Core · Dumbbell
Dumbbell Russian Twist
How to do the dumbbell russian twist, the muscles it works, and the mistakes to avoid. Pulled straight from the Kovo app's exercise library.
- Equipment
- Dumbbell
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Weighted reps
- Movement
- Rotation
- Mechanic
- Accessory
See it in motion
How to do it
Sit on the floor with knees bent, holding a weight plate or no weight. Lean back slightly and twist your torso to the left and right, tapping the weight on the floor beside your hips with each twist.
- 1Rotate your torso and feel your obliques and core working
- 2Keep your spine neutral and chest lifted
- 3Optionally lift your feet to increase the challenge and feel your hip flexors lightly engage
Common mistakes
- Avoid rounding your back or slouching
- Don't jerk through the twist, move smoothly
- Avoid leaning too far back which shifts the work to your hip flexors
Muscles worked
The dumbbell russian twist mainly works the obliques, upper abs, and lower abs.
- ObliquesPrimary
- Upper AbsPrimary
- Lower AbsPrimary
- QuadsMinor
- GlutesMinor
Kovo programs the dumbbell russian twist for you and tracks it every session.
The AI builds your whole program, drops the right lifts into each workout, and adjusts 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 bicycle crunches
- How to do the cable crunch
- How to do the cable pallof press
- How to do the woodchop
- How to do the captains chair leg raise
Last reviewed April 2026.