Logan Steele
Training the obliques, or the side abs, is an important part of building core strength. The obliques are two pairs of muscles that run along the sides of your torso, helping to stabilise the spine and control movement through the spine, ribs, and pelvis. Training the obliques can improve posture, prevent injury, and provide physique benefits, including a more defined core. There are a variety of exercises that can help strengthen the obliques, including side crunches, planks, and exercises that use uneven loads, instability, or rotation.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Oblique muscles | Two pairs of muscles that run along the sides of the torso |
| Primary role | Stabilise the spine |
| Secondary role | Control movement through the spine, ribs, and pelvis |
| Functions | Lateral flexion, trunk rotation, forward flexion |
| Benefits of training obliques | Improved posture, reduced risk of injury, physique benefits, stronger core |
| Training methods | Resistance bands, med balls, kettlebells, side crunches, planks |
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What You'll Learn
Benefits of training oblique muscles
Training your oblique muscles has several benefits for your health, performance, and aesthetic goals.
Firstly, strengthening your obliques can help reduce lower back pain. The obliques are attached to the spine, so their strength and length can take pressure off your vertebrae, discs, and other neighbouring muscles, reducing the chances of a sore back. This is especially important given that lower back pain affects 60% to 80% of adults in Western countries, often due to weak oblique muscles and poor core strength.
Secondly, training your obliques can improve your posture. Muscles that attach to the spine, like the obliques, play a role in maintaining good posture. Weak obliques and other core muscles may result in a posterior pelvic tilt and poor posture, as other muscles have to compensate. Training your obliques can help rectify this and improve your overall posture.
Thirdly, strong obliques can enhance your centre of power. The core's main function is to prevent movement so that power can be transferred efficiently from the lower to the upper body. Well-developed oblique muscles prevent lateral flexion and rotation, allowing you to change direction better, run faster, lift stronger, and throw balls with more speed and accuracy, all without getting injured.
Finally, training your obliques can help you achieve a tapered waistline and a more balanced, symmetrical set of core muscles. This can be particularly beneficial for those seeking to get rid of stubborn "love handles", as developing the underlying muscles can make your waist look more defined and aesthetically pleasing.
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Best exercises for beginners
Training your obliques will result in a stronger core, which will help in other areas of your strength training, such as performing squats and deadlifts. It can also improve your posture, help prevent injury in the back and hips, and provide physique benefits, including a more defined core.
Oblique muscles are responsible for movements like bending from side to side and rotating your torso from left to right. They also assist with spinal flexion, the movement typically associated with crunches and sit-ups that target the six-pack muscles.
Side Plank
- Lie on your left side with your right leg stacked on top of your left leg. Place 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, forming a straight line from head to feet at about a 45-degree angle with the ground.
- Raise your right arm up toward the ceiling without letting your hips dip. Beginners can keep their knees on the ground in a slightly bent position.
Side Crunch
- Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat. Arms should be down by your sides with palms facing up or down – whichever you prefer.
- Inhale and use your core to lift your head and upper back off the ground.
- Reach down to your left side, tapping your heel with your left hand. Think of this movement as a side crunch, and resist the urge to lift your upper body further off the ground.
- Return to the centre. Repeat on the right side.
Russian Twists
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet lifted off the ground. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, keeping your knees bent.
- Twist your torso from side to side, tapping the floor with your hands on each side.
Windshield Wipers
- Lie on your back with your legs straight up in the air, feet together, and toes pointed.
- Keeping your legs straight, slowly lower them to one side as far as you can go without discomfort.
- Slowly bring them back through the centre and over to the other side.
High Plank to Side Plank
- Assume a high plank position with your shoulders in line with your wrists and your neck neutral. Place your feet right next to each other.
- Lift your right hand off the ground and begin to rotate into a side plank position, opening your torso to the room. Your right arm should follow your body, remaining extended.
- Pause, then return to the high plank, repeating on the other side.
It is recommended to do these exercises 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, three to five times per week.
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Best exercises for intermediates
Training your obliques, or "side abs", is essential for a strong core and will help in other areas of your strength training, such as performing squats and deadlifts. Oblique exercises can also improve posture, help to prevent injury in the back and hips, and provide physique benefits, including a more defined core.
