Welcome to Start TODAY. Sign up for our Start TODAY newsletter to receive daily inspiration sent to your inbox — and join us on Instagram!
The obliques are a group of abdominal muscles that play an important role in core stability and rotational movements. When you bend forward or to the side these muscles are recruited, which means they help assist in tons of daily movements — from bending over to pick something up to raking leaves in the yard. They even help assist in breathing.
If toning the waist is one of your aesthetic goals, strengthening the obliques will help with that as well!
What are the oblique muscles?
The obliques refer to two muscles in the abdominalss: the internal obliques and the external obliques. The internal obliques run diagonally from the lower ribs to the pelvis, while the external obliques run diagonally from the lower ribs to the hips. The internal obliques help with rotation and lateral flexion of the spine, while the external obliques assist in trunk rotation and bending to the side. To target and strengthen these muscles, you can perform exercises that require you to rotate your torso or move diagonally. Exercises that require you to move only one side (like one arm and one leg) at a time also work the oblique muscles.
Oblique exercises
Here are my some of my favorite exercises that target the obliques:
Russian twist
Sit on the floor with your knees bent in front of you and your feet resting on the floor. (For a more advanced move, lift your feet slightly off the mat.) Keeping your torso and lower body still, begin slowly rotating side to side. Reach your hands toward the floor on the right, before moving through center and reaching them toward the floor on the left. Repeat 10 times to each side.
Wood chop with knee lift
Stand up tall and reach both arms straight up toward the sky. Lean your torso slightly to the left and step your right foot out a bit so that it…
Read the full article here
