Most people focus their attention on the abdominal muscles when attempting to achieve the elusive 6-pack. This is good because the abdominals must be focused to obtain this goal but the obliques are often neglected and forgotten leading to an underdeveloped physique. Fortunately, the solution is quite simple: perform oblique exercises to build and tone the muscle around the outside of the abdominals.
Due to the proximity of the oblique muscles (oblique externuus) to the abdominal muscles (rectus abdominus), this makes the obliques highly complementary to the abdominals as these muscles run into one another. When both groups of muscles are properly trained, they form a cohesive visual appeal that is typically unrivaled with any other muscles in the body. The great thing is, a lot of the oblique exercises one can perform will also target the abdominals which not only saves time but when one engages multiple muscle groups, this is known as a compound exercise, it burns more calories leading to a leaner, slimmer waistline.
What most individuals fail to realize with oblique exercises is that you do not need a huge amount of weight or special equipment to train them. Typically, all one needs is their body weight and a lot of self-control. Some examples of weight-free oblique exercises are: bicycle kicks, torso-twists, and side planks. What these all have in common is a twisting or side crunching motion. These unique motions allow the oblique muscles to contract and remain contracted for as long as the peak position is held; breathing while executing the exercises in these positions is incredibly important. One should slowly exhale at the peak to apply additional emphasis on the muscles.
As with the abdominals, the obliques require variety for success. Performing the same old oblique exercises will not yield you great results. I recommend at least two to three sets of different exercises per week to achieve substantial outcomes. Do not perform the same old activity over and over as the body will adjust to this type of punishment and result in the plateau of muscle building a lot sooner.
Dedicating time and effort into sculpting the obliques is just like targeting the pectorals, biceps, or any other muscle group with one minor exception. With the proximity of the obliques to the abdominals, they can be easily affected by weight gain (especially in men). Even a thin layer of fat over the obliques can hide definition and keep your hard work hidden from view. In the event you have been training your obliques to an extreme degree and still can't see results, look at your nutrition and cardio programs to determine if those require adjustment.
As a general fitness butt, Mike writes on various topics of fitness, nutrition, and exercise. To find videos and workout demonstration of the above mentioned obliques exercises, visit the oblique exercise library of Chunk Fitness to learn more
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