How to Work the Oblique Abdominal Muscles
Oblique muscles run alongside each side of the waist and are responsible for rotating the trunk and helping to stabilize the low back and pelvis. Obliques help us serve in tennis, lift a book back onto a high shelf, or reach for an apple on a branch. Working the obliques can provide added power and strength in sports and stability for everyday activities. To work them in a gym, you can do exercises found in Pilates mat classes or use a small hand weight or a small, weighted medicine ball found in gyms.
Instructions
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Begin lying on your side as if you were lying on a beach towel reading a magazine spread before you. Lying on your right side, stack your legs, bending both knees, so that hips, knees and feet are in the same line. Extend your right arm straight on the floor and rest your head on it, with your right ear resting on the arm. Extend your left hand towards your left foot, skimming above the left hip.
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Exhale as you reach your left hand towards the left foot and can feel an obvious curling up action alongside the left obliques. Lower back down to the starting position. Do 10 to 12 repetitions. Rest. Repeat to the second side. Rest.
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Challenge yourself further by repeating this exercise while holding a small 2 or 3-pound weight in the hand that is one top. For example, if you are lying on the right side, legs stacked, head resting on the right arm, place the small hand weight in the left hand. Repeat for 10 to 12 times each side. Rest.
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Roll up to sit on your hips, setting your feet flat on the floor, hips-width distance and knees bent. For a Pilates-inspired exercise, face the chest forward as you extend both arms to fully straight to your sides. Turn the chest to the right, allowing your right arm to move behind you and the left arm forward. Return to center and turn the chest towards the left. Repeat 10 to 12 times for 2 sets. Rest.
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Progress to a more difficult version of this exercise by holding a small Medicine ball (3- to 4-pounds to start) between your hands. As you engage the lower abdominal muscles and the obliques, turn the chest to the right, keeping the chest well-lifted. Return to the center and turn to the left. Do 10 to 12 repetitions. Repeat 2 more times. Rest. All of these exercises work the obliques.
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Tips & Warnings
If you have neck or low back injuries, work with a certified personal trainer with training in injury rehabilitation. If you are pregnant, consult your physician before doing strenuous abdominal muscle exercises.
