted to push forward by lifting my feet from the floor. This can be more challenging than it appears because keeping your equilibrium while perched on the sit bones while keeping your legs elevated can seriously strain your abs in the lower part and the hip flexors.
The challenge level increases significantly when you elevate your feet just a couple of inches above the ground. The biggest hurdle I faced was making sure that my stomach button, as well as my legs, kept straight forward since my lower body tends to lean forward toward the opposite side of my arms.
Overall, the mental and physical challenges that this exercise presented pushed up numerous notches. I divided my sets into 5 sets of 20 and rearranged them throughout the day to ensure I could perform my moves correctly and maintain my technique. I’d be lying if I claimed I wasn’t tired and achy.
5. WARM THINGS UP
The next day I awoke to immense pain, specifically in my lower back and hip flexors. I had yet to stretch through the previous day. The truth is, I felt like a stiff board. This illustrates how many muscles Russians turn targets.
Therefore, before doing at least one of my 100 repetitions, I warmed up thoroughly through a strenuous stroll through the park before starting my light exercise. In the following, I spent about 20 minutes guiding my body through warming exercises to ensure that my hips and back were limber before getting into my first set of 20 reps for the day.
I wasn’t a fan of the Russian variations on the fifth day. But this could be because I was bored of repeating the same daily routine. Obviously, I wanted to make things interesting the following day.
6. PUT A TWIST ON IT
I felt significantly better by day six after being thoroughly warmed up and chilled out the previous day. Actually, I was feeling quite strong and thought of introducing a variety. When I was ready to warm up, I started by doing 25 twists of the punch. I’d turn to the left side and then push my right arm to the left; after that, I’d do the reverse to the opposite side. I liked these as they made me feel more energetic, even though I controlled my movements.
After that, I grabbed the lightest dumbbell I could find to do the 25-weighted Russian twists. I made sure that I kept the dumbbell nearly parallel to the ground — I discovered these to be particularly hard for my obliques, which have become accustomed to twisting side to side with only my body weight.
Then, in the late afternoon, I did the same set consisting of 25 twists on the press as well as the 25 weighted Russian twists, but even though I felt like I’d in a state of complete relaxation (get the concept?) However, I was being pretty intense.
I DID 100 RUSSIAN TWISTS A DAY FOR A WEEK
I felt in great shape on the seventh day of my Russian twisting challenge. I pushed through my 6 rounds of weighted and punch twists perfectly. I felt a sense of strength and stability in my center.
It can be easy to overlook the obliques when searching for an unbeatable six-pack. But by not focusing on these muscles, you’re failing to work your entire core. This is not great for anyone who wants to keep a more vital, balanced, strong, and healthy body.
The activation of my obliques by Russian twists, I felt significantly more potent in my fitness sessions during the week following, and also my workouts and exercises with weights also felt more comfortable. It wasn’t like I noticed any changes regarding the look of my waistline, but I didn’t think I would in a week. However, it’s the interior that is important, and my stomach was feeling fantastic.