Denise Austin has built a fitness career on one very persuasive idea: movement does not have to be complicated to be effective. No intimidating machines. No mystery choreography. No workout plan that requires you to speak fluent gym bro. Her latest attention-grabbing move for toning abs and legs follows that same cheerful formula: stand up, squat, twist, breathe, repeat, and try not to make the “wait, why is this working so fast?” face.
The move Austin recently demonstrated is often described as a squat and twist, a simple bodyweight exercise that blends a lower-body squat with a standing cross-body crunch. In plain English, it asks your legs, glutes, abs, and obliques to show up to the same meeting. That is why it has become such a popular move for people who want a quick, low-equipment exercise that targets multiple areas at once.
For women over 50, beginners, busy parents, desk workers, and anyone who has ever promised to “start Monday” for six Mondays in a row, Austin’s approach feels refreshingly doable. You can perform the exercise in a living room, bedroom, hotel room, or while waiting for laundry to stop pretending it needs eight more minutes. Best of all, the movement can be modified for different fitness levels.
What Is Denise Austin’s “Great” Abs and Legs Move?
The exercise is a bodyweight squat with an alternating standing twist crunch. It begins with a classic squat to activate the thighs, hips, and glutes. Then, as you return to standing, you lift one knee toward the opposite elbow while rotating through the torso. The next repetition switches sides.
That little twist is where the abs join the party. Instead of doing a squat and calling it a day, the movement adds rotation, balance, and core engagement. It is still simple, but it is no longer just a lower-body exercise. Your abdominal muscles help stabilize the spine, your obliques assist the twist, and your standing leg has to work harder to keep you balanced.
How to Do the Squat and Twist
- Stand with your feet slightly wider than hip-width apart.
- Place your hands behind your head, keeping your elbows open but relaxed.
- Brace your core gently, as if you are preparing for a laugh.
- Push your hips back and bend your knees to lower into a squat.
- Keep your chest lifted, heels down, and knees tracking in the same direction as your toes.
- Press through your feet to return to standing.
- As you rise, lift your right knee toward your left elbow and rotate through your torso.
- Lower the foot, squat again, then lift your left knee toward your right elbow.
- Continue alternating for 30 to 60 seconds.
The goal is not to fling your knee up like you are auditioning for a dramatic martial arts movie. Keep the motion controlled. The squat should feel grounded, and the twist should come from the waist, not from yanking the neck or collapsing the shoulders.
Why This Move Works for Abs, Legs, and Glutes
The squat and twist is effective because it combines several fitness benefits in one compact move. A squat is a foundational lower-body pattern. It trains the quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, hips, calves, and core. Add the twist, and the abs and obliques become more active because the body must rotate while staying upright.
This is what trainers call a compound movement. Instead of isolating one muscle, compound exercises ask several muscle groups to work together. That makes the move practical for real life. After all, your body rarely uses one muscle at a time. You do not pick up groceries with only your left quad. You bend, brace, twist, lift, stabilize, and hope the eggs survive.
The Lower-Body Benefits
During the squat portion, your glutes and thighs do much of the work. The glutes help extend the hips as you rise. The quadriceps help straighten the knees. The hamstrings support hip movement and stability. The calves and ankles help keep your body grounded.
Because the move is bodyweight-based, it is approachable for many beginners. You can make it easier by reducing squat depth or holding a chair for balance. You can make it harder by slowing the tempo, adding a pause at the bottom, or performing the exercise for a longer interval.
The Core Benefits
The twist portion challenges the abdominal muscles, especially the obliques along the sides of your torso. These muscles help with rotation and side-bending, but they also support posture and everyday movement. A strong core is not just about looking toned in a fitted shirt. It helps you stand taller, move better, and feel more stable when walking, bending, or carrying things.
It is important to be honest here: no single exercise can magically melt belly fat from one exact spot. Core moves strengthen the muscles underneath, but visible fat loss depends on overall habits such as consistent activity, strength training, cardio, nutrition, sleep, and stress management. Austin’s move is useful because it strengthens key muscles and encourages movement, not because it owns a secret remote control for belly fat.
