How To Exercise Obliques

Obliques (aka love handles) are difficult to get rid of, but by following these tips on how to exercise your obliques, you’ll soon notice a tighter, firmer stomach in no time. Don’t forget the importance of a healthy diet when it comes to your abdominal muscles. Cutting back on saturated fat, alcohol, and sweets will also help shrink your waist. In addition to learning how to exercise your obliques, add cardiovascular exercise to your routine to burn even more calories. Always check with your doctor before starting an exercise regimen.

To exercise your obliques you will need:

• Free weight
• Cushioned mat
• Small weighted  medicine ball

1. Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart.  Hold a free weight in your right hand while placing your left hand on the side of your waist. Bend over to the right as far as you can and then lift back up to the starting position. Repeat this until you have completed twenty repetitions (one set).
2. Switch the weight to your left hand and place your right hand on the right side of your waist. Bend to the left as far as you can go and lift back up to the starting position. Repeat until you have completed one set of twenty repetitions. This is a great way to target and exercise your obliques specifically.
3.  Sit on a cushioned mat with your legs straight out and your knees slightly bent.  Hold a weighted medicine ball in front of you and twist your torso to the left until you touch the ball to the floor. Immediately twist your torso to the right and touch the medicine ball to the floor. Repeat until you have completed twenty repetitions on each side. Perform three sets to exercise your obliques effectively.

Tips:

• Use a free weight that is heavy enough for you to feel the effects of the exercise but light enough for you to be able to perform twenty repetitions.
• Perform three sets of twenty repetitions when doing the side bends.
• Contract your abdominal muscles while performing all movements to exercise your obliques even further.
• Keep your heels on the ground while performing the medicine ball torso rotation.
• To make the medicine ball torso rotation more challenging, try leaning back slightly.

References:

American Council on Exercise