Stomach Exercise No. 7 – How To Train Your Oblique Muscles The Right Way
Thursday, September 20th, 2007 Subscribe To Our Feed
In the beginning it is not so important that you work your oblique muscles, but you eventually would want to train them as well. Oblique muscles are the muscles on either side of your stomach. There are many different ways to train your oblique muscles, and anything that includes twisting your torso against any kind of resistance counts as training.
Visit your gym and you will see many twisting machines that enable you to do twisting during sit-ups, side bends, with a medicine ball and so on. Just be careful as many beginners have weak oblique muscles compared to their abs, as oblique muscles are not used as much as our abdominal muscles. So start slow and work your way up.
If you don’t want to go to the gym because you just don’t have time for it, then, below are some of the options that you can do straight away at the comfort of your own home and do it at your own sweet time.
Side Crunch
The next two stomach exercises require you to get off your feet and lie down, preferably on the floor or other flat surface. Use a mat or towel as a cushion if you have a particularly hard floor to work with. Lie down on one side. For simplicity, let us say you are on your right side to start. Bring your right arm across your waist so that your right hand comes to rest on your left side. Touch your ear with the fingertips of your left hand, so that your left elbows winds up pointing straight upward. Lift your shoulders up off the floor while simultaneously raising your left leg to height of about twelve inches (30 cm). Contract your obliques as you do this. Hold for a few seconds, then gently lie back down. Do this for an entire set, then switch to the right side.
Side Bend
A simple exercise, side bends are also probably the most effective method for losing love handles. Start by standing upright. Position your feet shoulder width apart and bend your knees slightly. Lower your whole torso to one side, then back to the other. Lean only side to side, not backwards or forwards.
Torso Twist
This stomach exercise is also effective at reducing love handles, and is good to do right after the side bends in your routine, as it is also done in a standing position. Again, with feet shoulder width apart, slowly twist the body to one side, then to the other. The key here is to twist from your torso, not from the hips. As much of the twisting work as possible should be done by your oblique muscles, not your hip flexors. Keep your torso upright with no bending.
Seated Knee Drop
First, position yourself on the floor so that you are resting on your hipbones (not sitting on your butt). You can put your hands on the floor behind you to keep yourself stable in this position. Bend your knees so that your feet are flat on the floor. Put your ankles together. Now lower your knees to the right. Your feet will roll on to their sides, but should remain on the floor. Continue this lowering move until your knees are about six inches above the floor. Hold for one second, then go back up and down to the left side. Move slowly and under control, using your stomach muscles rather than momentum to raise and lower your legs.
Ok, I think you’ve had enough of this for now. Tomorrow will be the last of this stomach exercise series that I’m running for the moment. Hey, you got this far right? So, better stay tuned to what I have in store tomorrow.
Till then, think thin.
Cheers,
Tommy Lehmann, the Abs Guy
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