How to Work Obliques With the Weighted Incline Twisting Crunch

The obliques are a major muscle group in your abdomen. The weighted incline twisting crunch works all of your abdominal muscles. It is an uncomplicated, low-impact exercise. You can target your obliques by focusing on the twist part of this exercise. Maintain a tight core throughout the exercise for the best results.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderate

Things You’ll Need:

• Hand weight
• Incline bench

1. Select your weight. Sit on the incline bench and hook your feet under the padded bar.
2. Hold selected weight to your chest or behind your neck. Lower your body so that your back rests on the bench.
3. Flex your abs and lift your upper body, keeping your lower back pressed into the bench at all times. As your shoulder blades leave the bench, twist your body to one side. This will work the oblique on that side.
4. Lower your body down to your shoulder blades. Keep your neck relaxed by tightening your core muscles and using your abs to do all of the lifting.
5. Lift your body using your abs again and twist to the opposite side.
6. Repeat the motion, alternating sides. Do as many repetitions as you can before your neck tires out. Rest for 30 seconds and repeat.

Tips & Warnings

• Raise the incline or add more weight to make this exercise harder.
• Focus the movement on your abdominal muscles to keep your neck relaxed.
• For the most dramatic results, do as many repetitions as you're able in each set. This is called lifting to failure.