At Body Sculptors in Louisville, KY, we focus on overall fitness using the tools of a healthy diet and a program of regular exercise designed specifically for each person. We are often requested to help people with specific goals, like building abdominal muscles, which includes the obliques. Exercises for the obliques not only provide that V look at the waist, but they also help maintain body stability. The obliques run along each side from the abs to the lats, the large flat muscles in the back that run to the sides.
You need strong obliques to do compound movements.
If you want to stay balanced when you’re doing squats or other compound movements, you need strong obliques. They help you stay centered so you don’t lean forward too far or fall out of form. Strong obliques are important for more than just proper balance, they help maintain strong posture. Because they run from the lats to the abs, they keep the midsection tight and whittle your waist.
You can use kettlebells, a medicine ball, dumbbells and barbells to make obliques strong.
Use a dumbbell or barbell to tighten your obliques. Hold the weight in one hand and bend to the side as far as possible. Hold for a second and return to starting position, then reverse sides. Stand a few feet from a wall with your side to the wall and use a medicine ball as a prop. Twist toward the wall and toss the medicine ball, catch it and return to starting position.
You don’t need equipment to do some oblique exercises.
If you know how to do a push-up and a plank, you’ve almost conquered the next oblique exercise. It’s a push-up to moves to a side plank. Start with a push-up, but instead of going down again, twist your body to the side, raising the arm that’s on the top, then lowering it to do the next push-up, where you’ll lift the opposite arm.
- A seated barbell twist builds obliques. Start by sitting on a bench with a barbell resting on your shoulders. Slowly twist from one side to another while keeping your feet stationary.
- Lay on a decline bench with legs over the edge at the knees. Raise your upper body up and twist to the side. Lay back down and repeat on the other side.
- If you’re doing obliques, do them before any heavy lifting, not afterward, to prevent compromising your form. If you use weights, do fewer reps. Those that don’t use weights, like crunches can be done with more reps.
- You can build strong obliques with side crunches. Lie on the ground with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lift your head and upper back with arms extended down. Try to tap your right heel with your right hand, then attempt to tap the left side with the left hand.
For more information, contact us today at Body Sculptors Personal Training