V-sit twists work your obliques, and the secret is your legs, not the ball. Balance on your butt with your knees in the air, then move your legs from side to side, bouncing a medicine ball on the ground on each side.
Listen: it’s easy to sit still and just bounce the ball back and forth. That misses the point. Here’s how to do V-sit twists so they actually work your obliques.
How to do a V-sit twist
- Get into the V-sit position. It’s a kind of yoga position: you’re balanced on your butt, with your knees in the air.
- Hold a medicine ball.
- Move your legs to one side and bounce the ball on the ground.
- Move your legs to the other side and bounce it again. That’s one rep.
- Repeat. In my workout, I do 10 reps.
Move your legs: that’s what makes it work
Make sure you’re moving your legs. If I just stay in the V-sit and don’t move my legs, I’m not really working as much. Moving your legs from side to side is what makes this exercise work.
Bouncing the ball is just there to remind you of that, and to give you a counterweight to your legs. So the ball doesn’t need to be the focus. Your legs do.
Do them after toe touches
To get the most out of V-sit twists, do them right after toe touches. With your rectus abdominis, the six pack muscle, already burned out, the twist focuses more on your obliques.
Why train your obliques
Your obliques are the muscles on your sides, and there are two parts: the internal obliques and the external obliques. They handle twisting and bending motions. A lot of the ab workouts I used to do only worked the six pack in front, and I’ve since learned it’s important to work all the muscle groups in your abs. Here’s what each of your 4 ab muscles does.
Where V-sit twists fit in my workout
V-sit twists are the second exercise in my 1 minute ab workout: toe touches first, then V-sit twists, then Spiderman planks, 10 reps of each. You can do it at home, it’s super quick, and between the three exercises it hits all the major muscle groups in your abs.
Keep your legs moving on every rep, and you’ll feel it right in your obliques.
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This is general fitness information, not medical advice.
