Muscle Groups Involved In Abdominal Exercises

Most people focus on their abs when they’re trying to get a six-pack, but the obliques are just as important for your entire core!

The oblique muscles are located on the sides of your torso, and they play a major role in both movement and stability. That’s why it’s so important to include oblique workouts in your routine.

In this article, we’ll discuss the anatomy of the obliques, why they’re important, and what the best oblique workouts are. We’ll also provide a list of our favorite oblique exercises, both with and without equipment.

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The stronger the mind-to-muscle connection is, the more in sync your movements will be as you activate the obliques and the core as a whole.

Speaking of the oblique muscle, most people make the mistake of thinking there are only the best lower oblique workouts and upper oblique workouts, but this isn’t the case. The oblique muscle fibers are external and internal – not upper and lower.

The external obliques are the muscle group you can see running along your rib cage, and they’re quite the show-offs. They are the muscles that most people focus on when training to get ripped obliques.

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The external obliques are situated at a downward angle, and they help rotation. For example, your external obliques go into overdrive to maintain the leg positions when you do Windshield Wipers.

The internal obliques sit beneath and are often overshadowed by the external obliques, but they play just as big of a role. Unlike the external obliques, these run parallel and also assist with rotation.

The internal and external obliques work in tandem during good oblique workouts to create rotation while also controlling it. In some instances, the obliques may even prevent rotation from happening at all.

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Not only do your obliques assist with side bending, but they also help with the flexion of the trunk. The intensity of the contraction depends on the movement being used.

For example, if you are performing a Spiderman Push-up, you are activating the obliques as you bring your knee to meet your elbow.

As for trunk flexion, single-sided oblique exercises such as a single-leg plank are the way to go. Your obliques, along with the rest of your core, actively prevent trunk flexion–the natural inclination of your body when positioned in this way.

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Oblique workouts are an important part of any fitness routine. Not only do they help sculpt the waistline, but they also promote healthy mobility and form a strong base for other exercises.

Your obliques control rotation driven from the top down or from the bottom up. They can also flex you to one side or the other, but from the top down or the bottom up.

Rotation and flexion go beyond the gym. Think about how you move during your day-to-day routine. Twisting and turning in everyday tasks like picking up kids or doing yardwork is essential so getting better at it will only benefit you.

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The obliques provide stability to your core, which helps with proper posture. This is especially important when performing other effective exercises like squats and deadlifts.

Again, look outside of the weight room to see the real benefit of the best ab and oblique workouts. Your entire upper body relies on proper posture to support itself and the obliques are like two of the pillars holding you up on either side.

Mobility refers to your physical ability to move your body. More specifically, it’s made up of range of motion, muscular strength and endurance, and flexibility. While muscle and strength are great fitness goals to have, mobility is crucial for making all other fitness goals possible.

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Given their location on your body, your obliques play a key role in improving your overall mobility. Oblique exercises help build strength and flexibility in the area, which gives you more range of motion.

Now, let’s talk aesthetics. Your oblique muscles are a key part of achieving that coveted V-cut or six-pack. Without them, your core won’t look as complete.

By properly activating the obliques with external and internal oblique workouts, you’ll be able to chisel a strong and defined waistline in no time.

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This first exercise in these oblique workouts without weights will allow you to tap into the bottom-up rotational movement pattern that the obliques are responsible for.

HOW TO DO IT:  You’re not just pulling your knees in towards your chest. You want to focus on sliding your body from one cheek to the other in order to position yourself to create a nice, strong contraction.

HOW TO DO IT:  It’s important to take the legs out of it. You don’t want to fatigue the hip flexors. So, I want you to keep your feet on the ground. Now focus on driving that rotation from the top down. Reinforce the proper mechanics by turning this into a row. Pretend like you’re doing a Cable Row and drive your elbows far back behind you as you can.

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WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  Focusing on driving the elbows back can reinforce that you’re actually getting good rotation from the shoulders up on the torso and you’re not just tapping your hands back and forth.

This time we’re focusing on that lateral flexion and again from the bottom up and the top down. The Side Plank Twists are one exercise that need to be a part of any good side oblique workouts.

HOW TO DO IT:  The focus is on creating an eccentric control as you drop down with a little bit of rotation. When you come back up to the top, drive up into that side plank lift, really trying to drive your hip up, creating that lateral flexion we’re talking about.

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HOW TO DO IT:  Focus on leaving the hips in place and flexing the torso from the top down. Each time you bring your knee in, flex the trunk laterally towards it, bringing the elbow down towards that knee.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  You can get an insane contraction in this movement pattern by bringing the elbow down as you flex the trunk. Add this one to your killer oblique workouts.

And this is where we start to do the part that most people forget to do. It’s the anti-stuff or the anti-lateral control and the anti-rotational control.

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HOW TO DO IT:  Get into a static Side Plank position, walk your feet across, and bring your knee up. Your job is to stay as rigid as possible on the bottom side, not allowing your body to collapse into that flexion.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  When you get the other leg up and drive it up towards the chest, you’re supporting the entire weight of the side plank through just one leg as opposed to the foot contact of two.

HOW TO DO IT:  Plant your hand in contact with the wall and then move your opposite hand on top of that wrist locking yourself in place. This is now challenging you to maintain a rigid torso facing straight ahead, because what it wants to do is give in and twist towards the wall.

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WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  To prevent rotation, you’re going to have to activate that oblique that’s on the opposite side of the wall and hold it strong.

The greatest oblique workouts at the gym focus on the function of the muscle – not what might work but what actually works.

HOW TO DO IT:  First, tilt your pelvis back and let your upper back round a bit. By doing this you’re limiting the amount of rotation you’ll get in your spine. The rotation will be driven by your obliques. When you rotate, notice that the opposite oblique will fire alternately. Move slowly and focus on the quality of each repetition rather than the number of repetitions. With that said, 8-10 controlled reps works well.

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WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  Paying attention to the amount of rotation and not worrying about the numbers in terms of reps will help to tap into the oblique muscles. Although this is focused on the obliques, you will feel this through your entire core. Also, if you don’t have a broomstick lying around, you can use any type of weighted stick. You could even use a light barbell, but do not use the traditional Olympic barbell.

HOW TO DO IT:  Sit on a Swiss ball with a weight plate or medicine ball and set your feet hip width to shoulder width apart. If you need a more solid base on the ball, spread your feet wider, focusing your heels on the ground. As usual, keep your feet flat on the floor. Loosen up, let that plate drop and if possible, keep the top arm straight. Lower down slowly into the extended position, until you feel the weight getting further away from you. When it feels like it’s about to reach its lowest point, pause for a second then lift it back to center and rotate to the other side ensuring that throughout the entire move you stay controlled and stable. Aim for 10-12 total reps per set.

WHAT MAKES IT EFFECTIVE:  The arms are staying aligned with the torso and there is no relative stress of rotation or control of rotation, ensuring you’re going to

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