Best Oblique Exercises for Women
By
Mae Barraclough
Abdominal exercises targeting the obliques, or side abdominal muscles, are an often-overlooked yet vital part of any core workout Strengthening and toning your obliques helps greatly in developing strength balancing the other core muscles, and of course, firming and toning the midsection.
Strong obliques not only improve the aesthetic appeal of your
waistline; they will also help you with any athletic movements involving
twisting. Think about swinging a golf club or baseball bat. The more
you train these types of movements, the better your athletic performance
will be in terms of strength and power.
Even the best oblique exercises for women WILL NOT reduce your love
handles by burning fat off your abdomen. Anyone who tells you otherwise
is lying to you and probably trying to sell you something. To burn fat,
especially stubborn abdominal fat, it is vital that you partake in
regular cardiovascular exercise alongside your strength training
program, and that you eat a healthy, balanced diet. The key to fat loss is simple: burn more calories through exercise than you consume through eating.
Fat Loss and the Myth of Spot Reduction
Ladies, before you read any further, you must understand and accept
the following: abs exercises alone DO NOT slim your waistline. Spot
reduction is a flat-out myth used to fluff the pages o f fitness magazines and to market exercise equipment. In other words, no amount
of abdominal exercises in isolation will cause you to lose that stubborn
tummy fat. I wish it were otherwise, because that would make it a heck
of a lot easier for all of us to address our common “problem areas” such
as the tummy, thighs, and butt.
If you focus only on strengthening exercises such as those described
later in this article, you may be frustrated to find that your tummy is
looking bigger rather than smaller. This happens because the developing
muscles are pushing out the stubborn fat that is still there. To lose
fat, you must burn more calories than you consume, creating a calorie
deficit.
The truth is that fat loss is a much bigger picture, requiring a holistic, whole-body exercise and nutrition programme
You may have heard the saying “abs are made in the kitchen,” and that
couldn’t be more true. Defining your abs is actually a matter of
stripping off the excess fat covering them. Only then will your six-pack
be able to shine. The best way to do this is through good nutrition
combined with an integrated fitness program combining elements of cardio
with strength training.
All of that being said, abdominal exercises are highly beneficial to
athletic performance and for reshaping your body when combined with
other key exercise variables.
Abdominal muscles are high in endurance compared to other muscles in
your body, being composed of type I muscle fibers. This means you need
to perform high reps to see results. Shoot for sets of 20-30 repetitions
of all of these exercises. Performing two or more sets of 20-30 reps
should have you seeing results quickly.
Perform these exercises several times a week, taking a day off in between sessions to allow the muscles to rest and rebuild.
The Bicycle Maneuver
The bicycle maneuver is ranked #1 in effectiveness according to the
American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), recruiting the most
abdominal muscle fibers. It’s a tough movement and you will definitely
feel the burn!
To perform the movement, lie flat on your back with your hands behind
your head, one leg bent to 90 degrees, and the other leg extended.
Using your abdominals, raise your shoulders off the floor and twist your
core so the bent knee and the opposite bent elbow come together. Slowly
alternate legs, bending the knee coming toward the elbow and fully
extending the opposite leg.
Notes and modifications: This exercise effectively targets the rectus
abdominis as well as the obliques. Remember to perform the bracing
maneuver described above to engage the deep abdominal muscles.
V-Ups, AKA Pike
Start the movement flat on your back with your arms overhead. Fully
extend the legs with a slight bend in the knee. Bring your feet and
hands together above your waist, hinging at the hips. Your legs and
shoulders come all the way off the floor; at the top of the movement,
only your butt is in contact with the floor. Hold at the top for a beat,
then slowly lower yourself back to the original position with your arms
overhead. Perform this movement very slowly for more of a challenge.
Notes and modifications: Stop immediately if you feel any back pain.
Keep the glutes active and contracted to avoid overworking the hip
flexors and keep the work in the abdominals. To modify, you can do one
leg/arm at a time or add a medicine ball between the feet or hands for
more resistance.
Toe Raises
When done right, this move effectively works the rectus abdominis, especially the tougher-to target lower abs.To do a toe raise, lie flat on your back and raise your feet straight
up to a 90 degree angle from your hips. Place your hands at your sides
with your palms flat on the ground. You can put your hands under your
butt if that’s more comfortable on your sacrum. Push your feet straight
up toward the ceiling, slightly raising your butt off the floor. Lower
very slowly, contracting the abs.
