Torso Twists

Muscles worked by the Torso Twists

Primary

ObliquesOblique AbdominalsDeep CoreTransversus Abdominis

Secondary

Lower BackErector Spinae

Also called: oblique, obliques, side abs, external oblique, internal oblique, transverse abdominis.

Equipment

No equipment — this is a bodyweight exercise.

How to do the Torso Twists

1. Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart and the knees softly bent.
2. Brace lightly and hold the hands together in front of the chest.
3. Rotate the rib cage to one side without shifting the feet.
4. Return through centre and rotate to the other side.
5. Continue alternating smoothly through a comfortable range.

Form tips

• Turn from the upper back rather than wrenching the lower spine.
• Keep the hips mostly forward and distribute the weight evenly between the feet.
• Use a controlled rhythm; this is mobility work, not a ballistic swing.

At a glance

Torso Twists in German & Spanish

Descriptions, instructions and tips ship in all three languages in the JSON.

Related exercises

• Ab Wheel Rollout
• Ball Pike
• Bicycle Crunch
• Bird-Dog
• Cable Pallof Press
• Cross-Body Crunch
• Dead Bug
• Dead Bug Hold

Exercise data (JSON)

The record below is exactly what exercises.json ships for this exercise — names, descriptions, instructions and tips in English, German and Spanish.

{
  "id": "torso-twists",
  "name_en": "Torso Twists",
  "name_de": "Rumpfdrehungen",
  "name_es": "Giros de Torso",
  "description_en": "A standing rotational warm-up that turns the rib cage from side to side while the pelvis stays comparatively stable, mobilising the thoracic spine and trunk.",
  "description_de": "Eine stehende Rotationsübung zum Aufwärmen, bei der sich der Brustkorb von Seite zu Seite dreht, während das Becken vergleichsweise stabil bleibt und Brustwirbelsäule sowie Rumpf mobilisiert werden.",
  "description_es": "Un calentamiento rotacional de pie que gira la caja torácica de un lado a otro mientras la pelvis permanece relativamente estable, movilizando la columna torácica y el tronco.",
  "category": "stretching",
  "force_type": "dynamic",
  "mechanic": "compound",
  "difficulty": "beginner",
  "body_part": "core",
  "primary_muscles": [
    "obliques",
    "transverse_abdominis"
  ],
  "secondary_muscles": [
    "erector_spinae"
  ],
  "goals": [
    "mobility"
  ],
  "tags": [
    "mobility",
    "warm_up",
    "core",
    "bodyweight"
  ],
  "is_unilateral": false,
  "is_bodyweight": true,
  "instructions_en": [
    "Stand with the feet about shoulder-width apart and the knees softly bent.",
    "Brace lightly and hold the hands together in front of the chest.",
    "Rotate the rib cage to one side without shifting the feet.",
    "Return through centre and rotate to the other side.",
    "Continue alternating smoothly through a comfortable range."
  ],
  "instructions_de": [
    "Stell dich etwa schulterbreit hin und beug die Knie leicht.",
    "Spann den Rumpf locker an und halte die Hände vor der Brust zusammen.",
    "Dreh den Brustkorb zu einer Seite, ohne die Füße zu verschieben.",
    "Komm durch die Mitte zurück und dreh dich zur anderen Seite.",
    "Wechsle flüssig in einem angenehmen Bewegungsumfang weiter."
  ],
  "instructions_es": [
    "Ponte de pie con los pies separados al ancho de los hombros y las rodillas ligeramente flexionadas.",
    "Activa suavemente el tronco y junta las manos frente al pecho.",
    "Gira la caja torácica hacia un lado sin desplazar los pies.",
    "Vuelve al centro y gira hacia el otro lado.",
    "Sigue alternando con fluidez dentro de un rango cómodo."
  ],
  "tips_en": [
    "Turn from the upper back rather than wrenching the lower spine.",
    "Keep the hips mostly forward and distribute the weight evenly between the feet.",
    "Use a controlled rhythm; this is mobility work, not a ballistic swing."
  ],
  "tips_de": [
    "Dreh dich aus dem oberen Rücken, statt die Lendenwirbelsäule ruckartig zu verdrehen.",
    "Halte die Hüfte weitgehend nach vorn und verteil das Gewicht gleichmäßig auf beide Füße.",
    "Arbeite kontrolliert; das ist Mobilitätstraining und kein ballistisches Schwingen."
  ],
  "tips_es": [
    "Gira desde la espalda alta en lugar de retorcer bruscamente la zona lumbar.",
    "Mantén las caderas casi al frente y reparte el peso por igual entre ambos pies.",
    "Usa un ritmo controlado; es movilidad, no un balanceo balístico."
  ],
  "met": 3.5,
  "images": {
    "flat": {
      "main": "images/flat/torso-twists-main.webp"
    }
  }
}

Fetch just this exercise

const { exercises } = await fetch(
  "https://exercise-dataset.com/exercises.json"
).then(r => r.json());
const ex = exercises.find(e => e.id === "torso-twists");

Free for personal and commercial in-app use with attribution (“Exercise data by RepDB”) — see the license and ready-made attribution snippets. Redistributing the data as a dataset or API is not permitted.