Plate Twist

What it is

This intermediate core exercise engages your abdominal muscles directly. You perform a controlled twisting motion while holding a weight plate. It’s a compound movement that challenges your stability and works your entire midsection.

Technique tips

• Keep your legs slightly bent and lifted throughout the movement.
• Lean your upper body back slightly to maintain balance.
• Exhale as you twist the plate to each side of your body.
• Inhale gently when returning to the center position.
• Prioritize slow, controlled movements to protect your back.
• Lightly tap the plate to the floor on each side for full range.

How to track your progress

Log the weight and reps of each set. Straddly turns every set into an estimated one-rep max, so a heavier single and a strong set of eight both count as progress, and it flags a personal record the moment you beat your best.