Core · Cable
Cable Oblique Twist
How to do the cable oblique twist, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Cable
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Stand sideways to a cable machine set near chest height and hold the handle with both hands, arms extended. Keeping your hips facing forward, rotate your torso away from the stack by turning through your trunk, then return under control. Finish your reps, then switch sides.
- 1Your obliques generating the rotation away from the stack
- 2Hips and knees staying square while the torso turns
- 3Constant core tension through the controlled return
Common mistakes
- Rotating the hips instead of the trunk
- Whipping the weight around with your arms
- Jerking or over-rotating past a comfortable range
Muscles worked
The cable oblique twist mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs, with the lats, quads, glutes, hamstrings, and side delts assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- LatsSupport
- QuadsSupport
- GlutesSupport
- HamstringsSupport
- Side DeltsSupport
- Upper TrapsMinor
Kovo programs the cable oblique twist for you and tracks it every session.
We build your whole program, drop the right lifts into each workout, and adjust your weights as you get stronger. Free on iOS and Android.
More abs & core exercises
- How to do the ab wheel rollout
- How to do the ankle tap plank
- How to do the ankle taps
- How to do the resistance band dead bugs
- How to do the resistance band pallof press
- How to do the rollout
Last reviewed June 2026.