Movement pattern

The rotation pattern

Turning the trunk under load, or throwing and swinging across the body.

The shape of the movement

15MOVEMENTS

The obliques produce it and the deep trunk muscles control it. Speed matters more than weight here — rotation is a power quality, not a grinding one.

7 of the 15 run without a gym. A pattern with no home version in it is a pattern you will skip.

SOURCE·Published exercise references·PATTERN ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION, NOT BY EQUIPMENT·REVIEWED JUL 2026

How a movement lands in the rotation pattern

Start from the joint action, not the sensation. A muscle is credited when the action it produces is the one being resisted.
Credit exactly one role per exercise: prime mover, or synergist and stabiliser. Nothing is listed twice.
Rank by technical demand on a 1–5 scale — how much practice the movement needs to be done safely, not how hard the set feels.
Attach the published MET category so the energy figure on every card traces back to the same table.

The attribution rules in full →

SOURCE·Published exercise references·ATTRIBUTION BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026

Every rotation movement

Rotation exercises, easiest first.REVIEWED · JUL 2026
Exercise	Primary muscle	Equipment	Level
Band Pallof Press	Obliques	Resistance band	Beginner
Band Woodchop	Obliques	Resistance band	Beginner
Cable Side Bend	Obliques	Cable machine	Beginner
Dumbbell Side Bend	Obliques	Dumbbells	Beginner
Standing Band Twist	Obliques	Resistance band	Beginner
Medicine Ball Slam	Abs	Medicine ball	Beginner
Pallof Press	Obliques	Cable machine	Beginner
Russian Twist	Obliques	Bodyweight + Weight plate	Beginner
Seated Cable Twist	Obliques	Cable machine	Beginner
Cable Woodchop	Obliques	Cable machine	Intermediate
Half-Kneeling Pallof Press	Obliques	Cable machine	Intermediate
Landmine 180	Obliques	Landmine + Barbell	Intermediate
Low-to-High Cable Chop	Obliques	Cable machine	Intermediate
Rotational Medicine Ball Throw	Obliques	Medicine ball	Intermediate
Hanging Windshield Wiper	Obliques	Pull-up bar + Bodyweight	Advanced

The other patterns

PushDriving resistance away from the torso — horizontally in a bench press, vertically in an overhead press.PullDrawing resistance towards the torso — horizontally in a row, vertically in a pull-up or pulldown.SquatKnee-dominant lower-body work: hips and knees bend together with the torso staying relatively upright.HingeHip-dominant lower-body work: the hips travel back and forward while the knees stay relatively still.LungeSplit-stance and single-leg lower-body work, one leg clearly in front of the other.CarryHolding a load and walking with it. Trains grip, trunk and shoulders in one uncomplicated package.BraceHolding the trunk still while something tries to bend, extend or twist it.IsolationOne joint, one muscle group, no help from anywhere else.

The questions that come up on the floor

What is the rotation pattern?

Turning the trunk under load, or throwing and swinging across the body. The obliques produce it and the deep trunk muscles control it. Speed matters more than weight here — rotation is a power quality, not a grinding one.

Which muscles does rotating train?

Across the 15 rotation exercises on this site, the prime movers are the abs, obliques. Which one leads depends on the angle and the equipment, not on the pattern alone.

How often should I train the rotation pattern?

Twice a week is a sensible default for every pattern. A programme built on movement patterns rather than muscles is harder to leave holes in — if every week contains a push, a pull, a squat, a hinge, a carry and some trunk work, very little gets missed.

Muscle roles follow standard kinesiology references and are described by joint action rather than by gym convention — see how this site is built. Energy figures are derived from the 2024 Adult Compendium of Physical Activities. Every reference is named and dated on the sources page. General information only — not medical or coaching advice. Load, form and progression should be adjusted to your own experience and any injury history. When in doubt, get coached in person.

SOURCE·Published exercise references·MUSCLE ROLES ASSIGNED BY JOINT ACTION·REVIEWED JUL 2026

The people behind these sites

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This site and nine others like it are built and photographed by two people: Amit Sharma — behind the build; Geeta Patel — the poses, demonstrated. New work goes up on Instagram and Facebook before it reaches a page here.

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