The Bodyweight Russian Twist is a beginner-friendly bodyweight strength exercise that targets the abdominals, with the abdominals working alongside. Here's how to do it right — and what to stop doing.
Primary musclesAbs
Secondary musclesAbs
EquipmentBodyweight
LevelBeginner
TypeStrength
3D demo in the EGON app
01 Execution
How to do the Bodyweight Russian Twist
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground in front of you.
Lean back until your torso is at about a 45-degree angle and brace your core hard.
Lift your feet a few inches off the floor and balance on your sit bones with shins parallel to the ground.
Clasp your hands together in front of your chest and rotate your torso to one side under control.
Tap your hands lightly to the floor beside your hip, feeling the oblique on that side contract.
Rotate smoothly to the other side and tap, alternating for the prescribed reps without dropping the feet.
02 The payoff
Why it earns its spot
Builds the obliques and abdominals through the rotation pattern.
Develops core endurance and rotational strength.
Trains the core anywhere with no equipment needed.
03 Don't do this
Common mistakes
Just swinging the arms side to side without rotating the torso — loads the shoulders, not the core.
Rounding the back instead of staying tall through the spine, which strains the lower back.
Letting the feet drop to the floor every rep, which breaks the constant core tension.
Rushing the tempo instead of pausing on each side — turns a controlled twist into momentum-only work.
EGON Put it on record
Track it in EGON.
Log every set of the Bodyweight Russian Twist, get your PRs detected automatically, earn aura for the work — and climb five leagues of statues, from Stone to Ego.
