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When it comes to talking about the oblique muscles, we refer to those muscles that are situated on the sides of the abdominal wall in individuals that run crosswise both forward and backward. It is also necessary for individuals to do some ab exercises that can work their oblique muscles. The stronger your obliques are, your back is able to obtain better support, apart from improving your body posture in total. This in turn can protect individuals from being affected by injuries or pain which might occur in their shoulder as well as their lower back.
As we twist the torso, the muscles present in the core, including the back and shoulders contract at the same time, apart from lengthening of these muscles happening on each side.
Following are some of the ab exercises that can be performed by individuals to help them build their obliques.
1. Hanging Knee Raises:
The hanging knee raise is one of the exercises that can be done by individuals to strengthen their lower abs. This exercise primarily works your rectus abdominis and other muscles such as your forearm muscles, apart from targeting the hip flexors, including your internal and external obliques.
Equipment Required:
Pull-up bar
How to do this exercise?
• Start by using a pull-up bar and keep the bar gripped by using your hands at a distance that is wider than shoulder width apart.
• Keep your body aligned and straight, prior to taking the bodyweight.
• After you start hanging with your feet a little away from the floor, you can slowly pull the knees up by keeping your legs together.
• Wait for a few seconds and start lowering your knees back slowly on to the starting position.
• You have completed one rep.
You can also try and do at least 3 sets comprising of 10 reps each.
2. Twister:
This is one of the ab exercises that is simple to do by individuals. It targets both sides of your stomach in a single movement. Additionally, it also targets your core muscles, provided you are able to do this exercise correctly and effectively.
Equipment Required:
• Weighted plate
How to do this exercise?
• Start by sitting down on the floor by keeping your knees bent.
• Hold on to a weighted plate and allow it to remain close to your chest.
• You must lean on your torso at 45 degrees angle.
• Keep your core contracted and begin to twist your arms on to your right as far as you are able to.
• Now, stop for a few seconds and once again repeat the movement to your left.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try and do at least 3 sets comprising of 15 reps each.
3. Standing Leg Raise:
This is one of the low impact ab workouts that can be done by you to work your oblique muscles. Moreover, it also provides enough strength to your legs. You can do this exercise at any place.
Equipment Required:
• No equipment is required for doing this exercise.
How to do this exercise?
• Start by standing with your feet shoulder width apart and by keeping your arms to your side. Hold your back straight.
• Start shifting your weight on to your right leg.
• Now, starting from the hip, engage your core and extend the left leg away to the side. Try and keep your knee straight.
• You can leave your arms to your side or stretch your arms to your front by holding a medicine ball.
• You can hold on to it for about 10 seconds and come back to the starting position.
• Similarly, you can repeat the same on the other side.
You can try and do about 4-5 sets with as many reps that you desire to do per set. You can rest for about 30 seconds between each set.
4. Dumbbell Side Bend:
This is one of the remarkable ab exercises that helps in strengthening your core muscles, apart from targeting your oblique muscles present in the abdomen directly. If you are able to have stronger obliques, you would be able to keep the correct posture, including providing protection to your spine.
Equipment Required:
• Dumbbells
How to do this exercise?
• Start off by standing straight and keeping your feet shoulder-width apart.
• Take a dumbbell on to one of your hands and bend your knees a little.
• After bracing your core, you must bend down as far as possible to your right side from the waist in order to squeeze your oblique muscles.
• You must continue to remain in the position for a few seconds after which you can come back to the starting position.
• Now, you can start doing the movement on to your left side.
• You have completed one rep.
You can try to do at least 3 sets comprising of 12 reps per set.
5. Bicycle Crunch:
It is one of the wonderful ab exercises that works and strengthens your core harder, including working on your obliques. Moreover, it also helps in growing your ab muscles. If you are trying to develop six-pack abs, this would be the exercise that can help you achieve the same by way of all the movements that you do through this exercise.
Equipment Required:
• No equipment is required for performing this exercise.
How to do this exercise?
• Start by lying down on a flat surface by keeping your head and shoulders raised slightly.
• Now, you must place your hands on top of your ears and start extending your right leg at a distance parallel to the ground and get your left leg nearer your chest.
• Start twisting your abdominal and also move your torso, so that the right elbow is able to touch the left knee.
• Start lowering the left leg as well as the right arm simultaneously, while bringing up your opposite legs in the same movement.
• You can repeat these movements again for a minute.
Try and do at least 3 sets by keeping a time period of 60 seconds per set.
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