6 Best Oblique Exercises to Add in Your Daily Workout Routine

You may be tempted to skip your obliques workout, but do you know why you should not? The muscles that run along the sides of your core, known as the obliques, are crucial for rotational motions, side-to-side bending, and supporting your spine. For your general health, strengthening them, especially a couple of days a week, is a terrific idea.

We have compiled a few great oblique workouts that are good for beginners. These exercises, which can all be done with bodyweight, are excellent fundamentals, so feel free to use them even if you've worked out at the gym before.

Select a few of these exercises and incorporate them into your workout twice a week to specifically target your obliques. For each exercise, try to complete three sets of 10–12 reps.

Best Oblique Exercises for your Daily Workout

Check out the following oblique exercises that will help you get those amazing abs:

1. Bird Dog Crunches

This exercise will work your abs and put your balance to the test. In addition to the obliques, it also works out the abs and glutes.

To do this exercise:

Begin on all fours with your back flat, your knees beneath your hips, and your hands flat on the ground beneath your shoulders.
During the "reach" part of this movement, engage your core and drive your right arm straight out from your shoulder while driving your left leg straight back from your hip.
Before beginning the second rep, squeeze your right arm and left leg back into the starting positions.
Without placing your left leg or right arm on the floor, perform 10 repetitions of this exercise.
Change to the left arm/right leg combination next.
With a 30-second break in between each set, perform 3–4 sets of 10 repetitions on each side.

2. Heel Tap

This exercise, which is essentially a side crunch on the ground, targets your obliques.

To do this exercise:

Knees bent and feet flat, lie on the ground on your back.
Your palms should be facing up or down, depending on your preference, with your arms by your sides.
Take a breath in and raise your upper back and head off the ground by engaging your core.
Tap your left hand on your heel as you stoop to your left side.
Try to visualize this exercise as a side crunch and fight the impulse to push your upper body higher.
Return to the center position.
On the right side, repeat.

3. Side Plank

This exercise, which can be performed on your knees or your feet, targets your side abs as well as your upper body and the gluteus medius, a crucial pelvic stabilizer.

To do this exercise:

Lay on your left side on the ground.
As you support your upper body, rise up onto your hand or forearm.
Put your right leg on top of your left and bend your knees at a 45-degree angle. If you have the strength, you can also spread your legs and stack your feet.
Whichever arrangement you choose, your body should be in a straight line from head to toe or knee.
Your right hip should be pulled upwards while keeping your feet together, and your right arm should be at your side or extended overhead.
Hold for the given amount of time, then switch sides.

4. Cross Body Mountain Climbers

Mountain climbers target the core and obliques pretty well.

To do the exercise:

Start with your glutes a little bit higher than they would be in a high plank position.
Your neck should be neutral, and your wrists should be under your shoulders.
Keeping your body still, and drive your left knee forward toward your right elbow.
Repeat with the right leg, then go back to the beginning.

5. Bicycle Crunch

Your obliques will burn with this twisting abdominal exercise. Its scalability is an additional feature.

To do the exercise:

Bring your legs up to a tabletop posture as you lay on your back on the ground.
Put your hands behind your head while bending your elbows.
Lift your head, neck, and shoulders off the floor using your core.
Straighten your right leg by bringing your right elbow to your left knee.
When you release, spin to the opposite side, bending your right leg and bringing your left elbow to your right knee.

6. Walking Lunge with Rotation

Your obliques will contract when you add a rotation to an activity. By twisting your torso over your front leg, you may add some flavor to walking lunges.

To do this exercise:

Beginning in a straight line with your feet planted, extend your arms in front of you with your elbows bent at a 90-degree angle.
Swing your torso over your left thigh to strike the oblique as you lunge forward with your left leg until it is parallel to the ground.
Twist your torso back to the middle and get back to standing.
Repeat the motion with the right leg as you advance.

Takeaway

There is an oblique workout for everyone, regardless of experience level. There are many advantages to strengthening these muscles, too many to ignore. So start crunching now, along with bending, turning, and planking!