The process of working out requires commitment and focus, not only during the exercise itself. Think about your workouts before you do them as well. Therefore, today we will discuss some of the best oblique exercises for men. It is common for people to spend a lot of time working on their abdominal muscles in order to gain a six-pack. Unfortunately, these workouts won't give you as much benefit if you don't work your obliques as well. The obliques are equally important to your stability and how your lower half of the body looks as your abdominals. Strengthening your internal and external oblique muscles will make you more conventionally attractive. As an added benefit, you can do them quickly and easily since they don't require a lot of equipment like the best shoulder exercises and best tricep exercises for men.
Oblique Muscles: What Are They?
It is important that you understand the muscles that you are exercising before you can find the best oblique exercises for men. Every time you work out, you don't just work on one muscle. The human body contains over 650 muscles, so working out only one would be unreasonable. Since the obliques are simple compared to other muscle groups, we don't need to focus on many here. It's only the obliques we're targeting here, not the entire abdominals. In other words, obliques are two muscles that form a muscle group. Muscles that form the external oblique and internal oblique are those muscles. Oblique muscles are some of the muscles in your eye - but they're not what we're examining today. The oblique muscles can be divided into two types: inferior and superior. They contribute to your stability and are located on the sides of your body. Unlike six-pack muscles, oblique muscles do not include abdominal muscles. Rectus Abdominis is the most well-known muscle in that group. Flexing that muscle reveals your six-pack.
External Oblique Muscle
External oblique muscles form the outermost part of the abdominal cavity. Located at the base of the ribs and extending to the pelvis, it is a strong muscle group. Both sides of your abdomen are covered by the external oblique muscles. The cells have a large surface area and are located directly beneath the skin and fat. It is your external oblique muscles that assist you in rotating. Standing up straight and turning your body makes use of your external oblique muscles. Aside from stabilizing the core muscles, they also assist in pulling the chest downward. It is also essential that you have external oblique muscles in order to carry out your daily duties. Their primary function is to assist with forced expiration during breathing. Therefore, without these muscles, it would be impossible to breathe properly.
Internal Oblique Muscle
On the lateral side of your abdomen, you have the internal oblique muscle. The lateral abdominal wall is composed of a wide and thin muscle. It runs along the external oblique on the outer side of your body. Although the internal oblique muscle has fewer functions than the outer oblique muscle, it is still very important. During bilateral contraction, it flexes the trunk.
16 Best Oblique Exercises & Workouts For Men
Oblique exercises are often used by men who want to lose weight quickly. When you're trying to lose weight, the best thing you can do is find the best exercise bikes. Men's oblique exercises may not burn fat as much as other workouts, but they are crucial to their health and strength. The best thing about oblique workouts is that, just like forearm exercises, they're great for lunch breaks. Most oblique workouts do not require equipment, so you can do them anywhere and anytime.
Cross-Body Mountain Climber
The cross-body mountain climber is one of the simplest but most effective oblique exercises for men. The workout is ideal for people who wish to lose weight since it also serves as a cardio exercise. Your core muscles are targeted as a whole, rather than just your obliques. This workout is suitable for beginners and advanced athletes because it is a high-intensity workout that will engage your core while raising your heart rate. In addition to burning calories, it also builds muscle in the obliques.
Steps To Do: Start by performing a high plank. Keep your hands below your shoulders. Shoulders should be slightly higher than glutes. Your left knee should now be brought towards your right elbow. While moving your leg, keep the rest of your body as still as possible. Return your left knee to its original position. The same process should be repeated with your right leg. To maximize your workout, move slowly.
Spider Push Up
It is possible to become a real-life superhero if you master this oblique exercise, toning your muscles to such an extent that you can scale walls. Bodyweight workouts like this are great for targeting a few muscles at once. Unlike a traditional push-up, this variation requires core control and lower body strength. The oblique muscles play a significant role in keeping your body stable while crouching. Your midsection should be contracted as you take it slow.
Steps To Do: Put yourself in a plank position. The hands should be placed slightly outside the shoulders. The way this exercise works requires you to place your hands wider than regular planks. Bend your elbows to a 45-degree angle. With bent elbows, your body can be brought closer to the floor. When you lower your right leg to a 45-degree angle, bring it up and out so that it touches your elbow. Bring your elbow as far as you can if you cannot reach it. Complete the push-up by straightening your arms. The foot should be brought back to its original position at the same time. You should then repeat these steps on the other side.
