Working your obliques is very important for developing your mid section not
to mention excelling in a majority of sports. Standing barbell twist is an easy
way to target your obliques with just a standard barbell. You simply have to
wedge one end of a barbell (or use a special device that turns a barbell into a
lever) somewhere which will hold it in place.
The exercise itself involves standing completely upright with
outstretched arms in front of an almost vertical barbell directly in the
center of you, turning your body from side to side all while keeping your
core tight. If your goal is to isolate and tone your oblique muscles,
keeping your hips from rotating and only rotating your torso is essential.
If you are looking to build functional rotational power you can have more of
an athletic stance and allow more movement in your legs and hips, perhaps
using more weight.
In addition to adding more weight to the top part of the barbell, all you
have to do is put your feet closer together to drastically increase the
difficulty of the standing barbell twist. You can also perform a
side standing barbell twist to focus more on one side at a time. The
standing barbell rotation or twist can be performed at any time during your
core or obliques workouts.
Required Fitness Equipment