Your obliques include the internal and external obliques. These make up the core, which consists of other abdominal muscles, as well as back, hip, and some upper thigh muscles. The obliques function both as a stabilizer to keep your body in alignment and assist the outer muscles in your torso to move your body in different directions, such as flexing and turning. Therefore, when you exercise, you should always incorporate full-body movement instead of isolating your obliques to strengthen them, suggests physical therapist Gray Cook, author of "Movement."
Standing Overhead Chop
Step 1
Stand with your legs about shoulder-width distance apart, and hold a medicine ball over your head with both hands.
Step 2
Exhale and swing the ball down between your legs, flexing your torso forward at your waist. Bend your legs slightly. Do not round your spine or you can easily injure your spine or lose your balance during the swing.
Step 3
Inhale and bring the ball back over your head. Perform three sets of 10 swings.
Standing Wood Chop
Step 1
Stand with your left foot in front of you, and hold a medicine ball over your right shoulder. Point both feet forward.
Step 2
Exhale and swing the ball down and across your body toward your left hip without moving your body. Turn your shoulder girdle slightly as you swing.
Step 3
Inhale and bring the ball back over your shoulders. Repeat the movement pattern for three sets of 10 to 12 reps per side.
Horizontal Rotation
Step 1
Stand with your legs about shoulder-width distance apart, and hold a medicine ball in front of your chest with both hands.
Step 2
Turn turn your body to your right and swing the medicine ball as you move, turning your left hip and foot at the same time to your right. Keep your left leg planted on the right.
Step 3
Turn to your left and swing the medicine ball to your left, turning your right hip and foot at the same time. Perform three sets of 16 to 20 rotations.
Tips and Warnings
- Instead of doing each exercise individually, perform all three exercises in any order without rest between sets, suggests Coach Vern Gambetta, author of "Athletic Development." This method improves muscular endurance and saves you time in your workout. Perform each exercise for 30 seconds without rest between sets for three to four circuits. Rest for one minute or less between each circuit. As you improve, you can either increase the workout time or decrease the rest period.
Things You'll Need
- 6-lb. medicine ball
References
- "NASM Essentials of Personal Fitness Training"; Michael Clark; 2007
- "Athletic Development"; Vern Gambetta; 2006
- "Movement"; Gray Cook; 2010
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