Health Wellness 8 Oblique Exercises for Stronger Core and Spine Support These side ab moves will help strengthen your core and support your spine. By Rozalynn S. Frazier, C.P.T. Rozalynn S. Frazier, C.P.T. Rozalynn is an award-winning, multimedia journalist, NASM-certified personal trainer, and 10-time marathon runner, living in New York City. She's been writing health and wellness content for Real Simple since 2020, covering everything from nutrition to mental health to stretching. Real Simple's Editorial Guidelines Updated on September 05, 2024 Fact checked by Isaac Winter Fact checked by Isaac Winter Isaac Winter is a fact-checker and writer for Real Simple, ensuring the accuracy of content published by rigorously researching content before publication and periodically when content needs to be updated. Highlights: Helped establish a food pantry in West Garfield Park as an AmeriCorps employee at Above and Beyond Family Recovery Center. Interviewed Heartland Alliance employees for oral history project conducted by the Lake Forest College History Department. Editorial Head of Lake Forest College's literary magazine, Tusitala, for two years. Our Fact-Checking Process If you've ever gone for a walk, reached over to grab your phone from the nightstand, or swung a stick at a piñata, then you've felt your obliques at work. They are, after all, essential muscles for everyday life, function, and movement. In a perfect world, the whole core (a group of many muscles) should work like a symphony, says Patricia Ladis, PT, CBBA, founder of WiseBody PT and co-author of The Wise Woman's Guide to Your Healthiest Pregnancy and Birth. "The diaphragm is the conductor, starting the message for the symphony to play by activating the transversus abdominis first and then allowing the proper movers—the obliques and/or rectus abdominis muscle—to engage." For that to happen, you need to train your entire core. Unfortunately, folks tend to focus on the rectus abdominis, the outermost area of the abs responsible for the six-pack, says Jess Sims, a fitness instructor at Peloton. But there is more to your abs than just that outermost, or superficial, layer. The obliques, for instance, which run diagonally on either side of the waist from the ribs to the hips, are important for overall body function, too. Made up of an inner and outer set, the obliques are actually the largest of the ab muscles. Their function: "to rotate, side-bend, and move the trunk, as well as to help with breathing," Ladis says. The obliques also play a roll in keeping your torso from twisting, to stabilize and, subsequently, protect your spine. If your obliques are weak or underutilized, other parts of your body will try to compensate, potentially leading to discomfort, pain or poor posture. The lower back is one area that often takes a big hit. In fact, a Journal of Physical Therapy Science study found that incorporating oblique exercises helped reduce chronic back pain, a condition that affects more than 50 percent of people in the United States. Patricia Ladis, PT, CBBA, founder of WiseBody PT. Jess Sims, a fitness instructor at Peloton. Pamela Paley, certified Pilates teacher and master trainer at Club Pilates in Arizona. 7 Unexpected Benefits of Doing Planks (Beyond Building Core Strength), According to Personal Trainers How to Know If Your Obliques Are Strong Enough Want to know if your obliques are up to par? Test them by doing bicycle crunches, suggests Ladis. "You should be able to curl your elbow to the outside of your bent knee, truly rotating the body. If you cannot curl past your midline then you do not have adequate control and strength in these muscles." You can also get into a side plank. "If your hips sag down, or your body twists or rotates in one direction it can mean your obliques are not working together and are weak." Improper breathing, breath holding, and ribs flaring out are also signs of oblique weakness, adds Ladis. Whether yours are holding up their end of the bargain or not, Sims advice is that everyone incorporate exercises that target the obliques into their workout routine, but "especially if you have weakness in rotating your core or preventing it from being rotated." Luckily, there are tons of different options from Russian twists to standing side crunches that get the job done. To help shore up yours, Sims suggests these oblique-strengtheners. 