Why Denise Austin’s Fitness Style Still Connects
Denise Austin has been a familiar name in American fitness for decades. She is known for approachable workouts, upbeat coaching, and a “you can do this” style that feels less like a drill sergeant yelling in your ear and more like a very energetic friend who somehow convinced you to put on sneakers.
Her lasting appeal comes from accessibility. Many people do not need the most extreme workout in the world. They need something they will actually do. A one-minute squat and twist is not flashy, but it is realistic. It can fit into a lunch break, a morning routine, or a quick evening reset.
This is especially relevant for people over 50, who may care less about punishing workouts and more about strength, balance, joint-friendly movement, mobility, energy, and confidence. Austin’s message is that fitness does not need to shrink with age. It can adapt, simplify, and become more consistent.
Form Tips to Get the Most From the Move
Good form turns this exercise from “random living-room flailing” into a smart toning move. Start with your feet planted firmly. Keep your weight balanced between your heels and the balls of your feet. As you squat, send your hips back as if reaching for a chair. Your knees should follow the direction of your toes, not cave inward.
When you rise and twist, avoid pulling on your head. Your hands can rest lightly behind your ears, but your neck should stay relaxed. Think of lifting the knee and rotating the ribs toward it. The movement should feel like your core is doing the work, not your shoulders wrestling your spine into submission.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Rushing: Speed can make the move sloppy. Slow down enough to control each repetition.
- Knees collapsing inward: Keep knees aligned with toes during the squat.
- Rounding the back: Maintain a lifted chest and gently braced core.
- Pulling the neck: Let the torso rotate naturally instead of tugging your head forward.
- Holding your breath: Inhale as you lower, exhale as you rise and twist.
Who Should Try This Exercise?
The squat and twist can be a good option for adults who want a simple, no-equipment exercise for abs and legs. It may be especially helpful for people who enjoy standing core work or dislike floor exercises such as crunches and planks.
However, not every move is right for every body. If you have knee pain, hip issues, balance problems, back pain, dizziness, osteoporosis concerns, or a medical condition that affects exercise safety, check with a healthcare professional or qualified trainer before adding twisting movements. You can also start with a chair-supported version and skip the twist until you feel stable.
Beginner Modification
Use a sturdy chair or countertop for support. Perform a shallow squat, stand tall, and lift one knee without twisting. Once balance improves, add a small rotation through the torso. The movement should feel controlled and comfortable.
Intermediate Version
Perform the full squat and twist for 45 to 60 seconds. Keep your core braced and move at a steady pace. Focus on quality repetitions instead of racing through the set.
Advanced Version
Add a slower tempo: lower for three counts, pause at the bottom, rise, and twist with control. You can also hold a light dumbbell at your chest, but only if your form remains strong and your joints feel good.
How to Add It to a Weekly Workout Routine
This move works well as part of a short circuit. You can use it as a warm-up, a strength finisher, or a quick “exercise snack” during the day. The beauty of exercise snacks is that small bursts of movement can make fitness feel less overwhelming. Instead of waiting for the perfect 60-minute window, you use the time you actually have.
Try this simple mini routine:
- Squat and twist: 60 seconds
- March in place: 60 seconds
- Standing side bends: 45 seconds
- Glute bridges or chair squats: 10 to 12 reps
- Rest and repeat 2 to 3 rounds
For general health, adults should aim for a mix of aerobic activity and muscle-strengthening workouts each week. Austin’s move can support that goal, but it should not be the entire plan. Pair it with walking, cycling, swimming, dancing, resistance training, stretching, and balance work for a more complete routine.
Why Standing Ab Exercises Are So Popular
Standing ab exercises have become popular because they are practical. Many people find floor crunches uncomfortable for the neck, back, or hips. Others simply do not want to roll out a mat every time they want to train their core. Standing core work solves that problem by keeping the body upright while still challenging the abs.
Moves like the squat and twist also train coordination. You are asking the upper and lower body to work together. That makes the exercise feel more athletic and more functional than traditional crunches. It also adds a balance component, which becomes increasingly important with age.
The Menopause Belly Conversation: What to Know
Austin has often spoken to women over 50, and this move has been discussed in connection with “meno-belly,” a casual phrase for abdominal weight gain that many women notice during the menopause transition. Hormonal changes, aging, sleep disruption, stress, reduced muscle mass, and lifestyle changes can all influence body composition during midlife.
