The obliques, serratus anterior and intercostals are all muscles found in the rib area. Strengthening these muscles will help protect your ribs and also improve definition on your sides. The obliques are found on the lower side of the rib cage and the serratus anterior is found right above them. The intercostals are small muscles found in between the ribs. Their primary function is to aid with breathing. You can build all of these muscles with the weight of your body and the help of some fitness tools.
Step 1
Lie face-up on a weight bench to do dumbbell pullovers. Hold a dumbbell straight above your chest with your arms fully extended and hands overlapped on the inside of the dumbbell. Lower the weight over your head and toward the floor in an arcing motion until you feel a good stretch on the sides of your ribcage. Raise the weight back up and repeat. Maintain a slight bend in your elbows throughout the exercise.
Step 2
Attach a revolving straight bar to a high setting on a cable machine to do pulldowns. Stand with your feet in a split stance and grasp the bar with your arms straight in front of your chest. Push down on the bar until it is close to your thighs, slowly raise it back up and repeat.
Step 3
Perform a set of Swiss ball rollouts. Kneel on the floor with your hands resting on the ball. Lean forward as you roll the ball out on the floor. Let your forearms ride across the top and drop your hips toward the floor. Extend your arms out as you do this and feel the stretch in your rib area. Roll back up to the starting point and repeat.
Step 4
Execute a set of side plank lifts. Lie on your right side with your legs stacked and right forearm flat on the floor and perpendicular to your body. Lift your hips in the air as high as possible and lower them back toward the ground. Stop when your hips are about an inch from the ground and repeat. Do a set of reps and switch sides.
Step 5
Sit on a stability ball to do medicine ball chops. Hold the medicine ball straight in front of your body with your arms completely extended. Keep your lower body still as you rotate your upper body to your right side. Rotate all the way around to your left side and continue to alternate back and forth. Keep your eyes in line with the medicine ball at all times.
Step 6
Perform sprint intervals to strengthen your intercostals. Start with a light 5-minute jog, then run as fast as you can for 15 seconds. Rest for 30 seconds, then sprint again for 15 seconds. Alternate back and forth for 15 minutes and finish with a light 5-minute cool-down jog.
Tips and Warnings
- Aim for 10 to 12 reps with each exercise and do four or five sets. Do your weight training exercises three days a week on alternating days and perform your sprints on three non weight training days. Sprints cause you to breath forcefully, which strengthens your intercostals.
Things You'll Need
- Weight bench
- Dumbbell
- Cable machine
- Straight revolving bar
- Swiss ball
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