The obliques are a large muscle group on either side of your abdomen. Bending and twisting at the waist when performing different types of exercise can strengthen these muscles. To boost the difficulty of your workout for the core muscles, add more weight or increase the number of reps you perform for each set.
Forward Lunge
If you are new to exercise, the forward lunge is an ideal exercise for beginners that wish to target the obliques, glutes and thighs. To begin, stand up with your legs together and your arms to your sides. Lift up your left leg and step out in front of your body. Keep your back flat as you drop your hips and bend your left knee. Your back leg should be bent and lie parallel with the floor. Return to starting position and perform two sets of 10 reps for each leg.
Lying Twist
You'll need an exercise ball to do this strength training exercise to target the obliques and leg muscles. While in a sitting position, place an exercise ball between your calves and hold the ball in place with these muscles. Lie back and extend your arms out to your sides. Lift the legs straight into the air while maintaining a slight bend to the knees. Press your back into the floor as you twist your legs to the left. Once your thigh touches the floor, swing the legs to touch the right thigh to the floor. Aim for two sets of 12 reps.
Standing Wood Chop
Using a medicine ball, both the rectus abdominus muscles and obliques will be worked in this exercise. To begin, hold a medicine ball with both hands above your left shoulder, near your head. Remember to keep the rest of your body facing forward. In one smooth, controlled motion, move the medicine ball across the front of your body to the bottom right near your hip. The exercise mimics the act of chopping wood. Return the arms to the starting position to finish the rep. Do two to three sets of 10 to 12 reps for each side.
Inclined Sit-Up with Twist
Secure your feet to lie on an incline bench with your knees bent to begin this strength training exercise for the obliques. Place your hands behind your head. Contract the abs to lift the shoulder off of the bench. Twist at the waist to bring your right elbow to your left knee. Press your body backwards to return your spine to the bench. Alternate sides until you do two sets of 16 reps.
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