Logan Steele
Your obliques are core muscles that run along the sides of your torso. They are made up of two layers: the internal obliques and the external obliques. Training your obliques is important for healthy movement and function as they are used for bending, rotation, and spine stabilization. Training them can also help reduce your chances of injury during training. You can train your obliques with exercises such as side planks, windmills, and spider push-ups.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Oblique muscles | Run along the sides of the torso |
| Made up of two layers: internal and external obliques | |
| Function | Bending and rotating the torso |
| Accessory breathing muscle | |
| Training exercises | Side planks |
| Single-leg side planks | |
| Side bends | |
| Windmills | |
| Twisting torso | |
| Lunge position | |
| Squat with rotational oblique crunch | |
| Spider push-ups | |
| Copenhagen plank | |
| Mountain climbers | |
| Training frequency | 2-3 times per week |
| 4 sessions of 1 exercise |
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What You'll Learn
Side planks and windmills
Training your side muscles, or obliques, is important for healthy movement and function, as these muscles are involved in bending, rotation, and spine stabilization. Side planks and windmills are exercises that target the obliques and help build a strong core.
Side Planks
To perform a basic side plank, lie on your left side and prop up your upper body with your hand or forearm. Stack your legs, bending your knees at a 45-degree angle, or extend your legs and stack your feet if you want more of a challenge. Your body should form a straight line from head to knee or head to toe, depending on your chosen setup. Use your obliques to pull your hip on the side that's touching the floor toward the sky, and allow your other arm to rest on your side or extend it overhead. Hold this pose for as long as you like, and then switch sides.
Windmills
Side-lying windmills are a low-impact exercise that targets the obliques, core, shoulders, glutes, and legs. To perform this exercise, lie on your side with your arms stretched straight and your legs together. Rotate from the hips, keeping your arms and legs still, as you circle your top arm above your head, slowly descending to the ground with each swirl.
Variations
Once you've mastered the basic side plank and windmill exercises, you can increase the difficulty by adding weights or elevating your feet. For the side plank, you can also try the Copenhagen variation, which targets the inner thighs and adductors. This involves placing the inside of your foot on a bench rather than the outside, and resisting abduction of both legs, especially the top leg, to activate the adductor muscles.
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Twisting torso exercises
To perform a basic twisting torso exercise, start by turning your right foot so it is pointing to your right. Bend your right knee and lower your body into a lunge position, ensuring your knee is at a 45-degree angle and not extending past your ankle. Your left leg should be extended behind you. Bend your right elbow and rest it on your right thigh, twisting your torso so that it faces your left side, keeping your 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, feeling your entire left side lengthen. Hold this position for 30 to 45 seconds, and then switch sides. To increase the difficulty, place your right hand on a block or on the floor instead of resting it on your knee.
You can also try a side plank to challenge your oblique muscles. Lie on the ground on your left side, supporting your upper body with your hand or forearm. Bend your knees at a 45-degree angle and stack your right leg on top of your left. If you have the strength, you can also extend your legs and stack your feet. Keep your feet touching and use your obliques to pull your right hip toward the sky, allowing your right arm to rest by your side or extend it overhead. Hold this position for as long as you like, and then switch sides.
Including exercises that target your obliques in your workouts is important not only for aesthetic goals but also for healthy movement and function. Strong obliques will help with better posture, balance, and coordination, as well as reduce the risk of injuries.
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Bending and rotation
Seated Side Bend
This exercise is performed by bending your upper body to the side while sitting down. You can slide your hand down the chair and towards the floor, feeling a stretch on your opposite side. Seated side bends can help improve flexibility and range of motion in your spine and can help with promoting good, comfortable posture. They also target the oblique muscles, which sit on the sides of the abdomen and allow you to twist and bend to the side.
