Beginners will not get the best benefits if they jump right into advanced
exercises. In an optimal training program there should be a progression from
easier to more difficult and complex exercises. The medicine ball twist is a
simple exercise which teaches beginners to keep their trunk and core stabilized
while performing an upper body motion. In the case of the medicine ball twist
the motion is rotating the torso from side to side. This may seem simple at
first but for most beginners, they are not able to isolate the core. If you feel
this in the core and obliques you are doing it right, if you "don't feel it
anywhere" you are not drawing in your core and focusing on the target muscles.
As soon as the standing medicine ball twist is mastered, it can be added to
other exercises such as lunges. To increase the
difficulty of the medicine ball twist you can increase the size and/or weight of
the medicine ball use an instable surface to stand on, or simply decrease your
base stability by putting your feet together or standing on a single leg.
