Oblique situps are a classic exercise that combine a situp with torso rotation to target the obliques, but the obliques are not the only muscle that work during this exercise You can increase strength and tone in your abdomen with this exercise, but you need to perform it correctly or you won't target the right muscles.
Oblique Situp Instructions
An oblique situp is an exercise that does not require weights or machines. To perform an oblique situp, lie on your right side with your knees bent so your heels are near your glutes. Stack your left leg on top of your right leg and place your hands behind your head with your elbows bent. Then, raise your head and shoulders off the floor and twist to the left. Reverse the motion and return to the starting position. Lie on your left side and repeat.
External Obliques
The external obliques is one of the muscle groups you use to complete an oblique situp. The external obliques cross over the internal obliques on the sides of the waist. The external obliques work with the internal obliques to flex the spine, which means to bend the spine forward. When you lift your head and shoulders up to do a situp, you perform spinal flexion. But the external obliques work opposite the internal obliques to rotate the torso. When you twist your body to the right at the top portion of the oblique situp, you engage the external oblique on the left side of your waist. When you twist to the left, you use the right external oblique.
Internal Obliques
The internal obliques lie below the external obliques on the sides of the abdomen. The muscle fibers also run in the opposite direction, which is why they work in the opposite way when the spine rotates. The internal obliques run upward from the pelvis to the ribs, whereas the external obliques originate on the lower ribs and run down toward the pelvis. When you rotate to the right at the top of an oblique situp, you activate the right internal obliques. When you rotate left, you use the left internal obliques.
Rectus Abdominus
The rectus abdominus is the ab muscle directly below the surface of the skin. It is the muscle that makes up a six-pack. The rectus abdominus lies above the external obliques, which are just above the internal obliques. The job of the rectus abdominus is to flex the spine. It works with the obliques to accomplish the sitting up motion of an oblique situp and other situp variations.
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