Rotational Medicine Ball Throw
This workout requires one piece of equipment, but it is a simple one. Many core exercises involve the use of the medicine ball. By using a medicine ball, you can become more efficient at oblique exercises, as well as develop a great deal of rotational power. In this workout, the principles of most oblique exercises are disregarded. As opposed to most of these workouts, this one involves quick movements. When throwing a rotational medicine ball, the goal is to perform fast movements with a great deal of force. As compared to most other exercises, this workout targets your obliques more quickly.
Steps To Do: Identify a wall and stand next to it. Based on your fitness level, you can start standing, kneeling, or lunging. Those who are beginners should stand, while those who are more experienced should lunge. Put your front hand under and your backhand behind the ball. Hit the wall with force and catch the ball when it bounces back. Utilize your back, knee, and hip for power.
Side Plank with Modifications
If you are looking for oblique exercises for men, the side plank position is a good place to start. There is no equipment required to perform this exercise, and it has the greatest effect on the obliques of any workout. The plank is similar to the traditional plank, except that you rest one arm on your side rather than two. Therefore, it is more challenging than traditional planks.
Steps To Do: Lie on one side. With your hands or forearms, raise yourself up. Forearms are better for people with bad wrists. The easiest way to do this is to bend your knees at a 45-degree angle. Feel free to extend your legs if you feel strong. The soles of your feet should touch, and your hips should be raised rather than sagging. Extend the arm that is not holding you up. The more you do this, the better your chances of maintaining your balance will be. Feel free to hold the plank as long as you like. In an advanced version, you can lift your top leg so that you are entirely supported by your bottom leg. After working out one side, switch sides to work both sides.
Bird Dog
Bird dogs are an example of an easy exercise that does not place a great deal of strain on your body. This exercise is considered one of the most serious core killers out there, despite its name. At first glance, this yoga-based movement may seem simple, but the slower and more controlled you are, the more effective it will be. It is important to maintain a straight back and to reach as far as you are able without losing your form.
Steps To Do: Get on your hands and knees and touch the ground. Ensure that your hands, knees, shoulders, and hips are aligned. Reach out with your opposite arm and leg while bracing your core. During this time, hold your extended limbs in place while keeping your core stable. Return your limbs to their original positions. Once the process has been completed on one side, repeat it on the other side.
Bicycle Crunch
It is no secret that crunches are an essential part of core workouts, and the same can be said about oblique workouts as well. There is a close connection between your core muscles and your obliques, so they will also use similar exercises to strengthen each other. As well as incorporating cardio into traditional crunches, bicycle crunches also work your obliques by twisting as you do them.
Step To Do: Place your legs in a tabletop position on the ground. Lie on your back with your elbows bent and your hands behind your head. The elbows should be pointing away from the head, not towards the feet. Avoid touching the ground with your head and shoulders. While straightening your right leg, bring your right elbow to your left knee. After fully extending your right leg, bring it back to its original position while twisting and straightening your left leg at the same time. Perform this exercise without touching the ground with your legs. It doesn't matter how long or how fast you do this exercise, as long as you feel comfortable doing it.
V-Up
The purpose of this exercise is to burn out the abs and the obliques. V-Ups are popular with cross-fitters and HIIT athletes because they require controlled movements from your upper and lower bodies. Obliques and abs must do the heavy lifting in this movement, so they rely heavily on the core.
Steps To Do: Stretch your arms behind your head while lying on your back. Straighten your arms and let your legs touch the ground with your feet touching. Your upper body and legs should be lifted at the same time. Maintain a straight posture with your arms and legs. It is okay to bend your limbs slightly if you are not very flexible. Lower your legs and arms slowly. Make sure you return to the resting position as slowly as possible so it hurts. Feel free to repeat this movement as often as you like.
Heel Taps
Among the best oblique exercises to target the forgotten portions of our core, this exercise is one of the most effective. In this exercise, you will need to perform simple movements, but it is one of the best exercises to work on your obliques. This workout consists of a side crunch done in the opposite position. In order to create tension on your oblique muscles, you need to keep your shoulders off the floor during this workout. As a result, you'll feel a far greater intensity of burn as you work out, indicating that this exercise is working as it should.
Steps To Do: The first thing you need to do is lie on your back. Ensure that your knees are bent, your arms are down, and your feet are flat on the ground. There is no need to worry about the position of your palm. It doesn't matter whether they are facing upwards or downwards. By using your core and lifting your head and neck to keep them off the ground, you will be able to keep them in place. Your left arm should be extended sideways so that you can tap the heel of your left foot with your left arm. After completing the movement with one arm, return to the original position and perform the same movement with the other arm.
