Nobody loves love handles or too much junk in the trunk. Tone the sides and rear of your core with exercises that target your obliques and glutes. These muscle groups work together with your abs to provide balance and stability to your spine and torso. Exercises that strengthen the internal and external obliques and glutes increase your balance and enhance your appearance.
Lunges With Rotation
The lunge with rotation exercise combines the glute-targeting lunge with an upper body rotation to hit the obliques. Begin by standing up and then stepping your right foot forward about 3 feet. Extend your arms in front of your chest and hold a dumbbell in each hand. Bend both knees and lift the heel of your left foot. Keep your back straight. Rotate your shoulders to the left, keeping your arms in line with your chest. Then, rotate back to center, followed by rotating to the right. Return to the center position and then switch legs. You may also do this exercise without dumbbells to make it easier, or you can hold a medicine ball between your hands as an alternative to dumbbells.
Ball Side Bends
Ball side bends target the obliques with a different motion than the lunge with rotations. The obliques work to rotate the torso but also to laterally flex the spine. The ball side bends are performed through a lateral flexion to one side at a time while lying on a stability ball. The necessary stabilization on a ball utilizes your glutes to keep yourself aligned on the ball. Begin by lying sideways with your right hip touching the center of the ball. Place your hands behind your head as you lie with your legs straight and your feet on the floor. The foot of the top leg is positioned on the floor in front of you and the other is behind you so that your legs make a "V" shape. Raise your upper body up and toward your left hip. Lower back down slowly to drape over the ball. Repeat on the other side.
Hip Rotations
The hip rotation exercise is done by starting in push-up position. The obliques are exercised when you rotate your hips, and your glutes are used to extend one leg at a time. Assume push-up position by holding yourself off the floor on your hands and toes with your hands placed shoulder-width apart. Next, bend your right knee and bring it toward your stomach. Rotate your hips toward the left so your knee moves inward under your hips. Then, twist your hips again and continue to the right until your hips are stacked with the right hip pointing toward the ceiling. Repeat on the other side.
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