Core · Bodyweight
Russian Twist Chop
How to do the russian twist chop, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Bodyweight
- Difficulty
- Beginner
- Logged as
- Reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Isolation
How to do it
Sit with knees bent and feet lifted or anchored, leaning back slightly with hands clasped. Twist your torso to one side and chop your hands down toward your hip, then rotate across to the other side. Move from your trunk and keep the spine tall.
- 1Obliques driving each rotation from the trunk
- 2Core staying braced as you chop side to side
- 3A tall spine with shoulders relaxed throughout
Common mistakes
- Moving only the arms instead of rotating the torso
- Rounding the back or leaning too far backward
- Swinging fast and losing control of each chop
Muscles worked
The russian twist chop mainly works the obliques, with the upper abs, lower abs, and hip flexors assisting.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsSupport
- Lower AbsSupport
- Hip FlexorsSupport
- LatsMinor
- Lower BackMinor
- Upper TrapsMinor
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
- Front DeltsMinor
- Side DeltsMinor
Kovo programs the russian twist chop 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.