Oblique Training
The anatomy of the stomach is often generalized by the word “abs.” In reality, there is more to this muscle group than an abbreviation. Four parts actually make up the abdominal wall — the rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and internal and external obliques. The rectus abdominis is in the middle of the stomach, the transverse abdominis is deep inside the abdomen and the obliques are the diagonal muscles on the sides. Oblique training has specific characteristics that separate it from the training involved with other areas.
What Trains the Obliques?
The obliques get recruited when you twist and rotate your trunk. You experience this on a daily basis when you twist to place groceries in a trunk or bend sideways to pick something up from the floor when you are seated. During sports, the obliques also experience a lot of action. Take baseball for example. Every time you swing a bat, throw a ball or pick a ball up from the ground, the obliques get called into play. The main purpose of training the obliques is to improve your performance with all of these tasks. The obliques are also part of the body’s core. A strong core leads to better stability and balance.
Exercises
Exercises to target the obliques involve body weight or the use of fitness equipment. A basic body weight exercise is a twisting crunch. This targets the obliques, but you still recruit the rectus abdominis. Side twists, side planks, Russian twists and bicycle crunches also work the obliques with no equipment. Side bends, medicine ball rotations, cable chops and hanging angled knee raises all require equipment. During training, your best bet is to do three or four exercises to insure you achieve a maximal amount of muscle recruitment.
Proper Form
Form is key with oblique training. Exercising with poor form can lead to a pulled muscle or muscle imbalance. The goal is to move through a full range of motion and to not use momentum. Take bicycle crunches for example. Lie faceup on the floor with your hands on the sides of your head, legs elevated and knees bent 90 degrees. Steadily lift your shoulders off the floor and move your left knee and right elbow toward each other while extending your right leg. Quickly change directions to target your other side and continue to move back and forth in a steady, twisting motion.
Reps and Sets
The amount of reps to do in training is dependent on your current level of fitness. If you are new to exercise, you will likely only be able to do 10 to 12 reps before you burn out. As you get into better shape, a good goal to aim for is 20 to 25 repetitions. Once you are able to do this easily, increase the resistance with your exercises. This is easy with exercises like side bends where all you have to do is grab a heavier dumbbell. With body weight exercises like hanging angled knee raises and bicycle crunches, strap ankle weights to your lower legs.
As far as your sets go, aim for three or four to achieve positive results. Either work your obliques by themselves or work them into a whole abdominal workout.
Tips on Rest
The obliques are just like any other muscle; they need to be worked and they need to be rested. If you train them every day, you will compromise your progress by not giving them time to heal. Take at least one day off between workouts for the best results.
Myth About Oblique Training
People with love handles often think that numerous oblique exercises performed daily will shed the pounds on their sides. Do not be fooled by this myth. Oblique training will work the muscles on the sides, but the true way to melt fat is with cardio.
Come and check out our reverse crunches blog.
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