The Russian Twist or seated oblique twist is an important abdominal exercise that strengthens various areas of the abdominals, specifically the rectus abdominis (six pack muscle), the internal obliques (cover the six pack muscle), and the external obliques (cover the internal obliques).

The abdominal muscles are one of the basic core muscles in the body, together with the trunk. Every movement performed by the body engages the core muscles, so it is always better when they are kept strong so you can live a stress free and painless free body. Strong internal and external oblique muscles prevent backache and can build strength and speed in competition-based events like sprinting and racquet sports.

How To Perform a Seated Oblique Twist Correctly

• Sit on a mat or flat cushion on the floor for extra comfort. Performing on a hard surface puts strain on the back. Bend your knees and make sure that your feet remain on the floor.

• With any abdominal exercise, it is important to pull in the abdominals so tense them to further work them and keep them stronger over the long term. Sit up at an angle of about 45 degrees.

• Remember to breathe throughout the exercise. Breathing correctly allows you the concentration to perform the oblique exercises correctly. Exhale during the exercise and inhale when resting after the rep.

• Grab hold of a medicine ball with handles (if possible). Aim to hold the medicine ball straight in front of the body.

• Keep the abdominals tense throughout, and use your abdominals and the weight of the medicine ball to twist your torso to the right side to touch the floor.

• Keep the abdominals tense, breathe correctly, and twist the medicine ball to the other side and the floor. That is one rep.

• In order to build strong abdominals, especially the oblique muscles, the muscles need to become slightly stressed in order for tears to take place in the abdominal area. With the right protein rich foods, the muscles grow in strength, strip off fat, and you will achieve a toned sexy body.

Benefits of Seated Oblique Twists

• This exercise tones the side abdominals which many people forget to train when they perform crunches. It will develop the enviable V side muscles as seen on athletes.

• A stronger abdominal and core prevents backache.

• It builds strength and speed in other areas; especially sprint work and racquet sports.

It is important to note that when any undertaking any bodyweight exercise like a seated oblique twist, rest days are important to refuel the muscles. Nutrition is also important, especially on training days. Always try to beat your target number of repetitions. For beginners, try to perform 5 to 10 repetitions. Sticking to the same number of reps will not build a strong body over the long term.

The body is designed to build in strength, so performing the correct exercises and fueling the body with protein rich foods like eggs, red meat, fish, and nuts/seeds will help your muscles to grow. Rest is essential. If the body ever feels overworked through training or even basic work, it can break down and become ill.

This short workout is timed three minutes for each separate sequence. Boxing, skipping, and weight training incorporates to provide the body with a thorough workout.

Equipment Needed

• Mat
• Medicine ball
• Boxing gloves and bag
• 10-20kg dumbells
• Stability ball
• Skipping rope

The Workout

• Jump rope for three minutes to warm up the muscles.

• Do alternate punches to the heavy bag for three minutes. Try not to take a break, and if you do stay on your toes to keep the heart rate high. Throw upper cuts, jabs, and straight punches.

• Sit on stability ball and grab your medicine ball. Perform three minutes of sit-ups slowly. If you struggle with the last minute and a half, transfer the sit-ups to the mat. Remember to exhale as you rise, and inhale when you drop your shoulders. This will hurt but will build strong abdominals. Alternatively, do sit-ups against the heavy bag and punch the bag with each crunch.

• Pick up your weights and perform three minutes of weighted squats. Try to perform the exercise slowly to really work the buttock and thigh muscles.

• Rest hands on mat and position feet closely on stability ball. Dip down into a press-up and then pull the ball in with your feet. This is a hard move but try to perform twelve. It strengthens core strength, works on balance, and tones the calves, back, and arms.

• That’s one round. Try to perform two of the same circuit.

This workout will take on average 25 minutes. Take a rest in between each move for 30 seconds to one minute.  I really was sore the next day after this short workout.

This tough workout is so effective. It gets the heart pumping, burns fat, and builds important lean muscle tissue. This short circuit has no rests, which keeps the heart pumping and burns calories.

Equipment required

• Stability ball
• Medicine ball
• Skipping rope
• Exercise mat

The workout

• Skip for 4-5 minutes to warm up the muscles.

