Your oblique muscles play an important role in good body posture, balance, and coordination. The right exercises will help you keep them strong.
The obliques are major muscles in the abdominal area. There are two types — internal and external obliques — that extend diagonally from the ribs to the pelvis, according to Marshfield Clinic Health System. The obliques plus the rectus and transverse abdominals make up the abdominal wall, according to The American Council on Exercise (ACE). These muscles work together to control movement in the spine, rib cage, and pelvis
Obliques, like the rest of the muscles of the core, are important for everyday movements.
“If you look at the anatomy of the obliques, as far as where they attach on the pelvis and rib cage, they’re involved in the stabilization of the pelvis, so it’s important to make sure they’re strong and they’re working as they should,” says Rondel King, CSCS, a corrective exercise specialist and personal trainer in New York City. “They make for a strong core, which provides stability throughout the entire movement system.”
According to ACE, your oblique muscles allow you to bend over and twist your body from side to side.
Sculpting a strong core isn’t just about making your midsection look trimmer — strengthening these muscles helps promote better posture, balance, and coordination; reduce the risk of injuries; and improves fitness and athletic performance, according to Marshfield Clinic Health System. To strengthen your obliques, you’ll likely be strengthening other muscles in the process (like the rest of the core muscles), helping with mobility and overall functioning.
Developing a strong core (obliques included) also seems to be crucial for low-back health. A March 2015 review published in the
Journal of Physical Therapy Science concluded that core strength training
can alleviate low back pain
. A strong core also protects your spine, according to the ACE.
How to Do Oblique-Strengthening Exercises
Even though the usual recommendation is to strength-train two to three times per week, King says: “You can actually do oblique-strengthening exercises every single day and not overtrain.” It’s rare that you’ll tire out the abdominal muscles so much that you need a recovery day, he notes.
Brooke McManus, a certified personal trainer and yoga teacher based in Denver, outlined the eight top exercises for oblique muscles below. Do these moves for 30 to 45 seconds each with no more than 30 seconds of rest in between. Repeat for a total of two or three rounds, she says.
McManus recommends doing the following set of exercises three to five times per week by adding them onto another workout to get noticeably stronger muscles.
1. Side Plank
Lie on your left side with your right leg stacked on top of your left leg, and your left forearm on the ground with your elbow underneath your shoulder. Brace your core and push off the ground so your body is being supported by your left arm and foot; your body should form a straight line from head to feet that makes about a 45-degree angle with the ground. Raise your right arm up toward the ceiling without letting your hips dip. Beginners can keep knees on the ground in a slightly bent position. To make it more advanced, lift your right leg up and down while holding the side plank, keeping the rest of your body in that straight line from head to feet. Hold a light dumbbell in your right hand to make it more challenging. Repeat on the other side.
2. Standing Trunk Rotation
Stand with your feet hip-width apart and hold a medicine ball between your hands in front of your chest. Keeping your core tight, your arms bent at right angles at the elbows, and your elbows hugging your sides, rotate your torso slowly to your right, keeping head and chest rotating along with it. Hold the twist briefly before rotating to your left.
3. Standing Wood Chop
Stand in a split stance with your right foot forward and your feet slightly wider than hip-distance apart. Hold a medicine ball in your hands and lift it to your right so it is slightly higher than shoulder height and extended diagonally away from the body. Keep your head and shoulders pointing straight ahead. Then, in a fluid motion, bring the medicine ball toward your left hip. Then raise it back to the starting position. Increase the speed so you feel your oblique muscles engaged. Repeat for a total of 30 to 45 seconds; then switch sides.
4. Russian Twist
Sit on a mat with your feet on the ground and legs slightly bent in front of you. Activate your core as you lean back so your torso and thighs form a V shape and lift your feet slightly off the ground (cross your ankles to make more challenging). Hold your arms straight out in front of you, then twist your torso to one side in a controlled motion, tapping the floor before rotating to the other side and repeating. Hold a dumbbell or medicine ball with bent elbows in front of your chest as you twist to make the move more challenging.
5. Mountain Climbers
Begin in a plank position with hands on the ground, shoulders above your wrists, and holding your body to form a straight line from head to toes parallel with the ground. Engage your core as you bring your right knee into your chest, keeping your right toes off the ground. Return to the plank position and repeat the move with your left knee. Continue alternating legs in a quick, smooth motion.
6. Side Bend
Start standing with your feet hip-width apart, letting arms hang by your sides. Bend your upper body sideways toward the right, creasing at the waist. Pause and then return to standing while squeezing your left side obliques. Repeat on the left side, being sure to keep the weight close to your body as you bend. Continue alternating sides. Do the movement with a dumbbell to make it more challenging, using heavier weights to make it more difficult.
7. Dead Bug
Lie on your back with your arms extended up toward the ceiling. Bend your knees so shins and thighs form a 90-degree angle (shins should be parallel to the floor). Engage your core and lower your right arm straight back behind you at the same time you extend your left leg out long in front of you, lowering it so it hovers just above the ground. Return them to the center, and repeat on the opposite side. For an added challenge, hold light dumbbells in each hand as you complete the move.
8. Extended Side Angle Pose
Start standing. Place your hands on your hips with your feet in a wide stance. Turn your right foot so it’s pointing to your right. Bend your right knee and lower body down into a lunge position: Your knee should be bent at a 45-degree angle, and not extending past your ankle; left leg is extended behind you. Bend your right elbow and rest it on your right thigh, twisting your torso so it faces your left side, keeping the head aligned with your spine and also facing left. Lift your left arm overhead with your palm facing the floor and stretch it alongside your left ear so you feel your entire left side lengthen. To increase the difficulty, place your right hand on a block or all the way to the floor instead of resting on your knee. Hold for 30 to 45 seconds and then switch sides.
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