The encouraging news is that strength training, regular cardio, daily movement, and balanced nutrition can make a meaningful difference. The goal should not be panic or punishment. The goal is to build muscle, protect energy, support heart health, improve mobility, and feel comfortable in your own body. A squat and twist will not solve everything, but it can be one useful brick in the wall.
A Smart 7-Day Plan Using the Squat and Twist
If you want to try Austin’s move without overthinking it, start with a simple seven-day plan. Keep the sessions short and focus on consistency.
Day 1: Learn the Move
Perform 3 rounds of 30 seconds. Rest 30 seconds between rounds. Focus on squat depth, knee alignment, and a gentle twist.
Day 2: Add Walking
Do 1 minute of squat and twist, then take a 15- to 30-minute walk. Walking supports cardiovascular health and helps build a realistic fitness habit.
Day 3: Strength Circuit
Try 2 rounds of chair squats, wall push-ups, standing side crunches, and Austin’s squat and twist. Keep everything controlled.
Day 4: Recovery and Mobility
Stretch your hips, calves, hamstrings, and back. Recovery is part of training, not a sign that you are being lazy. Your muscles are not machines; they are living tissue with opinions.
Day 5: Increase Time
Perform the squat and twist for 60 seconds, rest, and repeat 3 times. If you feel your form slipping, reduce the time.
Day 6: Balance Focus
Use a chair if needed. Practice slow knee lifts before adding the twist. Balance training helps improve control and confidence.
Day 7: Full Mini Workout
Combine 60 seconds of squat and twist, 60 seconds of marching, 12 chair squats, 10 wall push-ups, and 30 seconds of standing side bends. Repeat twice.
Real-Life Experience: What This Move Feels Like When You Actually Do It
At first glance, the squat and twist looks almost too simple. That is the trap. You see Denise Austin smiling through it and think, “Sure, one minute, easy.” Then 25 seconds later, your thighs start sending strongly worded emails to management.
The first thing you notice is that the squat portion warms up the legs quickly. Your quads and glutes begin working almost immediately, especially if you sit back properly instead of doing tiny knee dips. The second thing you notice is the twist. It seems harmless until you focus on bringing the knee toward the opposite elbow with control. Suddenly, your obliques enter the conversation.
In my experience testing and analyzing movements like this, the best results come from slowing the exercise down. When people rush, they often turn it into a bouncy knee lift with a vague squat attached. When they move with intention, the exercise feels completely different. The lower body works harder, the core stabilizes better, and the twist feels more precise.
The move is also surprisingly useful as a motivation reset. On days when a full workout feels like too much, doing one minute of squat and twist can break the mental wall. It gives you a small win. Sometimes that small win becomes a 10-minute workout. Sometimes it stays one minute. Either way, you kept the promise to move, and that matters.
Another practical benefit is that it teaches body awareness. You can feel whether one side twists more easily than the other. You may notice your knees drifting inward or your balance changing from side to side. Those little observations are valuable. They help you adjust your training instead of moving on autopilot.
For beginners, the exercise feels friendlier than burpees, jumping lunges, or complicated ab circuits. There is no getting down on the floor, no equipment, and no need to count a dozen different steps. For more experienced exercisers, it can work as a warm-up, active recovery move, or light cardio-strength finisher.
The biggest lesson from Austin’s move is that consistency beats drama. You do not need to destroy yourself to improve fitness. You need movements that are safe, repeatable, and easy enough to return to tomorrow. The squat and twist checks those boxes. It strengthens the legs, wakes up the core, challenges balance, and fits into real life. In other words, it is not magic. It is better than magic: it is doable.
Conclusion
Denise Austin’s “great” move for toning abs and legs is popular because it is simple, efficient, and realistic. The squat and twist combines lower-body strength with standing core work, making it a smart option for people who want to train the thighs, glutes, abs, and obliques without equipment.
It is not a miracle cure for belly fat, and it should not replace a balanced fitness routine. But as part of a consistent plan that includes cardio, strength training, mobility, balance work, and healthy eating, this move can be a useful and energizing addition. Start small, focus on form, and let the repetitions add up. Denise Austin’s message is clear: movement does not have to be perfect, fancy, or exhausting to count. Sometimes, all you need is one great move and the willingness to begin.
