How to do Hollow Hold Russian Twist?
- Sit down on the floor or on a mat, keeping your feet on the ground. Your heels should stay on the floor, but your toes can be off the ground. Squeeze your glutes for stability.
- Lean back, forming a right angle from your torso relative to your thigh.
- Raise your arms out in front of you. Look up at your hands (and the weight, once you progress to working with a load)—you'll keep your gaze trained there throughout the movement.
- Rotate your torso from one side to the other, pausing for a beat in the middle position between each rep. Move slowly, and keep your eyes on the weight.
- Keep the load out as far as possible to keep the lever long to challenge your abs, once your hips and knees begin to shift, you've gone too far.
People like Russian twists because they take advantage of your core's ability to rotate your torso, one of its four key functions. This movement targets your obliques, the long muscles that run along the sides of your torso and help to flex, laterally bend, and rotate the spine.