THE INTRODUCTION:
When most people think about abdominal
development, an image of washboard abs and a six pack comes to mind.
The most forgotten part of ab development, is the oblique region. The
obliques are like the next-door neighbor that people rarely see
outside of the house. They consist of the external
abdominal oblique muscles, the internal abdominal oblique and the
serratus anterior. I guess I did pay attention to something in
Anatomy class.
These muscles are often ignored,
because they don't appear part of the “six pack” mindset.
Although they are necessary to complete full ab development and core
strength; along with being able to increase weights on compound
lifts. Adding oblique training will increase core strength, which
will help with increasing your weights on the squat, dead-lift, bench
press, etc. Obliques are definitely an integral piece of the
masterpiece called the abdominals.
THE MIDDLE:
I rarely see anyone at the gym doing
oblique workouts, I even forget to do them from time to time. The
obliques are almost like the leg workouts of the core, because they
are easily forgotten and skipped. It's true they are the most
neglected and forgotten part of the abdominals. If we all want a
strong core, then it's important that we also include oblique
exercises in our ab workout.
Without them, it's like making a peanut
butter & jelly, with only putting peanut butter on the inside and
forgetting to spread the outside. It's just incomplete. I did some
oblique exercises last week and woke up with soreness in my obliques,
reminding me they haven't been hit in a while and I should change
that.
Obliques are critical for
stabilization. Since they are on the side of the body, they are
involved in any sort of bending/stretching motion. A lot of the
movements in everyday life require bending or stretching, which is
why oblique strength is so important. I was throwing away couches,
toilets, and bags last week at work and when launching some of them
into the truck, I definitely felt a stretch in my obliques. Just
because you may not be able to see your obliques protruding out of
your body like Arnold,
doesn't mean they aren't important. Every muscle in your body deserves a workout and the obliques are no different.
If you are a person who constantly does
ab workouts at the gym, without obliques, start adding them in. They
are necessary and shouldn't be ignored. You can do exercises such as
side planks or oblique bends. I prefer oblique bends. I will grab a
45 lb plate in one hand, standing completely straight, and side bend
towards the side the plate is on for 20+ reps then switch to the
other side. After 2-3 sets of these, you will feel the sweet joy of
pain in those oblique muscles. Keep building those oblique muscles,
don't slack on them. Just add some side planks or oblique bends at
the end of an ab workout a few times a week.
THE BOTTOM LINE:
Well trained and developed obliques can
actually improve the overall look of the abdominals. So, if you don't
train obliques because they aren't apart of the six pack, then you
may be neglecting that same six pack you are busting your ass for.
Obliques are a part of the full picture of the abdominals we should
be picturing, so lets remember to work them. Think forest, not tree
(think about it). Although the oblique is a tree, it's a necessity
to have a complete forest. Wow, thats some imagery there huh? Haha!
Add those oblique bends and planks into your ab routine, you won't be
sorry. Until Saturday everyone! Have a great week.
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