For those wanting to build strong side abs without using any equipment, many exercises can be done at home or anywhere. Improving your oblique muscles will help you look better and improve your posture and core strength.
The bicycle crunch is an excellent exercise as it targets both sides equally without the need for any equipment or particular setup.
Lie flat on the ground, gently put your hands behind your head and lift one knee towards the opposite elbow, alternating sides as you go. This movement should be slow and controlled to maximize its effectiveness; doing this for 30 seconds with a 10-second rest between sets is a good starting point.
Side Abs And Their Importance to your Wellbeing
Side abs, or obliques, are located on the sides of the abdomen and play an essential role in trunk stability. They help provide stability during movement and general balance from side to side. Side abs can help to protect your spine from injury by stabilizing it against twisting forces.
Strengthening these muscles can also improve posture and make everyday activities easier. Strengthening your side abs is essential for any physical activity, especially during sports like basketball or tennis. It would be best to have quick lateral movements and sudden stops that rely heavily on side core strength. Weak oblique muscles can lead to back pain and poor posture due to a lack of support.
Therefore, working out your obliques will give you more toned abs, improve overall body control, and reduce the risk of injuries caused by weak core muscles.
Why Training Obliques Is Beneficial to your health?
Exercising your obliques can be a great way to tone the abdominal muscles and slim your waistline. Training obliques is beneficial for many reasons, both aesthetically and health-related.
Your oblique muscles are responsible for the torso’s rotation, side bending, and flexing. When you target these areas with exercises such as Russian twists or wood chops, you can strengthen your core and improve posture. Additionally, maintaining this area can help reduce back pain by providing more stability in the spine and reducing pressure on other areas of the body.
Aside from a physical standpoint, strengthening your obliques can also provide mental benefits. Strong cores allow us to move while completing everyday tasks such as sitting at a desk or lifting heavy objects.
The Importance Of Warming Up Before Exercising
Warming up before exercising is a critical aspect of any workout routine, yet many often overlook or even ignore it. Warming up helps to condition your body for the upcoming activity and reduce the chance of injury. It can also help to improve overall performance and make workouts more efficient and enjoyable.
Warm-up exercises prepare your muscles, joints, and ligaments for practice by gradually increasing their temperature, improving circulation and flexibility, and loosening tight or stiff joints.
It reduces the risk of injuries during physical activities and can also increase coordination which helps with movements like jumping jacks or running in place. Additionally, warm-ups are essential because they allow you to slowly get into the workout groove, mentally preparing yourself for an intense session.
2 Suggested Exercises For The Obliques
- Side Plank
- Bicycle Crunches
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Side Plank
Side plank is a simple yet effective exercise for toning the obliques and strengthening the core. It has become one of the most popular warm-up exercises as it helps prepare your body for more challenging workouts. It also offers powerful benefits, including improved posture, increased stability and balance, and enhanced muscular endurance.
Side planks involve lifting your body off the ground while balancing on one side of your forearm and feet with your other arm extended.
This position engages multiple muscle groups to stabilize and align the body. Additionally, this exercise targets key oblique muscles that help support overall core stability.
For best results, hold this position for 30 to 60 seconds while breathing deeply and focusing on keeping your spine straight. As you progress, you may increase the duration or add variations such as leg lifts or side-to-side movements to challenge yourself further.
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Bicycle Crunches
Bicycle crunches are a great exercise to warm up your obliques and prepare them for more intense activities. This simple movement is an excellent way to add extra abdominal strength training to your workout routine. Not only will it help activate the muscles in your core, but it will also help improve flexibility and stability throughout your body.
The bicycle crunch targets the oblique muscles, which are located on either side of the abdomen. To perform this exercise correctly, start by lying on your back with both legs extended in front of you.
Bring one knee up towards the chest while bringing the opposite elbow towards that same knee. It creates a cycling motion that works both sides of the abs simultaneously. Keep the abs engaged throughout the entire movement, and do not allow your hips or shoulders to lift off the floor as you move from side to side.
the importance of cooling down and stretching after exercising
Cooling down and stretching are two critical steps that should be noticed when exercising. Cooling down involves slowing your pace of activity to gradually lower your heart rate and bring your body back to its pre-exercise state. Stretching is beneficial for maintaining flexibility, increasing blood flow, and preventing soreness or injury.
Cooling down helps the body transition from increased heart rate and respiration to a relaxed state. It allows the muscles used during exercise to loosen up while providing light physical activity to help them recover faster.
Stretching after a workout can reduce lactic acid buildup in the muscles, decreasing post-exercise soreness. Additionally, stretching helps keep the body flexible by lengthening tight muscles, allowing for an improved range of motion throughout daily tasks and future workouts.
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, with the right exercises and strategies, training side abs without equipment at home anytime anywhere is possible. With training, you can strengthen your obliques and achieve desired results. Remember to stay consistent, incorporate various exercises, and take breaks when needed.
Doing so can increase your strength, endurance, and performance while reducing potential injury risks. Additionally, ensure that you are engaging in proper form to maximize your efforts and prevent any injuries. So what are you waiting for?
