To work your obliques, or side abs, you need to do exercises that involve rotating your torso. The leg cross oblique crunch is a beginner-level abdominal exercise that involves torso flexion and rotation, so it works your main abs and your obliques. You can do different variations of the leg cross oblique crunch to make the exercise more challenging.
Execution
To do the leg cross crunch, lie supine on the floor or exercise mat, bend your knees and place your right foot flat on the floor. Set your left ankle so it rests on your thigh, just under the knee. Cross your arms over your chest, resting your hands on your shoulders. Crunch up and twist, pointing your right shoulder toward your left knee. Do not try to touch your shoulder and knee; just point your shoulder in that direction.
Significance
The crossing of your leg for the oblique crunch helps keep your low back from arching. To perform any crunch properly, you press your lower back into the floor. If you do not keep your back flat against the floor and it arches above the floor, this can cause lower back pain and discomfort. Crossing one leg rounds your back, eliminating the possibility of it arching.
Crossing your leg for the oblique crunch also provides a visual target for you to aim for as you twist.
Technique
Exhale when you crunch up and inhale as you lower yourself slowly back to the floor. Do not rush through the repetitions. Take two seconds to crunch, pause for one second and take two seconds to lower yourself back to the floor. To engage your abdominal muscles more, pull your belly button toward the floor and hold this position throughout the exercise. Pull your shoulder blades off the floor when your crunch. Do not simply roll to the side on your shoulders.
Variations
The oblique cross leg crunch is a beginner-level exercise. Cross your arms behind your neck to increase the difficulty of the movement. Do not pull on your neck as you crunch; look up at the ceiling and keep your neck in a neutral position with your spine. To increase the difficulty even more, extend your arms overhead. As you crunch, keep your upper arms aligned with your ears. Do not pull your arms forward.
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