Cable Russian Twist
Trains the Abs and Obliques.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Mechanic
- Compound
- Force
- Pull
- Level
- Beginner
How to do it
- Set a cable pulley to roughly chest height and attach a single handle.
- Stand side-on to the machine and take the handle in both hands with your arms extended in front of your chest.
- Step away until there is tension and set your feet a little wider than shoulder-width.
- Brace your stomach and rotate your torso away from the machine, keeping your arms straight.
- Let the back foot pivot so the hips can follow, and stop when your chest faces away from the pulley.
- Return under control, resisting the cable as it rotates you back. Complete the set, then turn and repeat on the other side.
Common mistakes
- Bending the arms and pulling. If the elbows bend, the cable is being rowed rather than resisted, and the trunk stops being the thing that moves.
- Letting the cable snap you back at the end of each repetition. The return is a controlled eccentric and it is where a lot of the useful work is.
- Standing too close, so tension disappears at the start of the rotation.
- Doing only the easy direction. Rotation away from the machine and the controlled return are both required, and both sides need equal volume.