Russian Twist
To master the Russian twist, one of our favorite oblique exercises if you are looking to get shredded, you must have a strong and centered core. This oblique workout can be completed in two ways. With your feet on the ground, you assume the sit-up position. By positioning your feet in the anchor position, the exercise will be slightly easier, but it will also improve your stability. A second option is to perform the Russian twists with your feet together. This movement requires you to stabilize and steady yourself solely with your core.
Steps To Do: Lie down on the ground flat on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the ground. Take as much time as you need to lean back. It is harder to work out when you lean back further. Lifting your feet off the ground is a great way to make your workout more challenging if you want a more challenging workout. Keeping your arms at your side, twist your torso so that your arms drop to either side. Twist back and forth for 30 seconds if you are an advanced athlete.
Woodchop
This exercise encourages fast movements. It is necessary to have a dumbbell or cable machine to perform this workout. While performing this workout, keep your back straight and your body rigid. Intense full-body exercise that targets your delts and quads, this move is similar to chopping wood, but with weight. The equipment you have on hand will determine whether you can complete this exercise with dumbbells or cables. Keep your back straight and keep your body rigid during all of the exercises on this list.
Steps To Do: Grab a dumbbell and get started. There is no doubt that the heavier the dumbbell, the more challenging the workout will be. Both hands should be on one side of the body while holding the dumbbell. Slowly rotate your body toward the dumbbell as you squat down. Stand up while swinging the dumbbell upward across your body. Dumbbells should be powered by the rotation of the torso. The dumbbell should be above your opposite shoulder as you pivot to the toe of your opposite foot. Regain your standing position. Do this for ten repetitions before switching to the other side.
Hanging Oblique Raise
Hanging oblique raises are exercises you can do at the gym but not at home. It is necessary to have a bar to hang from in order to perform this workout. This makes this workout impossible to do at home for most people. Newbies should steer clear of this exercise until they have built some oblique strength with the simpler exercises. This exercise requires a bar, so you should try it in a gym.
Steps To Do: Take hold of the bar by jumping up and grabbing it. By hanging from the bar, your feet should not touch the floor. Your knees should be slightly bent and positioned towards the left side of your torso. Restore your knees to their original position before switching sides. Alternate until you complete the set.
Single Arm Farmer’s Carry
It is a great exercise for anyone who wants to strengthen their obliques and legs at the same time, particularly for those who want to lift heavy objects with one arm. Improving the posture of your body is also helpful in eliminating lower back pain.
Steps To Do: Hold a dumbbell in one hand. There is no restriction on weight. Maintain your posture while you walk. Make sure your core muscles are engaged while you walk. When the specified amount of time has passed, switch sides. With one hand holding the weight, walk at the same time.
T-Rotation
It is a classic oblique exercise that you can do with just your body weight, so it is perfect for any time of the day and any location. Throughout this movement, make sure that you focus on maintaining stability at all times. The less side-to-side movement your rock has, the more effective the oblique exercise is going to be.
Steps To Do: As you begin the exercise, you should be in the push-up position. Make sure that your arms are extended and in line with your shoulders at all times. Raise your right hand and rotate it towards your right side until you are nearly in a side plank position. In this position, your body will resemble a T. Now reverse the movement so that your body moves to the left. As you move, keep your hips raised and your body stable.
Bear Crunch
It's time to wake up your oblique muscles from hibernation with a bear crunch, one of the best exercises to target all parts of your core at the same time. It can be quite challenging to master this type of movement, so take your time and concentrate on the contraction of your midsection and obliques during the movement. Obliques are the focus of the bear crunch, a variation of traditional crunches.
Steps To Do: Lie on your back with your knees slightly raised and begin by getting on all fours. Slowly and carefully, bring your left knee to your right elbow in a controlled and slow motion. As your knee moves, bend your right arm. Hold your body weight with your left arm while keeping your left arm on the ground. It is important that the process is repeated on the other side as well.
Hip-Thrust
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If you are looking to put the pressure on and get the most from your workout, the hip-up or hip-lift is one of the best oblique exercises. A similar exercise may also be performed with a barbell or heavyweight, however, for beginners, a single movement may be sufficient. As a bonus, this oblique exercise also targets your quadriceps and upper legs.
Steps To Do: The best way to do this is to lie on the ground with your hands under your hips. Put your navel up against your spine and pull it towards you. Raise your hips a few inches off the ground. Your legs should be pointing upwards. As you lower your hips, reposition your legs so they are in the original position.
Conclusions
Beginners should train their obliques, and anyone who wants to take their fitness to the next level should train their obliques. Get started today with your oblique workouts at home.
By Rashmi Goel
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