Here are other important exercises you can do to keep your side abs fit
Keep both sides of your abdominal healthy and strong anytime without going to the gym.
These are awesome exercise with no any equipment needed to perform them.
Exact exercise you should be doing if you want to perfectly target and train your obliques muscle efficiently.
With the Russian Twist and Side Bridge, you train both sides of your abdominal muscles in the comfort zone of your home or anywhere you are and without any equipment needed.
No need going to the gym and lift weight. These are doable home exercise right for both young and old to keep body fit.
Do you want to know more about these exercises? How is done or do you like to know the effective ways to perform them better?
Russian twist
Great oblique abs exercise to keep the body perfectly fit without any hassle. Very easy to do !.
Do it anywhere. The Russian twist is one of those exercises that you can do to train and boost strength to your abs, core and spine.
Performed on the floor for good body balance and improve body metabolism.
An isometric ab exercise that is also great for both core and stability. However, the ab contraction during the Russian twist performance will help to strengthen back against stress and injuries, so it helps to improve strength to the spine.
Russian twist exercise overview
- Exercise name: Russian twist
- Exercise type: strength isometric
- Target zone: side ab (obliques)
- Equipment needed: zero
Not only that Russian Twist is good to train abs and can be done anytime with no any equipment needed but it’s also a cool exercise to reduce excess fat and burn more calories out of the body, that is with a good diet taking into consideration.
So how do perform this great exercise correctly?
How To Perform Russian twist to boost strength to your oblique muscles .
Here is the perfect way to do Russian twist follow these guides and easy steps for a correct performance whenever you want to do it :
Step 1
Find a good zone to position yourself.
Sit down on the floor with your feet flat and your knees bend.
Lean back slightly as you extend your arms straight in front of yourself slowly.
Step 2
Twist your torso in the left or right direction. Make sure that your side ab muscle is stretched and hold that position for a second.
The reason for that is to make sure that your oblique muscles are fully contracted before returning back to the starting position. Do it again on the other side.
Repeat the same process again to prior your reps
However, if you like, you might want to hold something on your hand with both of them, like for example, a plate or small fitness ball to make it more effective if you have one. If you have a fitness mat that if fine, put on the floor and lie on it.
Benefits
Great for boosting strength to both sides of abs (Oblique muscles)
It is an isomeric exercise that helps in strengthen core
You need no equipment to get it done and can be performed anytime you want to.
It helps spine and influence more sides’ rotational power it help maintain proper balance.
Helps to reduce excess weight and reduce more calories lose out of the body, doing it regularly with a good diet taken into consideration.
Side bridge
The side bridge is another great exercise that can get done at home or anywhere you are at any time.
One of the oblique muscles classic exercise that requires for no equipment to get down on it.
However, if you have a fitness mat that is cool, if not lie sideways on the floor and keep working your abs.
The primary target zone is the obliques isometric muscle, core and transverse abdominis.
Side bridge exercise overview
The side bridge is a strength exercise. Here is how it looks like with a bird’s-eye view :
- Exercise type: strength
- Target zone : oblique isotonic core muscles
- Equipment needed: none
- Reps : intermediate
- Exercise name: side bridge
How to perform side bridge
Follow the correct guides here to properly perform side bridge and keep your abs strong and stable:
step1
Find a perfect and level grand to position yourself tightly.
Lie down sideway with your legs on each other.
Plant your forearm on the floor, let it be lateral to your body and place your other arm on the side of yourself without bending your body.
Maintain the straight lateral line throughout.
Step 2
So lift up your upper body off the ground slowly using your forearm and hold that exact position for a second.
make sure that your oblique muscles are fully stretched and contract before you then go back again to the starting position.
You can then repeat the same process for the other side of your ab. Just to makes assure that you are doing it right, make sure that only your forearm and the side of your foot are touching the floor when you move.
Repeat over again to your desire rep that you have at hand.
what are benefits doing side bridge?
here the huge benefits of performing this great exercise here are some of theme :
The side bridge is a classic strength exercise doable without going to the gym, so no equipment is needed.
keep your body fit any day anytime easily with the side bridge you build strong core and stability.
Your side muscles (oblique) will fill the efficiency during the performance.
One of great side abs exercise capable enough to reach and target those lateral muscles that have been left on trained.
Side bridge is also great for hips strength and add more stability to your knees.
It is very easy and convenient to do. It doesn’t even require for any equipment.
Conclusion
Here is how you train your side Abs and the 2 Obliques exercise you can do without any equipment at home anytime, anywhere.
The side bridge and Russian twist are great exercise that are very easy to do at home without lifting any weight.
It has been said that doing this exercise regularly, supported by a good diet plan, will help you not only to lose excess weight and burn
fat out of your body fast, but it will also help burn more calories shapeup your belly and flat so that you stay healthier.
How do you train your own side abs ( oblique muscles)?
I will like to hear from you all and if you ever have a question, comment or anything concerning this topic please feel free to leave your own comment or question down below and I will be more than happy to hear from you all. Thanks.
Mike