Safety first!
Read safety
basics here
| What it’s good for | Abdominal obliques are multi-purpose trunk muscles, used for twisting, side-bending and core stability (holding the body steady). Everyday benefits include:
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| How often to do it | Three times a week (not every day, see below) |
| Equipment you’ll need | 2 bottles of water (50cl) or 2 cans of baked beans (400g) or 2 dumbbells (eg, 1kg) |
Note: Because this exercise uses resistance objects (bottles, cans, dumbbells) to build strength, you must give your muscles time to rest between sessions, so don’t do this one every day. Read up on strength training here
- Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a weight/bottle in each hand
- Draw in your lower abs muscle gently and slide one arm down the side of your body, bending sideways as it goes
- Hold for 3, then smoothly draw your body back to upright
- Renew the pull on your lower abs muscle and slide the other arm down on that side of the body, bending sideways as it goes
- Hold for 3, then smoothly return to your start point, ready to repeat
Both sides of the body = 1 repeat. Aim for 12 repeats without rest
TIPS
♦ Try to avoid dropping your chin, as this will encourage you to bend over forwards instead of sideways. Find something at eye level to fex your gaze on as you bend sideways
♦ Another way to think of your sideways-only bend is to imagine you are standing between two sheets of glass, one immediately in front, the other behind you. If you move even a bit forwards or lean backwards, you will bump your head
♦ As you bend, keep your legs straight: you should feel the scrunch through your waist and your hips should stay still
Varying the exercise for more challenge
When you can manage 12 side-bends with smooth control, you need to move on to a harder challenge. Try these options.
The progressions
1. Longer holds
Hold for 5 at the bottom of each bend
2. Heavier weights
Swap bottles for heavier dumbbells
3. The lying version
If you can safely do them, try Obliques strengtheners, lying
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