Standing Side Bend
This classic stretch is great for limbering up your back and relieving muscle tension in your back, hips, and torso. It also improves side-to-side movement. The standing side bend involves bending your upper body to the side, so you feel a gentle stretch through your waist, hip, and back. It targets the internal and external obliques, which help you rotate your body in everyday activities. It also stretches the rectus abdominis, commonly known as the "six-pack" muscle, and the erector spinae, a group of muscles that run along the spine.
Overhead Windmill
This exercise works on your hinge movements and involves twisting your torso as you descend, working on three planes of motion in one exercise.
Paloff Press
The Paloff press is a functional way to work your abs and obliques. It focuses on holding a load in front of your chest and not rotating side-to-side.
Side Plank
To strengthen the muscles involved in lateral flexion, try the side plank. Keep your elbow in line with your shoulder, hips stacked, and feet flexed and together. Reach your hips up to the ceiling, ensuring your shoulders stay away from your ears.
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Spider push-ups and mountain climbers
Spider Push-ups
Spider push-ups are a challenging and effective variation of traditional push-ups. They are named after the superhero, Spider-Man, due to their resemblance to his wall-crawling movements. To perform a spider push-up, start in a push-up position with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart and your toes on the ground. As you lower yourself towards the ground, lift one foot off the floor and bring your knee towards the opposite elbow. Your head and shoulders should move forward of your hands as you get closer to the floor. At the bottom of the push-up, your knee and elbow should be almost touching. Then, push yourself back up to the starting position, straighten your leg, and return it to the ground. Repeat the same movement on the other side. Spider push-ups target the same muscles as conventional push-ups, but the addition of an oblique crunch adds an extra challenge for your core muscles.
Mountain Climbers
Mountain climbers are another excellent exercise to build leg and core strength. To perform a mountain climber, start in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders and your feet together. Keep your core engaged and step one foot up and outside the hand on the same side, so you're in a low lunge position. Try not to let your butt go up in the air. Beginners can then step back into the plank and then step the other foot forward into a lunge on the other side. More advanced exercisers can jump from lunge to lunge, increasing the speed and reducing the pause between sides to increase the difficulty.
Mountain Climber Variations
There are several variations of mountain climbers that you can try to target different muscle groups. The Mountain Climber Row Push-Up targets your upper body, back, chest, arms, and shoulders. To perform this variation, start in a high plank position with a dumbbell in each hand and your feet wider apart for stability. Then, draw one knee in and across towards your opposite shoulder. Perform a cross-body mountain climber slowly, straighten the leg back out, and then row the weight up to your side. Keep your butt down and don't let your hips rotate as you row. Finally, perform a push-up and repeat on the other side.
Another variation is the Mountain Climber Burpee, which combines the mountain climber and the burpee for an intense cardio move. To perform this variation, start standing, then bend over and place your hands on the ground as you jump your feet back into a high plank position. From the high plank position, perform a push-up, then run one knee in towards your chest. Straighten your leg back out and perform another push-up. Then, tuck the other knee in and perform a third push-up.
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Single-leg side planks
To perform a single-leg side plank, start by lying on your left side on an exercise mat. Place your feet together and prop yourself up on your left elbow and forearm. Your body should form a straight line from your head to your knee or toe, whichever setup you choose. Place your right hand on your right hip and raise your right leg as high as you can. Keeping your feet touching, use your obliques to pull your right hip toward the sky, allowing your right arm to rest by your side or extend overhead. Hold this position for 30 seconds, then switch sides.
If you are having trouble, you can modify the exercise by bending your knees 90 degrees and resting your weight on your knees instead of your feet. You can also try a plyometric side plank, where you swing your top leg back and forth. For an extra challenge, try adding a reach-under to increase the twisting motion and further target your obliques.
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Frequently asked questions
The obliques are muscles that run along the sides of your torso. They are made up of two layers: the internal obliques and the external obliques.
Training your obliques will help you build a strong core, which is important for stability, balance, and coordination. It will also help you with bending, rotation, and spine stabilization.
Some exercises that target the obliques include side planks, windmills, and rotational oblique crunches. You can also try an exercise where you lie on your side and use your obliques to pull your hip towards the sky.
