Train Like an Athlete by ATHLEAN-X (Video Podcast)

If you want to get shredded obliques, then you will want to start incorporating at least some of these 10 best exercises for obliques. Find out in this video, how to apply the science of ab and core training to your oblique muscles and start targeting them like never before. You may find that you will be doing a lot fewer repetitions in your workouts, but that your results will be much more significant.

It starts with understanding a bit about the anatomy of the obliques. You have both internal and external obliques that work in concert to produce rotation, and more importantly, control rotation (and in some cases prevent it all together). They also can produce side bending and flexion of the trunk depending on the movement being used to elicit their contraction.

The key is, that in order to get the most out of your oblique exercises and learn how to get them more shredded, you will want to pay attention to how you are doing every rep you do. Let me show you what I mean as I take you through my favorite choices.

First up is the standard side crunch. This actually is still one of the simplest and best ways to train your obliques but you have to perform them as I’m showing you here. You can’t abbreviate the range of motion and in doing so, limit the activation of the muscle. Instead, rotate your body back towards the floor to get a greater stretch on the obliques and a better contraction as a result on every rep.

The side bridge is going to train your obliques as a dynamic stabilizer. The key is to fire the bottom side to allow you to obtain a sturdy pillar-like stability to your torso from your head to your toes. Dip down a bit to challenge the muscles on every rep and then re-establish this stable position by firing up the internal and external obliques.

Continue to escalate the quality of the contraction by now moving up to an elbow to knee crunch. Here you are getting the added benefit of the knee drive which will help to posteriorly rotate the pelvis and intensify the contraction of the obliques on every rep. Remember to not go too fast and instead go slow enough to be sure the muscles you are trying to train are doing the work.

The kneeling cable press out is an amazing way to offset the load to one side and really challenge the anti-rotation function of the torso and obliques. You can do this either in the kneeling position or more athletically, on your feet. Either way, it’s a great way to challenge your obliques in a more functional way as you progress.

The seated broomstick twist is an old school ab exercise that is often done incorrectly. Too many times it’s done for high repetitions and with no are as to the amount of rotation being forced by the lumbar spine. It shouldn’t be this way. Instead, perform them as I’m showing you here and you will be amazed at how much more you feel them.

The exercises continue and get more difficult. From the hanging corkscrew twists to the banded cauldrons, each one is geared at limiting the focus of the contraction to the often overshadowed internal and external obliques. When you increase the strength of these muscles they tend to pay big dividends as you take their new strength back to the bigger lifts in your overall workout plan.

For a complete step by step workout plan for your core and a meal plan that will help you get shredded obliques at the same time, be sure to check out the new Core4 Abs program available at athleanx.com at the link below. Start training your core in a whole new way and be prepared for a whole new set of results from your workouts.

For more oblique workouts and exercises for a ripped midsection, be sure to subscribe to our channel via the link below and don’t forget to turn on your notifications so you never miss a