# Shaping the stomach. Train the Obliques!!



## mmuscle (Dec 5, 2004)

Hi all,

Just a quick post to give a bit of advise for anyone who is interested in getting that much desired pefect stomach. Most people 'new' to bodybuilding train there stomach by performing endless sets of Ab crunches, sit-ups and leg raises. This is all good, however to shape your stomach evenly, its a good idea to also work the obliques. These muscles are the ones located at the side of the midsection and working them helps to shape and tighten the whole midsection.

Here's how you work them.

With a dumbbell in either one or both hands, held against the side, you should bend sideways from the far left to the far right, lowering down slowly and lifting quickly. This should be repeated for between 10-15 repetitions, for say 1 or 2 sets. Note that for the best results, this exercise should be incorporated into your general abdominal workout, as excersing any abdominal muscle will affect the adjacent muscles and therefore will have a cumulative affect on the developement of the entire area.

Well thats my ten cents worth for the day 

mmuscle

http://www.makemuscle.net


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

Holding a dumbell in both hands and bending wont hit the obliques, that only works if you hold only one dumbell.

Wanna nice tummy?..............................Diet!

No such thing as spot reducing. Bodyfat loss is the best for showing off your muscles.


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## Z3R0-CooL (Mar 9, 2004)

best overall exercise for ab and oblique development IMHO are supersets of rope cruches and leg raises


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

Never train obliques it ruins symmetry,

And rest of abs can be left to six weeks before show before training.


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## hackskii (Jul 27, 2003)

It will give you a thick waist.

I must have done tons of those as my waist is the thickest thing in my body besides my head


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## winger (Jul 26, 2003)

Train obliques for that nice wide waisted look.


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## mmuscle (Dec 5, 2004)

Side dips are going to thicken your waist thats true. So if you just want a slim waist then they maybe are not for you. However if you want an all around muscular midsection, then I advise that you train them. 

mmuscle

http:/www.makemuscle.net


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## TypeR (May 28, 2004)

i havent made much change to my diet but recently i have been trainning my abs twice a week there getting there!


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## OnePack (Jan 9, 2004)

anyone seen the ad for that ab/oblique machine thing? you sit on this seat, hold on to two handles and swing ur body and legs around up and down from side to side. I want a go on that thing cos it looks fun!


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## Kel (Jan 24, 2005)

MatracaBergFan said:


> anyone seen the ad for that ab/oblique machine thing? you sit on this seat, hold on to two handles and swing ur body and legs around up and down from side to side. I want a go on that thing cos it looks fun!


If its the one on Sky tv i want a go too doesnt it look fun do you think it would actually work though?


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## ChefX (Jan 10, 2005)

ONE SMART COOKIE said:


> Never train obliques it ruins symmetry


100% agreed! :beer:


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## Lauren (Jan 20, 2005)

I find just doing large compound exercises hits the abs.

I suppose adding leg raises and rope pulls would be beneficial too.


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

Kel said:


> If its the one on Sky tv i want a go too doesnt it look fun do you think it would actually work though?


One of my clients bought one back in the uk a few years ago, not as easy as they look, personally i wouldnt bother LOL

What chef and cookie say ruins that narrow waisted look, though i have to say i think defined obliques look good, but thats down to diet


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

ChefX said:


> 100% agreed! :beer:


I agreew ith me also,lol.

if you want good abs remember to always train then in a way that removes the use of your hip flexors(checkout male models god abs but even bigger hip flexors)

I`ve heard the janga situps are ideal for ab isolaton,never tried them "yet" so cant totally comment on effectiveness.


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

ONE SMART COOKIE said:


> I`ve heard the janga situps are ideal for ab isolaton,never tried them "yet" so cant totally comment on effectiveness.


Cant get a really good description of janga situps, there is some info on the clarence bass sight and a bit on pavels, but nothing explaining them clearly, if you have any info explaining them please post it up (will try the partner version and not with pavels ab thing first)


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

From what i can gather it is best to use a bar across a doorway so that you can put your legs over the top of it and then you contract your hams/legs against the bar(bar is in the crease at the back of your knees)and this removes the hip flexors.


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

ONE SMART COOKIE said:


> your legs over the top of it and then you contract your hams/legs against the bar(bar is in the crease at the back of your knees)and this removes the hip flexors.


Cant quite figure that out, cos it still anchors the feet and that brings in hip flexors.


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

The feet aint anchored.they are just on the floor,its the knees that are held tight over the bar which is at knee height so that you are in like a crunch position with legs over the bar and feet flat on the floor.


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

Cookie, thats what i am saying it looks like (i have no idea overall how its done) the more thats said the less i understand about it. (having areally thick moment i know) but i have tried it a ew times and i cant quite manage to isolate the abs


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

Well you`ll have to wait a couple days cos my hamstrings are sore from stretching so everytime I contract them they cramp,lol.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/fun/irontamer2.htm


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## samurai691436114498 (Jan 6, 2005)

ONE SMART COOKIE said:


> Well you`ll have to wait a couple days cos my hamstrings are sore from stretching so everytime I contract them they cramp,lol.


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## Cookie (Sep 14, 2009)

Try 200mg manganese a day 3 days on 3 days off to help with the healing of the tissue


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## bumps n lumps (Oct 10, 2005)

Dumbbell in hand is that light or heavy?


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## RAIKEY (Jun 30, 2005)

bumps n lumps said:


> Dumbbell in hand is that light or heavy?


light !!...and just one hand ..

if yer use one in each hand the counter effect makes the movement pointless

you just wanna work em steady (if at all!!)

go heavy and you'll end up looking a right tw4t.

the desirable body shape were after is wide chest/back tiny waist ..

why would anyone build a muscle that increases waist width!?!?!?

fat loss will expose the obliques niceley

oh! forgot imo twisting is good tho


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## Magic Torch (May 30, 2005)

Agreed, twisting is the best! Get a light barbell and put it on your shoulders and rotate left to right, say 15-20 times, you wont really build the muscle just shape it up.

If you do a lot of compound exercises then you won't need to do any at all, but if you don't or are trying to strengthen core stability then they are ok - like sport's specific exercise, but IMO bodybuilders don't need to do them as they get the core work from compound work!


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## RAIKEY (Jun 30, 2005)

^^^ good^^^

i once got told, when asking about the elusive abs, everyone has got abs!... if you did,nt you'd break in half ..!!??

spose thats one way to look at it!


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## bumps n lumps (Oct 10, 2005)

I think that most agree that it is best to avoid direct obliques training so I will just work on losing a bit of body fat and see what they look like then see what needs to be done.


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