• Perform thirty high jumps non-stop to work the heart. This requires mental strength to perform the exercise correctly. Try to jump to waist height. Motivate yourself with mantras.

• Grab your medicine ball and jump on the stability ball. Roll the ball over your abs and push the medicine ball over your head. Perform 20-30 non-stop.

• These are tough. Press-ups on a stability ball. Place your hands on the exercise mat, your feet on the stability ball. Steadily push down into press-up position without your legs falling off stability ball. Raise up and then pull your legs in to your chest slowly on the ball, then push out again. That’s one rep. Try to do 5-10. These are very tough but work effectively to tone the core muscles.

• Perform thirty squat thrusts to further kill the arm muscles after press-ups.

• Do 20-30 tricep dips on the stability ball. If you can hold your legs out straight for a harder burn or keep the knees bent for an effective exercise.

• To finish off, perform 20-30 squats. Place your hands behind your head and squat down so that your thighs are parallel with your feet. Keep the back straight and feel the burn in your thighs and buttocks.

How’s that for a short, intensive, fat burning, muscle building workout?

After several weeks of not carrying out my short little workouts due to stresses at home, writers block, and pretty much feeling out of sorts with myself, I today finally set off to the gym with a mission in mind…to get sweaty in less than thirty minutes.

This workout took a little over 30 minutes including stretches afterward. It was tough, probably because I have not performed body weight training for a short while. When I pressed play on my iPod it was almost red (red when running out green when full battery power) and I hate working out with no music. Music is my motivator. Anyhow, weirdly the music stayed on. I had Eye of the Tiger, Heart’s on Fire, Creeps, bit of Bobby Brown, K Klass and a few other funky tunes and the best one of all, Take me to the Hospital by The Prodigy, my fav group.

This little workout can be performed at home or the gym.

Items required:

• Skipping rope
• Boxing gloves
• Punch bag
• Mat
• Medicine ball

The Workout

• First off, start with a little skipping for three minutes. Pick out a funky track and skip non stop. Finally finish with ten double unders if you can.

• If you’re at the gym and you have a punch bag to hand, put on your boxing gloves and perform jabs, uppercuts, and straight jabs at the punch bag. Remember to keep your guard up and when the arms are fatigued stay on the balls of your feet to keep the heart rate up. Time yourself for three minutes or a short song length. If you do not have a punch bag perform three minutes of shadow boxing. With the sit-ups, throw punches with every crunch.

• Grab your mat beside the punch bag and try your best to raise your body and punch the bag with every sit-up. After a minute or two the abs will start to ache heavily. Use a mantra to push yourself through the pain. Your abs will thank you for it with strength and burn off fat.

• Take a minute break. Grab your barbell or free weights and perform thirty weighted squats. Push the weight into the ankles and keep the back straight. Your back should not feel any strain, only your buttocks. Perform it in front of a mirror to view your posture.

• Thirty chest presses with 10-40 kg if you can.

• Grab your mat again and perform thirty press-ups on an incline to make it that little bit tougher, just like I love it.

• Straight into thirty squat thrusts.

• Grab a medicine ball and pick it up while in the squat position and use your arms to pull it slightly over your head. Keep the arms slightly bent and keep the back straight as you bring it back down and perform twenty.

• Using the medicine ball again start off in the middle and bring the medicine ball up to the right of your head, slightly using your torso to twist to the right but keep your body facing the front. Perform one on the right and then the left. Try to perform twenty on each side.

• Perform thirty high jumps non-stop.

• Use the medicine ball and holding your arms out slightly bring the medicine ball as fast as possible to your left hip and then swivel it to you right. Perform twenty on each side. Boxers usually work with a partner on this and throw it backwards after spinning it round and then picking it up from the right side to spin to the left again. This works the oblique and hip muscles.

• At this time, Hearts on Fire from Rocky came on so I had to skip to this motivating music. I skipped non-stop for four minutes and finished off with ten double unders.

• I grabbed the medicine ball and performed twenty side bends.

• Finished with twenty lunges on each leg holding the medicine ball straight to tire the arms. After the twenty I pulsed my legs for another ten lunges to kill my leg.

