Advanced Complex for Rotational Power = Standing Russian Twist + Med Ball Side Toss
The Set Up
Standing Russian Twist
Grab a barbell and pin it up against a corner.
It’s not necessary to have a landmine set, the corner of two walls will be just fine.
Start out with a wide base and have your toes pointed out.
Grab the barbell so it’s just above eye level, about 45 degrees. From there you’ll want to have a slight bend in your elbows, making sure it’s in a fixed position and won’t move when you twist.
As you draw the weight down towards one side make sure to squeeze your butt to create a stable base so your spine isn’t compromised.
Lower the weight towards one side while keeping your elbows locked and controlling the weight down. The last thing you want is to be swinging the weight around. Everything under control.
When you’re ready to bring the weight up to the starting position, instead of using a pushing movement with your arms, concentrate on pulling the weight up using your torso.
Once you’re back to the starting position, perform the same movement on the other side.
Recommended Parameters
This is a strength movement within this complex. Use weight that will allow you to get 5 to 8 repetitions.
Medicine Ball Side Toss
This is a ballistic movement that concentrates on creating maximum velocities and acceleration within the torso over a short period of time.
There are plenty of ways that you can side toss the med ball, but the most effective will be a ski jump reaction to a med ball side toss.
The way to perform this exercise will be to hold the medicine ball in your “holster”
This is a good cue to help athletes hold the medicine ball close to the side of their hip, like if it were in a holster.
From there you’ll want to jump out like a ski jump, and as you react make sure to load the hip up and explode sideways throwing the med ball into the wall as fast as you possibly can.
The reason the ski jump med ball side toss method is the best, is because it teaches the athlete to absorb force and produce it as quickly as possible.
When you perform the ski jump, the med ball creates rotational force that you’ll have to decelerate (absorb), and quickly convert that energy to produce force and throw the med-ball side ways.
Just like with anything explosive, if you learn to absorb and produce force together you’ll get the best bang for your buck.
Recommended Parameters
This is an explosive movement so pick a moderate weight and perform 2 to 4 explosive reps.
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