Do Oblique Exercises Widen Your Waist? Guide to Oblique Training

Everyone desires that perfect waistline. Unfortunately, developing that waistline is one of the hardest goals for most to accomplish. That’s because it takes a lot of dedication and hard work to shape your waist. It sometimes even takes researching along with regular routines. If you’ve been putting in that research, you’ve probably heard a lot of talk lately about oblique training. External oblique exercises seem to be all the hype right now. What are the oblique muscles, and can these exercises transform your waist, or is this just more speculation?

Continue on reading to find out more about

– The Oblique Muscles and what they are
– Do Oblique Exercises Widen Your Waist?
– Oblique Exercises With A Dumbbell You Should Do
– External Oblique Exercises You Should Know

So, continue on reading and learn more about this muscle group and to finally learn the answer to – Do oblique exercises widen your waist.

 

What Are The Oblique Muscles?

Oblique muscles, better known as obliques in the gym, consist of the internal (underneath) and external (top) obliques. In humans, this pair of muscles are located across the midsection, having various functions. Something as simple as torso twisting requires the internal and external obliques to work in unison.
The oblique muscles make up the abdominal muscles (abdominals, abs). The oblique muscles, rectus abdominis, and transversus abdominis make up the abdominals.
People work their obliques for several reasons, with the main one being a strong core. Having strong obliques minimizes your risk of low back injuries, poor posture, and spine injuries.

Best Oblique Exercise For The Beginner

Getting started is always the hardest part of any workout regimen. Advanced training on the abs can get quite complicated because building that perfect midsection requires targeting the many muscles of the abdominal section. There are likely more than you would ever imagine and targeting them all gets more advanced than the routine sit-up. Luckily, the best oblique exercises for beginners can get you started. You should start noticing results right away.

One of the best exercises to get started with is the windmill balance exercise. This is a classic routine that targets your abs to no end. You’ll start with your feet at shoulder-width apart and your arms extended at your sides. You should look like the letter “T”. With your legs straight, you’ll want to rotate at the waist and move your right arm down to your left foot. Hold the motion there for a 10 count, stand back up, and repeat the same motion using the opposite hand.

You can also incorporate a dumbbell into the exercise once you grow more advanced, but it is not recommended for the beginner. Other beginner oblique exercises you want to try are the plank, side plank, and the T-rotation.

External Oblique Exercises You Should Know

If you are reading this article, you are probably new to the fitness world. Not only are you responsible for learning the fitness lingo but also the workouts that target your oblique muscles. As a stranger to the gym, this information will ensure you do not look like a fish out of water.
In most cases, oblique exercises target both the external and internal obliques, as well as the abs and glutes. To keep your gym time to a minimum and still achieve strong obliques in the shortest time frame, it only makes sense to target the muscle group. The side crunch is one of the more popular external oblique exercises and one you’ll want to adopt right away.

This exercise requires you to lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Drop both knees to the left or right side of the body while keeping the shoulders flat. It will almost look as if you are in the fetal position. While in this position, exhale and lift your shoulder blades and upper back off the ground. You’ll want to go as far as you can without putting any strain on your neck.

Other classic external oblique exercises you’ll want to learn right away are the Russian twist, the side plank on hand, and the spiderman push-up.

Oblique Exercises With A Dumbbell You Should Do

As was mentioned above, when you incorporate dumbbells into your routine things get a bit more complicated. This is something you’ll have to build up to, so don’t feel bad if you struggle with these routines the first few times. That being said, you’ll target more areas of the midsection and start noticing more definition. One oblique exercise with a dumbbell to try is the single-arm reverse lunge and press.

To perform this exercise, you’ll grab a 5 or 10 lb. dumbbell, whichever you are comfortable with, and hold it in one hand. Start by holding it slightly above your left shoulder with your palm facing the dumbbell itself. Now, step backward with the left leg while also lowering yourself into a reverse lunge. While you are lowering your body, you’ll also want to simultaneously lift the dumbbell in the air above the shoulder. When you complete the motion, hold in the lunge position for a few seconds while squeezing the abdominal, and stand back up. This exercise can be repeated with the same motion utilizing the opposite shoulder.

Other exercises you’ll want to consider with dumbbells are the bent-over row, single-arm farmer’s carry, and the single-arm overhead press.

 

Do Oblique Exercises Widen Your Waist?

By this point you can probably clearly see that oblique exercises can transform your waist, but what about widening it? Do oblique exercises widen your waist? You better believe they can, and by building on these muscles, you are not only developing a desirable waist, but you are improving your overall health. Your obliques are part of your core and help support the spine and posture. Building these muscles will improve your posture.

If you are going for muscles mass, you’ll have to be careful about overdeveloping the obliques. While some individuals do strive for this look, it is a common problem with others. Overdeveloping the obliques can give you a square or boxy appearance. However, sticking with the exercises above and maintaining a reasonable number of reps will prevent this. Instead, you’ll end up with the sexy, defined waist you always wanted. Strong obliques will give you a better overall core for better balance. Another thing to keep in mind is you’ll also have to incorporate strength training and cardio to burn fat so your abdominal muscles will be visible.