• Finally stretch out the legs and arms.

Drink plenty of fluid throughout. This workout uses body weight exercises, cardio, and works the entire body. Eat well afterward and rest for a day or two before another workout. Give the muscles time to grow stronger.

This workout only takes 35  minutes, but makes you buzz with health afterward. It includes my favourite exercise, jump rope, and weight training exercises performed with a medicine ball and free weights. It is a killer on the muscles. It is only three sets of twelve reps, but it’s enough to cause a burn and help build those powerful muscles.

Equipment required

• Medicine Ball
• Jump rope
• Stability ball
• 20-40kg barbells
• 1 dumbbell

The Workout

• Start off with a quick five minute skipping session to warm up the muscles of the legs. If you feel like pushing yourself, perform a couple of sets of double unders before the next stage of the workout.

• Sit on stability ball, grab medicine ball, and each time you raise the abdominals, push the medicine ball into the air. Perform twelve reps.

• Grab the medicine ball. Stand slightly wider than hip length and swing the medicine ball to the feet, bending the knees and then pull it over your head, gently stretching your back. Perform twelve reps.

• Keep a grip of the medicine ball and twist it quickly from side to side with a hip movement. Perform twelve on each side.

• Similar to exercise one. The legs are a little wider than hip distance. Medicine ball in the middle but instead of raising it over the head, gently turn the hips to the left as you lift the medicine ball firstly to the right. Push the ball down to the bottom and raise again, gently moving the hips and bringing the medicine ball to the left side of the head. Perform twelve on each side.

• Holding the medicine ball directly at chest height, perform 12 squats. Keep the back straight and push the buttocks out as far as they will go. Perform twelve reps.

• Keep the medicine ball at chest height and perform twelve lunges on one leg and twelve on the other.

• Grab the hand weight and perform twelve tricep dips on the right arm, and twelve on the other.

• Perform twelve side bends with the weight on each side.

• Finally, with the weighted barbell, maintain strength and perform twelve dead lifts. Keep the back straight and the legs slightly bent. When this exercise is performed correctly there should be a slight burn in the buttock area.

That’s one set. Perform two more sets with five minutes of skipping throughout. Remember to stretch the muscles afterward to help prevent stiffness and muscle injury.

This is a great little workout that takes about 40 minutes. I trained to the new Prodigy Album, Invaders Must Die. It’s got some great, feisty tunes on, and it’s just the right length for a motivating workout. So what will you need today.

Items required

• Skipping rope
• 2 hand weights (choice of weight is yours)
• Mat
• Medicine Ball (optional)
• Stability Ball

The Workout

• Skip gently to warm the muscles up, then skip vigorously for about five minutes or a song length.

• Perform 20 sit ups with the medicine ball.  Stretch out on the mat, and bring the medicine ball over your head. Straighten your legs and as you bring your legs up, bring the ball up. Pull the ball back over your head and let your legs drop symetrically, but keep them off the floor. That’s 1 rep. Try to perform 20. Remember to breathe in as you drop your legs and bring the medicine ball down and breathe out as you perform the exercise. If you do not have the medicine ball, this exercise will still prove to be challenging. Try to keep your legs off the floor at all times.

• Balance on feet on a higher surface than the hands, and perform 20 press-ups.

• Back to skipping. Skip non-stop for 15 minutes or three song lengths.

• Perform the 20 sit-ups with the medicine ball or V sit-ups, keeping your legs off the floor, and your arms straight as you reach back.

• Grab your hand weights and perform 12 one legged deadlifts on the right leg, then the left. Bend your knees slightly but keep the back straight. You should feel the pull in your buttocks and hamstrings.

• Perform 20 bicep curls on each arm with the weight of your choice.

• Perform 20 upright rows with the weight of your choice.

• Sit on the stability ball and perform 20 chest presses. Remember to regain your balance. It is always harder performing exercises on the stability ball, and it doubly works your core.

• Again, on the stability ball, grab a weight or medicine ball. Point it toward the ceiling, holding it upright at all times and bring it to the left, then to the right. Do not drop the weight or medicine ball at any time. Do not look to the left or right, try to keep looking up at the ceiling. This exercise works your obliques. Perform 12 reps.

