How long to develop obliques

To target your obliques directly, choose 2—3 of these exercises and add them to your workout twice a week. Aim for 3 sets of 10—12 reps of each exercise. This move targets your abs and will also test your balance. Planks — everyone loves to hate them!

Whether on your knees or your feet, this move not only targets your side abs, but your upper body and one of the muscles in your booty called the gluteus medius, an important stabilizer for your pelvis. Often done as a form of cardio, mountain climbers target the core — namely the obliques — as well.

This twisting ab move will have your obliques on fire. If you have trouble keeping your lower back flush to the ground, place your feet on the ground instead of extending your legs. Add some leg work into your side crunches with this move. The focus is on the obliques here though, so if your legs fatigue, come out of the squat a bit. Take your side crunches standing with standing knee tuck extensions. Really reach that elbow to knee, while focusing on the side bend, to get the most crunch for your buck.

When you add a rotation to an exercise, you can count on your obliques firing. Spice up walking lunges with a twist of the torso over your front leg. Picture your legs as this car accessory, moving back and forth from center. Core control is key to execute the Russian twist. Rest your heels on the ground here if you need the extra stability. Do it Right: Attach a rope to a cable tower, and move the cable to the highest pulley position.

Grab both handles of the rope and then kneel down onto one knee, your shoulders perpendicular to the stack. With arms extended over the opposite shoulder, look straight ahead and pull the rope across your body finishing the movement at waist level. Slowly bring the weight back to the start position and repeat movement. Be sure to keep your core and abs tight at all times. Try sets of controlled reps followed immediately by a single, lighter set of The obliques have to not only work hard but also transmit forces from the lower body to the upper body with each movement.

To do this exercise: Hold the handle of the dumbbell with both hands. Stand tall with feet hip-width apart. Draw the shoulder blades down and back. Keep the butt squeezed together.

Raise the dumbbell above the left shoulder. This stretches the oblique muscles to ensure all the muscle fibers are engaged. Lower the dumbbell across your body and to the outer part of your right ankle by squatting. Push your hips back and butt out as you do this. The arch of the back should not round out.

If muscle inflexibility limits the movement, bring the dumbbell to the outside of the right knee. Reverse the movement. This counts as a repetition.

Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 60 seconds rest between sets. Repeat the exercise on the other side. Try a One-arm Dumbbell Row with Twist. One-arm dumbbell rows with twist accentuate the v-shaped torso appearance by working the back muscles and obliques simultaneously. The end result is a wide back and a slim waist that magnifies the work you put into developing the obliques.

Hold a dumbbell with your left hand. A single arm row challenges the oblique muscles more than a double arm row. Your muscles activate to maintain good posture with the presence of an uneven weight between the left and right side of the body. Bend at your hips with the knees slightly bent. Push your hips back as if you are trying to close a door behind you with your butt. Draw your shoulder blades back and downward. Maintain the natural arch of your lower back at all times.

Raise the dumbbell toward your rib cage and twist your upper body to the left simultaneously. The tip of the left elbow should ideally go past your back to squeeze the back muscles maximally. The twist amplifies the left oblique muscle workload. That counts as a repetition. Do 3 sets of 10 reps with 60 second breaks. Repeat the exercise with the right hand.

Practice the bicycle crunch. The simultaneous kicking and twisting motions of the bicycle crunch challenge the oblique muscles like no other crunch can. To do this exercise: Lie down on a mat with knees bent and hands behind the head. Press your lower back against the ground.

Tighten the abdominal muscles while maintaining a relaxed breathing pattern. Raise both legs by straightening the right leg and drawing the bent left leg towards the torso. Simultaneously do a side crunch to the left with the aim of touching left knee with the right elbow. Exhale with every elbow to knee motion to prevent excessive rise in blood pressure. Pain should not be a part of the exercise.

Immediately reverse the movement. Straighten the left leg and bend the right leg. Do a crunch to the right with the aim of touching the right knee with left elbow.

Do 3 sets of 10 repetitions with 45 second rests in between. Try weighted oblique static holds. To do this exercise, lie down on one side of the body, keeping the back straight.

Then, slowly crunch the legs towards the torso. Squeeze the oblique muscles as hard as you can. When you squeeze as hard as you can, hold the position for 45 minutes. Repeat the procedure on the other side of the body. Once you can do this easily, add a light dumbbell five pounds between your feet. Try a side plank with a knee pull. Start by supporting your body with one arm.

The other arm is raised straight up in the air the obliques are stretched out and isolated. Sway the feet until the top foot is in front of the bottom foot. Bring the bottom foot as far as possible into the chest area. The body is kept straight.

Hold the position where the knee is in the chest for 1 second and then repeat the movement. Perform 15 reps per side or as many as the body permits. Practice declined Russian twists. Look for a bench and set it to 45 degrees decline. Maintaining a good posture, lean back and tighten the core and oblique muscles. Then, extend the arms straight out in front slowly turn back and forth from left to right.

Hold the position for 0. As the exercise becomes easy, hold a weight plate or medicine ball to add to the difficulty and extend it to chest height.

Practice speed rotation. Hold a dumbbell in front of the mid section with both hands. Twist to the right at 90 degrees and then to the left at degrees. Maintain tight abs and move fast. Do 20 complete twists. Method 3. Up your intake of protein powder.