Medicine Ball Core Exercises: Seated Side Twists

Video Transcript

"This functional exercise that we're going to do using the medicine ball is called the seated twist. Now, if you're first starting off doing this exercise, use a lightweight ball, like a 2 lb. ball, and then start working your way up to, according to your fitness level -I'm going to try to attempt to use the 6 lb. ball. So come on back and you want to balance on your tail bone, so you want to make sure that your abdominal muscles are nice and tight, roll those shoulder blades back and down, and start off just by twisting easily side to side. Just have a nice, natural rhythm. Be careful with this exercise. You don't want to overdo it and twist your back out of place. So be careful if you've got back issues on this exercise. When your core begins to get stronger, then you can start lifting your feet up off the floor, making the exercise a little bit more challenging. So it's not about your arms just going side to side, it's about twisting the torso and really utilizing those abdominal muscles as you strengthen the core, and just breathe naturally. Just don't hold your breath, and just perform the amount that it takes to really fatigue those abdominal muscles. That is your seated twist exercise using the medicine ball."