The Corkscrew is a core exercise that targets the obliques and improves rotational strength.

  1. Lie on your back with your arms extended out to the sides.
  2. Lift your legs off the ground, keeping them straight and together.
  3. Rotate your legs to one side while keeping your shoulders flat on the ground.
  4. Return to the center and rotate to the opposite side.

How to perform the Corkscrew

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Corkscrew using your body weight.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your abdominals.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your abdominals rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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