When tightening up your side abs, many look out for oblique exercises. The obliques are the muscles located on the sides of the abdominal wall, and they play a crucial role in supporting the core, improving posture, and enhancing overall fitness.
Women often seek to strengthen their obliques for aesthetic reasons, such as achieving a toned and defined midsection, but these muscles are also crucial for functional movement and injury prevention.
Here are some effective exercises for targeting the obliques, and we will provide tips on how to incorporate them into your workout routine.
What are the oblique muscles?
These muscle groups around the abdomen are very active in athletes and those who regularly exercise. In addition, humans have external and internal oblique muscles located at the sides of the stomach, (specifically) to each side of the six-pack muscles known as the rectus abdominis.
According to Healthline, place your hand below the armpit to identify these muscles quickly, then follow down the torso side to just below the ribs.
Common problems with oblique muscles
Since the oblique muscles function in the forward and sideways, bending movements and twisting any sudden movement can cause pain in the oblique muscles.
Any high-intensity exercises like sit-ups and crunches or sports like golf, tennis, and baseball can cause strain in the oblique muscles. Other common causes of problems with these muscle groups include:
- Direct punches to the abdomen.
- Sitting for long hours in one position.
- Unimproved posture.
- Chronic coughing or sneezing.
- Lifting heavy loads.
- Bowling, raking soil, or paddling a boat.
Why are oblique muscles important?
The oblique muscles perform two primary functions:
- First, an accessory for respiratory muscles, acting as an antagonist for the diaphragm, helps reduce the chest cavity volume during exhalation; they contract to push organs into the chest cavity, producing exhalation. During inhalation, they pull down the diaphragm’s lower wall, increasing the lung volume and facilitating filling with air.
- The internal oblique muscles help rotate the torso by acting concertedly with the external oblique muscles.
The other purposes of these muscles are:
- Maintaining balance.
- Different movement activities.
- The strength of the midsection for lifting heavy things.
- Help in doing vigorous exercises.
- Walking and running.
Do oblique exercises make the waist wider?
These side-facing muscles on your waist are hard to exercise to exhaustion. The obliques do not build significant muscle quantity to make your waist look wider.
The increase is slight and hardly noticeable. These exercises, however, can be used to build core strength and tone your stomach muscles.
It is possible to expand your obliques by exercising, though the change will be unnoticeable since these muscles are very thin compared to other forces like the biceps and hamstrings.
The best oblique exercises for women
1. Bicycle crunches
This is the mother of all abs exercises, according to Mae Barraclough. It targets both the six-pack and the oblique muscles. Lie flat on your back and interlock your fingers behind your head, then raise your shoulders while bringing one elbow and the other knee together.
Switch sides and do 20 to 30 reps. To control the tempo and draw in your core to engage your core muscles while protecting your spine from injury.
2. Criss-cross jacks
This is a variation of the standard jumping jack and is so good at getting your heart pumping. Jump up while widening your feet and sending your arms into a T position. Jump in, closing the arms and feet, then repeat till you reach 20 reps.
3. Squat to twisting overhead press
While holding a dumbbell in front of your chest, sit back as you squat, sending your butt back; when standing around up, press your arms straight and twist the torso turning you to one side. On the repeat, twist your torso to the other side till ten reps.
4. Resistance band torso twist
This requires a simple resistance band with your choice of tension. This is an effective exercise to enhance functional movement.
Use this technique in the (video) to tone and improve your core strength. Tie the band to an object like a doorknob at your waist height, grab the bar, and twist away from the torso, not the hips. Do around 30 reps.
5. Plank curl-under
Once set in a plank position, align a dumbbell with your left palm heel and shift your weight to the left hand. Reach for the importance with your other hand, pick it, pivot it into your side plank, and raise it towards the ceiling to a T position. Then, rotate your arm back to make your right hand curl under the left forearm. Do eight to ten reps.
6. High-knee corkscrew
While standing up straight, raise a knee and bend the opposite elbow. Twist at the mid-section to join the two. Repeat for the opposite side for about 20 reps.
7. Side Planks
Commonly known as windshield wipers, side turns exercise targets the lower abs and the obliques. Lying flat on your back, lift your legs at 90 degrees to your body and keep your core drawn in.
Slowly bring your legs down to one side, back up, then down to the ground on the other, and repeat for 20 reps.
You do it correctly if you feel your obliques are working instead of the hip or leg muscles. To increase the resistance, use a stability ball between the feet, as shown in this
8. Twisted box pushups
With your feet standing together a few feet from a box, place your hands against the chest, then turn your torso to rest on the outside of one foot. In this position, do about ten pushups. Change to the other side and repeat. This exercise can be made simpler by doing pushups against a wall.
9. Rainbow plank
Get into a forearms plank position with your shoulders directly above your wrists. While keeping your belly button pulled towards your spine, lower your hips to the left side, then smoothly move them in a low arc through the center and over to the right side. It is counted as one repetition.
10. Cross-body mountain climber
Assume a plank position with your shoulders right above your wrists and your legs extended straight behind you.
Bring your right knee towards your left elbow, then go back to the plank position and repeat this motion rapidly on the opposite side. You should only have one foot on the ground at any given time. That is counted as one repetition.
11. Bear crunches
Assume a tabletop position and raise your knees about an inch off the ground. Move your weight to your right arm, then draw your right knee towards your chest as you twist your torso to the left.
While lifting your left arm, touch your left elbow to your right knee. Return to your starting position and perform the same movement on the other side.
12. Russain Twists
Sit on the ground so that your legs are bent in front of you. Lean back slightly and lift your feet off the ground so that you are balanced on your pelvic muscles.
Keep your core engaged and shoulders up to avoid slouching. You can tie your hands together or hold a kettlebell before your chest.
Maintain your balance on your pelvis and twist your upper body to the left while moving your hands in the same direction and turning your shoulders.
Then, twist your body to the other side. Repeat it on alternating sides for 10 to 15 repetitions on each side.
Why exercise your obliques?
Other than improving the stability and strength of your core, exercising your oblique muscles helps build abdominal muscles. When your obliques are strong, they help frame your front–facing abdominals.
It also helps set your hip and chest muscles, making them look more prominent. People with minimal body fat can have a trimmer appearance by exercising the oblique muscles.
These exercises also significantly keep your waist from developing muscle imbalance that can negatively affect your posture.
Play it while trying out the workouts to learn how to do them correctly. Any woman can try these fitness workouts and see the results after a few weeks of doing this 10-minute exercise daily.
However, the above list of exercises can make a big difference to your health and core strength. So, let’s build core strength and replace fat with muscles for a toned, beautiful body.
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