Rationale Behind Utilization of the Russian Twist:

The Russian Twist is an extremely effective exercise, which emphasizes the entire core region (abdominals and obliques in particular) while also requiring shoulder mobility and strength. When rotating, the athlete must control the weight of the bar to not allow it to tip them over. One of the greatest benefits of this exercise is it requires a skaters to rotate their spine and hips, which many struggle to do. It must be remembered this is a very challenging exercise that must be done with only athletes who have the ability to handle the barbell weight and rotational needs of the exercise along with the appropriate core strength.