The internal oblique muscles are situated within either side of your abdomen, attaching to the lower four ribs on top and to the iliac crest of the pelvis on the bottom. The muscles assist with trunk flexion, lateral flexion and rotation ranges of motion and help stabilize your spine when you're sitting or standing upright. Training the internal obliques through regular exercise can help them function effectively and keep them generally healthy. Consult your doctor if any exercise causes pain.
Warmup Exercises
Along with a general warmup to increase your core body temperature, you should perform warmup exercises that target the internal obliques specifically before starting any training session. This will stimulate blood flow to the muscles, increasing their flexibility and potentially preventing injuries, according to Roger Earle and Thomas Baechle, authors of "NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training." The side-bend and trunk-twist exercises are examples of warmup exercises for the internal obliques. The first exercise entails reaching above your head with both arms from a standing position and repeatedly leaning from side to side, gradually increasing the range of motion. The second exercise involves rotating your torso repeatedly to the left and right from a standing position, keeping your feet firmly on the floor and allowing your arms to swing naturally.
Static-stretching Exercises
Performing static-stretching exercises that target the internal obliques may help increase your range of motion as you bend sideways in either direction and rotate your torso. The side-bend stretch and the pretzel stretch are two such exercises. Perform the side-bend stretch just like the side-bend warmup exercise, but hold the end position for 10 seconds or more before switching to the opposite side. Prepare for the pretzel stretch by sitting upright with your right leg extended and your left foot flat on the floor just outside your right knee; then twist to the left, placing your left hand on the floor behind your back and pressing against the outside of your left knee with your right arm to deepen the stretch. Hold for 10 to 30 seconds, then switch sides.
Lateral-flexion Exercises
As mentioned previously, the internal obliques help laterally flex your torso or tip it from side to side. Perform the side-bend exercise with a dumbbell to strengthen the muscles in this fashion. Stand upright and hold the weight in your left hand by your hip. Lean to the left, lowering the weight at least 6 inches, then return to the starting position. Complete multiple repetitions, then switch sides. You can also perform the exercise on a cable machine, which has a handle attached to a stack of weights through a pulley system, with a resistance band, or you may hold a weighted plate tight to your chest.
Rotational Exercises
A variety of trunk-rotation exercises can help strengthen your internal obliques, including barbell twists, cable twists, medicine-ball twists and twisting situps. Barbell twists, for example, entail holding a short barbell across your shoulders and upper back and alternately twisting to the left and right. The medicine-ball twist, which you can also perform from a seated position, involves the same motion, but you hold a medicine ball in front of your abdomen instead of a barbell across your back. The cable twist requires that you hold the handle of a cable machine in front of your abdomen with your arms fully extended and turn away from the machine to pull the cable and lift the stack of weights. Finally, twisting situps are identical to the traditional exercise, but you alternately twist to the left and right during the upward-movement phase of reach repetition.
References
- "Basic Biomechanics"; Susan J. Hall; 2007
- "NSCA's Essentials of Personal Training"; Roger Earle and Thomas Baechle; 2004
- ExRx.net: Obliques
Member Comments