Obliques Abdominal Workout
- Complete each set in a row with minimal rest in between sets.
Oblique Crunch
1. Start by placing your left foot over your right knee and place your hands behind your head.
2. Lift your shoulders up off the ground and twist so that your right elbows tries to touch your left knee.
3. Return to the starting position and repeat according to the required repetitions.
4. Repeat with the other side.
Straight Leg Obliques
Starting Position: Lie on your back and raise your legs straight into the air.
Rotate your legs keeping them straight to the side and the then return to the starting position. Repeat to the other side.
Full Situp with Twist
1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with knees bent and hands behind head. Keep elbows back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor or bench. As you come up twist one shoulder towards the opposite knee.
3. Return to start position and repeat with the other shoulder.
4. Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion of either may cause injury.
Side Plank
1. Lay on the ground on one side. Raise your body using one forearm and support it in this raised position for the required time.
2. Lower your body and repeat on the other side.
3. Remember to keep your head, neck and body in a straight line.
Weighted Russian Twist
1. Roll out onto ball in a supine position. The ball should be on your upper back.
2. Keeping your hips and body parallel to the floor (no sagging of the hips) rotate your shoulders to the right holding a dumbell with your arms extended.
3. Remember to keep your trunk parallel with the floor.
4. Now rotate towards your left and repeat back and forth until the desired number of repetitions is met. The ball should pretty much stay in one place. Keep your body in a straight line and parallel with the floor. No sagging of the hips.
You can hold a medicine ball instead
Russian Twist
1. Start by sitting on the floor with hips and knees flexed to approximately 90 degree angles.
2. Grasp a medicine ball or small dumbbell and swing it to the right and left as you keep the hips from rotating with the shoulders.
3. The arms are not perpendicular to the torso, but instead, kept low, near the thighs, as the medicine ball is swung to each side.
3. Repeat for the prescribed repetitions.
again a medicine ball will do
Oblique Curls
1. Sit in upright position on flexaball with feet flat on floor.
2. Walk feet forward allowing flexaball to roll underneath body until it is positioned on lower to mid-back region. Raise hips slightly to create a “table top” position parallel to floor.
3. Place hands behind head with elbows back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
4. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise your right shoulder up toward ceiling.
5. Return to start position and repeat with the other shoulder.
6. Remember to keep head and back in a neutral position. Hyperextension or flexion of either may cause injury.
Squeeze, Twist and Crunch
1. Start position: Lie back onto floor or bench with legs extended and straight up squeezing a stability ball and hands behind head. Keep elbows back and out of sight. Head should be in a neutral position with a space between chin and chest.
2. Leading with the chin and chest towards the ceiling, contract the abdominal and raise shoulders off floor and twist your shoulders leading with the right shoulder.
Return to start position and repeat with the other shoulder.
Wood Chop with band or cable
1. Start by standing parallel to the band or cable.
2. Hang onto the handle in front of your body but up above your head and over the shoulder. Keeping your arms semi straight rotate your body down and away from the band.
3. Keep your feet planted and twist from your trunk or core. Remember to keep your arms semi straight throughout the movement.
4. Return to the starting point and repeat according to the required repetitions.
5. Repeat with the other side.
