Tutorial: Tornado

Our core is, as the name says, a core part of our body strength and balance. The tornado exercise, as we are about to see, is perfect for increased core power and control in this body area. It’s time to learn how to perform this high-speed rotational core exercise correctly here.

WHAT

• The tornado is a high-speed rotational core exercise that will challenge your balance and control.
• It requires a balanced seated position that is challenged further by torso rotation.  
• When performed correctly, it will challenge the muscular endurance of your abdominals.

HOW

• In a long-seated position, bring the legs together and bend the knees slightly. Interlace your fingers into a ball in front of the body. Lift the feet off the floor and lean back slightly until you find your balance point. This is the start position.
• From here start rotating the torsi left to right, aiming your hands towards the floor on each side. To do this repeatedly, you will need to swing the legs in the opposite direction slightly. As you do this, use the core to stabilise the body – and avoid excessive leg swinging.
• Repeat for time or reps.

WHY

• Optimal strength and endurance of the rotational muscles (obliques) of the torso are essential to midline stability and low back health. When the obliques are strong and healthy, they help stabilise the pelvis (when under load) as well as decelerate and stabilise excessive torso rotation. Both of these functions contribute to low back health by helping to distribute force.
• In an age where functional strength and bodyweight training is more popular than ever, it’s becoming increasingly important to develop and maintain higher levels of midline stability. This includes training all around the core – front, sides and back – and to train this area statically and with speed. 
• High-speed torso rotation plays an essential part in a number of sports including golf, tennis, swimming, kayaking and gymnastics, to name a few. Torso rotation exercises should form an integral component of indoor training for these sports via exercises such as the tornado and other drills.

Your core has just been through a tornado — a good one. Time to find some other exercises here:

• Core bag deadlift to row
• Reverse plank
• Squat hold
• Jumping lunge with arms overhead
• Jumping jacks
• Inverted jump
• Jumping lunge
• Explosive floor bridge
• Single-leg squat
• Reverse lunge
• Kettlebell clean and press
• Lateral hip foam roll
• Core bag clean
• Deep squat hip out
• Angled push-up
• Abdominal hollow
• Push-up on knees
• Kneeling hip flexor stretch
• Barbell deadlift row
• Dumbbell chest press