• Perform 20 high jumps, without rest.

• Perform 20 squat jumps, without rest.

• Skip finally for ten minutes. Your arms should be feeling the strain, as will your legs.

• Finally, stretch out your muscles, and eat some quality protein or have a shake.

I have not stuck to the same exercise with this workout. I’ve mixed things up. If you don’t want to do the 2nd set of sit-ups, perhaps mix it up with burpees instead. I’d rather do the sit-ups, burpees are tough, but it’s your workout. The skipping works all the muscles, and strengthens, the joints. There are plenty of bodyweight exercises. Keeping the heart rate up while fatiguing the muscles, helps to burn fat and keep the metabolism ticking over longer.

With the skipping, if you’re eager, after every song length, try to perform 10-20 double-unders to really boost that heart rate.

This workout should take approximately 45 minutes. As I always state in my workouts, get some great, motivating music on. It will push you further when you feel the strain.

Items Required

• Boxing gloves
• Skipping rope
• Stability Ball (optional)
• Medicine Ball 6kg or heavier (optional)

The Workout

• Perform some gentle skipping to warm up. Do around 3-4 minutes of skipping.

• Perform 3 minutes of straight punches/jabs/uppercuts to the boxing bag. If you don’t have a boxing bag or gloves, do some shadow boxing. Keep on your toes at all times to keep your heart rate up.

• Perform 3 minutes of medicine ball sit-ups on your stability ball. If you do not have a medicine ball handy or a stability ball, you can do a straight crunch. Place your hands behind your head and reach up, using your abs to pull yourself up. Carry on for three minutes or a song length of your choice.

• Take no break in between. Do that circuit 3 times, then rest for two minutes.

• Perform 10 double unders. Make sure the rope slips under your feet twice.  Aim to do 10 without stopping.

• Perform 10 chinnies. Bring your knees up to your chest and perform them fast.

• Perform 10 medicine ball sit-ups on stability ball.

• That’s 1 rep. Now perform 9 double unders, 9 chinnies and 9 sit-ups, then 8 double unders, 8 chinnies, 8 sit-ups etc, until you reach 1.

This workout will get you fit fast. Skipping is very high intensive, so you will find that you will perspire fast. Boxing is a great anerobic workout and trains your muscle endurance. Sit-ups are essential to building the core muscles. The stronger your core, the less injuries will be encountered.

As if the first half isn’t knackering enough, I added the double-unders, chinnies and sit-ups as a little extra to push the body to the limit. Our bodies love exertion, and although it’s tough and hurts, I always stick with the mantra “no pain.”

Stretch your muscles and eat some good quality protein afterward.

Firstly, I want to state that to participate in any of these workouts, you must already have a good level of fitness. These workouts are not basic, although you can vary the number of reps that I perform to suit your fitness ability.

I will mostly use a series of exercise disciplines: skipping, press-ups, squats, squat thrusts, burpees and sit-ups.

This workout, which I call the ‘buzzin’ workout, is very intensive, uses up a lot of energy, burns fat for up to 48 hours afterward and builds lean muscle tissue, as well as burning hundreds of calories.

For this workout you will require:

• 6-7 kg medicine ball (with handles if possible)
• Stability Ball (optional but adds intensity to a workout)
• Leather jump rope (try to avoid speed ropes, as they can get tangled up)
• 20 kg dumbbells
• Non-slip mat
• Plenty of funky music (optional, but motivating)

Firstly, do a little gentle skipping to warm up, or march on the spot. Try to use alternate feet when you skip. If you bounce using both your feet, you may find that you tire quick, you could get a stitch and you may reach exhaustion faster, which is not what we want with this session. Perform some gentle stretching, so do a calf stretch, stretch your back muscles and do a hip stretch on each side.

