What Oblique Muscles Do The Dumbbell Side Bends Work?

A dumbbell side bend is an easy exercise to perform. If you practice a side bend to strengthen your stomach, you are correctly using the exercise. Learning which muscles perform the side bend will help you sequence your exercises together. You will also avoid muscle overuse by including a variety of abdominal strengthening exercises into your workout, not those that only train your obliques.

Dumbbell Side Bend

Perform the dumbbell side bend from a standing position. Hold a dumbbell in your right hand. Stand tall with your feet underneath your hips and your toes facing forward. Straighten your arms at your sides and face your palms toward your body. Bend to the right as you lower the dumbbell toward your knee. Bend as far as you can as you shorten the distance between your ribs and the side of your hips. Keep your torso facing forward as you perform the bend. Return to standing by tightening your stomach. Perform an equal number of bends on each side.

External Obliques

The external obliques begin on the lower eight ribs and to the side of your chest. The external obliques finish on the front half of your hip bone. When you bend to the right, the left external oblique contracts. When you perform a side bend to the left, the right external oblique contracts. These muscles work together when you perform a situp, but work independently when you twist or bend to the side.

Internal Obliques

The internal obliques connect the eighth, ninth and tenth ribs to the front of your pelvis. The internal obliques are responsible for flexing your trunk. When you perform a side bend to the right, the right internal oblique contracts. When you perform a side bend to the left, the left internal oblique contracts. The internal and external obliques perform opposite movements to stabilize your torso and support your trunk when you bend sideways.

Exercise Variations

The dumbbell side bend is also performed in a seated position. Sit on the edge of a chair with your back straight as you bend to the side. For an increased challenge, hold a dumbbell in both hands and alternate sides as you perform the bend. The dumbbell side bend is also performed in water using an aqua dumbbell as resistance.