Yourobliques need proper workout too!
When you work out, you might not always think about training your side abs, but it's important to give them attention. Strengthening your oblique muscles can bring a lot of benefits, like helping you move better in everyday activities.
Your obliques are muscles on the sides of your stomach. They help you with things like twisting, bending, and staying balanced. They're not as obvious as your front stomach muscles, but they're still crucial for your core strength.
You don't have to do a special workout just for your obliques. Instead, you can include a couple of oblique exercises in your regular routine. You can do them with or without weights, but it's important not to overdo it with heavy weights to avoid injury.
To effectively work your obliques, you can do a variety of exercises that involve rotating around the centerline of your body or bending dynamically to the side.
Sit on the floor with knees bent, feet flat, and lift your feet slightly. Hold a weight (optional) with both hands and rotate your torso from side to side, tapping the weight on the floor beside you each time. This works both internal and external obliques.
This exercise primarily targets the obliques by requiring rotation of the torso from side to side. It helps in strengthening both the internal and external oblique muscles, promoting core stability and improving rotational strength.
Lie on your side with knees bent and hands behind your head. Lift your shoulder blades off the ground, bringing your rib cage towards your hip. Lower back down and repeat. This targets the side abs.
Side crunches specifically target the obliques on the side being lifted towards. By lifting the shoulder blades towards the hip, the side abs are effectively engaged and strengthened, aiding in toning and shaping the waistline.
Start in a plank position, then shift your weight onto one forearm and stack your feet. Lift your hips, keeping a straight line from head to heels. Hold, then switch sides. This engages obliques to stabilize the body.
Side planks engage the obliques to stabilize the body in a side position. By holding this position, the obliques are actively engaged to prevent the hips from dropping, thereby strengthening the side abs and promoting lateral stability.
Lie on your back, hands behind your head, legs lifted and knees bent. Bring one knee towards your chest while simultaneously rotating your torso to bring the opposite elbow towards the knee. Alternate sides in a pedaling motion. This engages both upper and lower obliques.
Bicycle crunches engage both the upper and lower obliques as the torso rotates and the knees are brought towards the opposite elbows in a pedaling motion. This exercise effectively targets the entire oblique muscle group, promoting strength and definition in the waistline.
Lie on your side with legs extended and stacked. Place your bottom hand on the ground for support and extend your top arm overhead. Lift your legs and torso towards each other, forming a V shape. Lower back down and repeat. This targets the side abs by lifting and stabilizing the body.
Oblique V-ups target the side abs by requiring them to lift and stabilize the body during the movement. By lifting the legs and torso towards each other in a V shape, the obliques are engaged to control the movement and maintain stability, promoting strength and definition in the side abs.