The Workout

I started the workout with 3 minutes of fairly fast skipping, or a short song length, can do longer if you really want to push your body to the limit. You may find out that early on in this stage of the workout, your body will start to warm up and you will start to perspire. This is normal as your body requires a lot of energy, especially for a high intensive workout such as jump rope. If you can, and you are an experienced jump roper, perform ten double unders (spin the rope at double the speed at which you normally skip and allow the rope to spin round twice for each rope jump). This move is very intensive but will really test your fitness. Try to build up to 10, but if you can do 5 that is excellent.

• Perform 15 press-up burpees (jump into a press-up, jump back into a squat thrust and jump up to finish. That’s one rep. Burpees are difficult so try to build up to 15. If you can only perform 10, work from 10-1, rather than 15-1.

• Pick the 20 kg weight and place it on your shoulders. Keep your back straight and perform 15 squats. When performing a squat you should be able to see your toes when you raise your body. Push your bottom out and keep your back straight. Remember your posture and perform them slowly rather than fast.

• Position yourself on the stability ball and use your medicine ball to perform 15 medicine ball curls. Again, perform these slowly for maximum muscle building.

• Perform 14 press-ups, 14 squat thrusts (full or alternate legs) and 14 jumping jacks.

• Perform 14 weighted squats, maintaining good posture.

• Perform 14 medicine ball sit-ups on the stability ball.

• Perform 13 burpees.

• Perform 13 weighted squats

• Perform 13 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 12 press-ups, 12 squat thrusts (full or alternate leg) and 12 jumping jacks.

• Perform 12 weighted squats.

• Perform 12 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 11 burpees.

• Perform 11 weighted squats.

• Perform 11 medicine ball sit-ups.

By this time, this workout should have taken you about 15-20 minutes. Remember to take your time and go at your own pace. Your body will be very warm, and in the fat burning zone. Burpees, press-ups, squats, squat thrusts, sit-ups and jumping jacks use your own bodyweight to perform the reps, so they burn a lot of calories, help to build lean muscle tissue and burn fat for up to 48 hours afterward. They will ‘whip’ your body into shape fast.

Skip for another song length or for 3 minutes to build up the intensity of the workout and try to perform 5-10 double-unders to complete.

• Perform 10 press-ups, 10 squat thrusts and 10 jumping jacks.

• Perform 10 weighted squats.

• Perform 10 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 9 burpees.

• Perform 9 weighted squats.

• Perform 9 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 8 press-ups, 8 squat thrusts and 8 jumping jacks.

• Perform 8 weighted squats.

• Perform 8 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 7 burpees.

• Perform 7 weighted squats.

• Perform 7 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 6 press-ups, 6 squat thrusts and 6 jumping jacks.

• Perform 6 weighted squats.

• Perform 6 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 5 burpees.

• Perform 5 weighted squats.

• Perform 5 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 4 press-ups, 4 squat thrusts and 4 jumping jacks.

• Perform 4 weighted squats.

• Perform 4 medicine ball sit-ups.

• Perform 3 burpees.

• Perform 3 weighted squats.

• Perform 3 medicine ball sit-ups

• Perform 2 press-ups, 2 squat thrusts and 2 jumping jacks.

• Perform 2 weighted squats.

• Perform 2 medicine ball sit-ups

• Perform 1 burpee.

• Perform 1 weighted squat.

• Perform 1 medicine ball sit-up.

Well done! Workout completed and you should be feeling completely ‘buzzin’ as well as looking full of glowing health. What this workout gives you is more energy afterward, which is motivating enough.

You may find in the last 10-1 set of exercises that your arms may be feeling the strain with the weighted squats. Remember not to over-exert yourself. Work to your own ability. You know your body and you know what it can do, what pain it feels. The best thing about this workout is that if you perform is regularly, say twice a week over a month, your lung function will increase and you will be able to work through the intensity, while pushing your body to the limit.

Again, if you cannot perform 15-1, try 10-1. This workout is more intermediate to the advanced stage. You may find that your muscles ache for up to 3-5 days afterward because the muscles in the whole body have been torn during the workout and are rebuilding stronger. It is important to eat good amounts of protein after your workout. A handful of nuts are good, as it a protein shake or a banana milkshake with a tablespoon of peanut butter blended in.

We will be working with this workout for the next 4 weeks, when your body has adapted to the workout. It will then be time to push it to the max again.