A power twister is a piece of fitness equipment that consists of a bar with handles on both ends and a resistance spring in the center. An individual can work the upper body, including the chest, shoulders, and arm muscles, by applying force to the handles and bending the bar. Many people consider the power twister a useful strengthening tool because it is relatively inexpensive and easy to transport.
It is important to take a proper stance before using the twister in order to isolate the correct muscles and avoid injury. Legs should be grounded, hip-distance apart, with the knees slightly bent rather than locked. The abdominal muscles should be engaged to avoid straining the back; this could also help ensure the upper body does not use force from the lower body during the exercises.
For the most part, the exercise moves involving the twister require the user to bend the bar into a U or inverted U shape. To work different muscles, he needs only to change the placement of his arms. The direction of the force—whether pulling upward or pushing downward—will also dictate which muscles are utilized.
A typical exercise using the power twister may help to strengthen the chest. First, the arms should be straight out to the sides at shoulder height. The elbows bend so that the forearms stretch in front of the body, and one can then hold the bar at face level, with palms faced down.
Then, as the palms squeeze toward the floor and press together, the bar should form an upside-down U shape. One can stop here or add a challenging move by straightening the arms in front of the chest while the bar is still bent. To return to the starting position, the user should take care to use controlled, fluid movements. Snapping the arms back could cause injury and may not work the muscles fully.
The biceps and triceps in the arms can also get a good workout using the power twister. For both exercises, the elbows should be bent at right angles and placed snugly against the side of the ribcage. To isolate the biceps, the user can hold the bar with palms facing up. The goal is to bend the bar into a U shape by pressing upward on the handles until the palms face in toward one another.
If one wants to isolate the triceps, the same stance is assumed, but with the palms facing down to the ground. Rather than pushing up on the handles, the user pushes down. Many of these exercises can be given a slight twist simply by changing the position and level of the arms in order to work the entire upper body.