Russian twist

The Russian Twist is a type of exercise that is used to work the abdomen muscles by performing a twisting motion on the abdomen. The exercise is believed by those who practice it to build explosiveness in the upper torso, which may help in sports such as swimming, baseball, track & field, hockey, golf, lacrosse, or boxing.

History
The origin of this exercise is not exactly known, but most trainers believe it came from the USSR, during the Cold War period.

Technique
To perform the Russian Twist, first, one should sit on the floor with knees bent like in a "sit-up" position. The feet should be kept together and slightly above the ground or put under a stable surface. The torso should be kept straight with the back kept off the ground at a 45 degree angle. Arms should be held together away from the body in a straight fashion and hands kept locked together like a ball or one can hold a weight to increase the difficulty. Next, the arms should be swung from one side to another in a twisting motion, with each swing to a side counting as one repetition. The slower one moves the arms from side to side, the harder the exercise becomes, working the abdomen that much better. When moving one's arms during the exercise, it is crucial to not stop between repetitions or else you will lose the effect of working the abdomen. Constant breathing in and out during the exercise is important as one should not hold one's breath.

There are also other variants of this exercise such as using a stability ball or with a barbell standing up.