Side Plank with a Twist
Get into a high plank position with your shoulders in line with your wrists and your neck neutral. Place your feet close together. From here, rotate your side planks from side to side, creating a challenge for your oblique muscles.
Walking Lunges with a Twist
Start by standing straight with your feet together and your arms out in front of you, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Lunge forward with your left leg until your thigh is parallel to the floor, twisting your torso over your left thigh to engage your oblique. Return to the starting position, and repeat with the right leg.
Side Crunches
Lie on your back with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Place your arms down by your sides with palms facing up or down, whichever you prefer. Inhale and use your core to lift your head and upper back off the ground. Reach down to your left side, tapping your heel with your left hand. Resist the urge to lift your upper body further off the ground. Return to the centre, and repeat on the right side.
Russian Twists
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and your feet lifted slightly off the ground. Lean back at a 45-degree angle, keeping your knees bent, and balance on your sit bones. Now, twist your torso from side to side, tapping the floor with your hands on each side.
For your oblique workout, pick 2-3 exercises and do 3 sets of 10-12 reps of each exercise, 2-3 times a week.
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Best exercises for advanced trainers
Training the obliques is essential for a strong core, which provides stability throughout the movement system. Advanced trainers can try the following exercises to strengthen their oblique muscles.
One of the most popular exercises to train obliques is the plank. Flipping to the side gives your oblique muscles a potent bracing and stabilization challenge. To do a side plank, lie on your left side with your legs straight and prop up your upper body on your forearm. You can also try a side plank with a twist: lie on your left side, come up onto your hand or forearm, supporting your upper body, and lift your right leg, stacked on top of your left leg.
Another popular exercise is the side crunch. To do a side crunch, lie on your side and place your hand behind your head in crunch position. Do not use your hand for support. Keep your left knee and foot on the ground to engage your obliques. For a more advanced version, try a standard oblique crunch: sit on the ground with your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Roll onto your left hip at a 45-degree angle, bracing yourself on your left forearm. Lift your feet and knees off the ground, and put your right hand behind your head. Crunch up, bringing your lower body and upper body to meet.
For a more advanced oblique workout, try Russian Twists, which are an amazing exercise for the obliques and the overall core. You can also try windshield wipers, which target the external obliques. Hold a medicine ball or dumbbell in your hands and lift it slightly higher than your shoulder height, extending it diagonally away from your body. Then, in a fluid motion, bring the medicine ball or dumbbell toward your left hip.
To strengthen your oblique muscles, it is recommended to train them at least five times per week.
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Diet and oblique training
Training your obliques is important for a strong core, which in turn helps in other areas of strength training, such as performing squats and deadlifts. It also improves posture, helps prevent injury in the back and hips, and provides physique benefits, including a more defined core. Oblique exercises can also help slim your waistline by strengthening and toning the muscle groups in that area.
A healthy diet, combined with oblique exercises, can help you achieve a lean and toned look. To maintain a healthy diet, make sure to include protein, fibrous and starchy carbs, and cut out unhealthy fats and refined sugars.
Oblique exercises can be done at home or in the gym, and there are options for all fitness levels. The obliques are two pairs of muscles that run along either side of your torso. Each consists of the external oblique, which is the closest to the surface and the largest abdominal muscle, and the internal oblique, which lies directly beneath. The oblique muscles are important for rotational movements, bending from side to side, and protecting your spine.
- Side crunches on the ground
- Planks
- Mountain climbers
- Using a med ball or kettlebell
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Frequently asked questions
The oblique muscles are the muscles that run along the sides of your core. They are important for rotational movements, bending from side to side, and protecting your spine. Training the obliques will result in a stronger core, which will help in other areas of your strength training, such as performing squats and deadlifts.
Training your oblique muscles can be done through exercises that use uneven loads, instability, or rotation. This can include exercises such as side bends, plate dips, and planks.
Training your oblique muscles can improve your posture, help prevent injuries in the back and hips, and provide physique benefits, including a more defined core.
