Why Should You Twist?

• By vishwa on Training

• October 18, 2012

“You can’t play a sport without twisting. But the importance of abdominal strength, flexibility, and overall integrity goes far beyond sports. Your day starts with a twist, when you throw your legs over the side of the bed to walk to the bathroom.” The above statement is made my Lou Schuler and Alwyn Cosgrove in the book titled The New Rules of Lifting. What they say makes absolute sense.

You should know that your waist has two sets of muscles: External and internal obliques. All twisting and bending involves oblique muscles. So it perhaps is important to include some physical movements that involve twisting such as Russian twist, grappler twist, hip swing, etc.

However, an exercise that requires coordination and balance such as squat, deadlift, farmer’s walk, etc actually actively prevent the torso from twisting. Yet these compound movements still use these muscles. It may suffice to say that performing these movements is what is really required. Well, it doesn’t do any harm if you perform exercises that isolate twisting movements.

Moreover, sedentary lifestyle that requires you to sit or stand for long hours is not helping your purpose to stay healthy and fit. Your muscles can become dysfunctional when not in use. It is also a cause for great worry, for most of the urbanites develop back problem. One of the primary reasons is because they don’t possess a stronger midsection.

So, add some twisting movements when you train.

PS: Lou Schuler is a certified strength and conditioning specialist and an author. Alwyn Cosgrove has earned virtually every major certification and has worked with Olympic and national level athletes, world champions, and professionals in boxing, martial arts, soccer, ice-skating, football, fencing triathlon, rugby, and bodybuilding. He has also authored several books.