Stand and rotate your torso while pulling a high-side cable handle down and across your body to work the abdominals, especially the obliques. The movement is a controlled diagonal trunk rotation from a standing split-stance.
How to do the Cable Twist#
- Attach a single handle to a high pulley on the side and grasp it with both hands, thumbs overlapped.
- Stand with the foot nearest the machine slightly forward and the other foot back, both feet pointing away from the machine; extend your arms in front of you and brace your core.
- Drive the rotation from your midsection, pulling the handle down and across your body in a smooth arc until it nears your opposite shoulder.
- Allow a slight bend in the knees as you reach the end of the rotation to absorb the finish position.
- Slowly reverse the motion under control to return to the starting position and repeat for reps.
Muscles worked#
- Primary: Obliques (External & Internal Obliques), Abs (Rectus Abdominis)
- Secondary: Lower back (Erector Spinae)
Common mistakes#
- Pulling primarily with the arms instead of rotating the torso.
- Letting the hips turn with the cable rather than keeping the rotation through the core.
- Using momentum or jerky motions instead of a controlled arc.
- Allowing the lower back to arch or collapse during the rotation.
