Fitness
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Any exercise tips for targetting obliques?


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I have a nice shape, but I have a bit more fat around my obligues that I would like to lose.Suggestions?
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#1  
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Plank exercises are excellent. Pushups, holding plank, holding side plank, holding side plank with your arm up, holding side plank and alternately moving your arm from floor to ceiling, etc. Hope this helps :)

 Actually this might be useful too: since you can't spot train at all, and some people actually think their obliques are higher forward than they really are, exercises that involve the whole core (especially the back) will help you on this one too. Look into back hyperextensions, and work with medicine balls. One of my favorite ab exercises is to balance myself on my tush (lower back is off the ground, so are shoulders/head as well as my legs) and scissor your legs. It helps to move a medicine ball or water bottle or something between them. Maybe if you google some of this stuff you can find videos.

#2  
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one that my trainer showed me was to get into the sit up position and twist my hips so that both my legs were over to one side. sort of a scissor position then slowly raise the torso just a few inches off the ground and you feel it within a few reps.

I also use a medicine ball (8lb) for my obliques.  I use the sit up bench at the gym: start out sitting up with the ball at your chest; then as you move your torso down, twist so that you are holding your ball to one side and let your arms move with you; as you sit up, move the ball back to centre. I usually do these slow as you can feel it a lot better that way.  Also, I usually do reps with the medicine ball starting holding the ball above my head for 15 situps, then to one side, then the other and so on until I have done about 150 sit-ups total.

i wish i could find an illustration, because this exercise has been great for me. it's had a major whittling effect on my waist (well, a slight effect, but any change is major for me as i do not have a very defined waist).

You lie on your side, on your hip, propped up on your elbow, hold a smallish inflatable workout ball between your calves, and lift your feet off the floor about 12 inches. 

OHHH I have an amazing exercise.
Sit on an exercise ball in front of a mirror wall (at the gym) or wall (at home)
Scoot to the end so only your booty is on the ball...no legs
put left foot up on the wall/mirror (just the ball of your foot touching)
keep the right foot from touching the ground
Now, use the foot against the wall/mirror to balance you and do crunches leaning back as far as you can while keeping your balance, bringing right knee to chest when you crunch UP
Then turn the top half of your body to the right, you'll feel it in your obliques.
Of course, switch feet and work the left side. 
It's really hard to keep your balance so that means it's a great core workout and your working your upper abs with the crunch up and obliques with the turn!
Good Luck! (definitely don't give up if you can't do it at first!)
KICKBOXING!

i just went to my first kickboxing class when i went to visit my sister.  it lasted about 1 hr and i'm sore from head to toe.

esp my obliques!
Wow, thanks for the tips!
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