10 Standing Ab Exercises You Can Do Without Equipment 8 Oblique Exercises to Try at Home 01 of 08 Side Plank With Hip Dips Illustration by Yeji Kim Lie on your left side with legs stacked on top of each other. Prop yourself up onto your left forearm and bend both knees, keeping them stacked and your hips and shoulders aligned. Squeeze your glutes and engage your core, then lift your left hip up off the ground, hold it for a second, and then lower it back down to the ground. Do 3 sets of 15 reps per side.To make it harder: Keep the bottom knee off the floor and straighten both legs. 02 of 08 Side Plank With Rotation Side Plank With Rotation. Candra Huff Lie on your right side with your right elbow directly under your right shoulder. Then, when you are ready, extend both legs out and position the top foot slightly in front of the bottom foot to start, instructs Pamela Paley, certified Pilates teacher and master trainer at Club Pilates in Arizona. As you get stronger, you can try stacking your feet. For more of a challenge, add the rotation by bending your left arm behind your head and rotating it down toward your right hand, tapping your left elbow to your right hand. Return to the starting position. To make it harder: Start in a full plank position on your hands and feet, maintaining a long line from head to heels, Paley instructs. Next, rotate to one side, stacking your legs, hips, and shoulders. Lift your top arm high. Rotate your torso, reaching your top arm under your body, then return to the side plank, reaching your arm toward the sky. Paley says you want to avoid collapsing into your shoulder. And if you have wrist issues, it can help to create a fist with your hands and have your knuckles face in. 03 of 08 Jackknives illustration by Yeji Kim Lie faceup with your right knee bent and left leg straight at a 45 degree-angle. Extend your right arm overhead by the ear and left arm out at a 45-degree angle. Inhale through the nose; as you exhale, press your left hand and forearm into the ground to lift your entire back off the floor, bringing your right hand and left foot to touch. Slowly lower back down. Do 3 sets of 15 reps and repeat on the other side. To make it harder: Take your left arm off the floor and place your hand on your stomach. 04 of 08 Forearm Plank Reach Out Illustration by Yeji Kim Come into a forearm plank with elbows stacked under shoulders, palms flat on the ground, and legs extended straight behind you (feet should be slightly wider than hip-width apart). Squeezing your glutes and quads, reach one arm out in front of you. Return to elbow plank position and repeat with the other arm. Continue alternating sides; do 3 sets of 20 reps. 05 of 08 Oblique Tuck-ups Illustration by Yeji Kim Lie on your left side on the "squishy" part of your left butt cheek with your left arm extended in front of you, legs stacked, and right hand placed lightly on back of head. Press into the ground with your left forearm. Crunch up onto your side as you bend your knees, bringing them in to touch your right elbow. Slowly lower back down. Do 3 sets of 15 reps on each side. 06 of 08 Half-kneeling Wood Chop Illustration by Yeji Kim Start in a kneeling position with your left knee on the ground and your right knee bent with right foot on the floor. Hold both sides of a moderate-weight dumbbell (think: eating corn on the cob) at your left hip. Inhale; as you exhale, use your core to bring the dumbbell diagonally up and over your right shoulder. Inhale as you reverse the motion, bringing the dumbbell back across and down to the left hip. Do 3 sets of 12 reps (all on one side), then repeat on the other side. 07 of 08 Criss Cross Criss Cross. Candra Huff Start by laying on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor, Paley says. Place your hands behind your head with elbows wide. To prepare, inhale, and as you exhale, curl your head and shoulders off the floor, rotating your right shoulder toward the outside of your left knee. Inhale as you return to the center. Then, switch sides and continue alternating sides. To make it harder: Begin with your knees bent in a tabletop position, meaning a 90-degree angle, making sure your knees are over your hips. Begin rotating while maintaining the tabletop position. If your back begins to arch or lift off the mat, bring your knees closer to your chest to protect your lower back, Paley says. 08 of 08 Tic Tok Tic Tock. Candra Huff Begin by laying on your back with your arms stretched out. (Picture yourself in a "T" position.) Be sure to keep your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor with your legs glued together. Slowly inhale and exhale and let your knees drop to the right, only as low as you are able to while keeping your arms pressed into the mat, Paley instructs. Turn your head to look in the opposite direction of your knees, feeling the spinal rotation. Next, inhale to return your knees to the center, then repeat on the other side. To make it harder: Begin with your knees in tabletop position, meaning a 90-degree angle, over your hips, keeping your pelvis and back imprinted on the mat, Paley instructs. If your back is healthy, you can begin rotating by straightening your legs toward the ceiling while maintaining a strong spine imprint, Paley says. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit Sources Real Simple is committed to using high-quality, reputable sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts in our articles. Read our editorial guidelines to learn more about how we fact check our content for accuracy. Chang WD, Lin HY, Lai PT. Core strength training for patients with chronic low back pain. J Phys Ther Sci. 2015;27(3):619-622. doi:10.1589/jpts.27.619