I'll tell you right up front...this one looks absolutely insane...

...but it's a KILLER exercise for targeting the deep, anti-rotational muscles of the core (the internal and external obliques and the transverse abdominis), where explosive power is generated.

These are the muscles that tighten the waist, stabilize the spine, transfer force through the lower body and upper body, and brace the core during heavy lifting...so pretty much some of THE most important muscles in your body.

If you're a boxer, martial artist or MMA fighter, these muscles are EXACTLY what you need to developing punching and striking power (via power transfer from the legs through the core). If your core isn't strong enough to transfer that force, you'll punch like a wet noodle instead of pile driving through your opponent.

And this exercise (as weird as it looks), targets those muscles directly and PERFECTLY. All you need is a barbell.

I've got the bar loaded with 135 lbs in the demo. Grip it with a moderately wide grip, similar to what you'd use for a bench press. I have my index fingers on the smooth rings of the Olympic bar.

Stand with your knees slightly bent, bar across your upper thighs.

Now (and this is CRITICAL), use your arms to rotate the bar around to the right while striving to keep your hips and shoulders square to each other. The bar will stay in contact with your right thigh while coming away from your left thigh.

The goal is to NOT allow the spine to rotate (hence the "ant-rotation" in the name of the exercise). All the rotational torque should be absorbed through those deep core muscles.

You don't neee to rotate too far around. Here's a side view. As you can see from the side, even at the peak point of the exercise, my shoulders and hips are lined up with each other.

Now change the direction of rotation, using your core and arms to rotate the bar. That change of direction is the most important part of the exercise...it's where the anti-rotational function happens and those muscles kick in to protect the spine.

Bring the bar all way back around in the other direction, until it comes to the peak rotation on the left side of your body. The bar will be pivoting on your left thigh, coming away from your right thight.

Again, do your best NOT to allow the shoulders to rotate around. A little is ok and likely will happen...the key is to minimize that and TRY really hard to prevent it.

Keep going back and forth in this manner until you feel you're starting to lose anti-rotational functionality and strength in those deep core muscles and that you feel you won't be able to control the rotation anymore. Stop the set immediately there.

That's the exercise!

 

This is anti-rotational training at its best...because every single rep is all about opposing rotation by firing those deep core muscles.

Using a moderate weight for moderate reps like this (about 6-10 on either side) is very effective for strengthening the deep core. You can also use lighter weight for higher reps(and potentially a bit higher speed to work the deep core in a more explosive manner.

The key will be to ALWAYS do your best to maintain a neutral, non-rotating spine (via keeping your shoulders and hips in line with each other).

It's a very simple exercise done using very simple equipment that works incredibly well.

I would HIGHLY recommend watching the video for this one before trying it. It's something you need to watch in action to really get the best idea of the speed and execution so get the most out of it.

Enjoy!

Nick Nilsson
The Mad Scientist of Muscle

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https://youtu.be/0ibWQJGBgZ0
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