You
don’t need to make this a huge movement, just focus on good form. Press
your lower back into the floor for the entire duration of the movement;
do not allow it to arch!
Notes and modifications: Remember to draw your navel toward your spine
to brace yourself for the movement. If you want to add resistance, you
can do so with ankle weights or by wrapping a resistance band around
your feet and holding it to the floor with your hands as your push up
against it.
Best Lower Abs Exercises for Women
Don’t Stop at a Six-Pack: Go for All Eight with the Best Lower Abs Exercises for Women
Lower abdominal definition, also known as the elusive 8-pack, is considered the fitness
“holy grail” by some. Due to postural, dietary, and genetic factors,
highly defined lower abs are generally achieved by very few dedicated,
disciplined, and lucky women.
It’s especially difficult for us women to define the lower abs, as
our hormones make our bodies want to store excess fat in that area.
Excess fat can mask even excellent muscle tone. Lower abs definition can
be yours, though, through the right combination of nutrition, cardio, exercise and the best lower abs exercises for women.
The Importance of Diet and Genetics to Lower Abs Exercises for Women
The old saying “abs are made in the kitchen” couldn’t be more true.
You may have a stellar 6-pack or even 8-pack tucked away underneath a
stubborn layer of pudge. Spot reduction, the idea that exercising a
certain area will melt away fat in that particular spot, is a total lie
exploited shamelessly by fitness magazines and marketing departments.
The (somewhat disappointing) truth is that you can’t actually control the particular areas fat disappears from as you exercise. Fat Loss
works on a whole-body scale, a little bit at a time. The only way to
reduce fat is through burning more calories than you consume, not
through strength training a certain “problem area.” To hit the required
amount of caloric expenditure to lose abdominal fat, you will need to do
a good deal of cardiovascular exercise as well as strength training.
Big 40
Also known as Leg Rolls. This exercise is called the Big 40 because
you do 40 repetitions without stopping. Big 40s start with you lying
flat on your back on the floor. You can brace your hands flat on the
floor by your sides, or slide them slightly under your glutes if that
feels better on your sacrum (especially if you are on a hard floor).
As with the other lower abs exercises, keep your glutes actively
contracted at all times to encourage the lower abs to work instead of
the hip flexors.
Keeping your head, upper back, and lower back pressed to the floor,
raise your feet up off the ground and bring your knees in toward your
chest. In one smooth, continuous motion, push your feet out straight
without letting your feet touch down to the floor. Keep these circles
going for a total of 20 repetitions. You’ll look a little like a
choo-choo train!
Once you’ve completed 20 choo-choos, keep your feet off the ground
and move your feet in circles like you’re trying to draw circles on the
wall. Draw 10 circles in one direction, then reverse and draw 10 circles
in the other direction. When you’re finished, you’ll have completed 40
reps of a challenging lower abs exercise.
Scissor Kicks
Lying flat on your back with your lower back pressed to the ground at
all times, bring your legs up off the floor and move them up and down
like scissor blades. Do 10-20 kicks of each leg, then switch up the
movement so your legs are crossing one over the other like sideways
scissor blades. Do 10-20 sideways scissor kicks.
Remember to keep your glutes contracted to minimize hip flexor
involvement. Use the same hand position as in the Big 40 (palms down, by
your sides or slightly under your butt).
Final Thoughts
I hope these exercises are helpful to you in your quest for lower abs
definition. Remember that no amount of these exercises will give you
8-pack abs; nutrition, cardio, and posture are just as important as
strength training if you wish to reveal your lower abs.
Best Abs Exercises for Women
A tightly, toned midsection is generally a top priority in anyone’s program, especially among female exercisers. Many women are looking to
trim their figure into that classic hourglass shape, while others may
want to achieve defined washboard abs.
If you’ve been exercising for any period of time, chances are you
have tried your fair share of abs exercises, from floor exercises to stability ball exercises to abs exercise machines.
Many abs exercises out there claiming to deliver the results you’re
after are actually based on misguided principles or flat out
misinformation.
The best abdominal exercises work the most muscles at one time,
allowing you to work out efficiently. Most of the exercises I’ll go over
are simple to perform at home, at the gym, or even while traveling,
using only your body weight as resistance. No special equipment
whatsoever is required to perform most of these time-honored best abs
exercises.
If you understand the basics of abdominal anatomy as well as how fat
loss and muscle building actually works, you’ll be well set up to
perform the best abs exercises for women. Stop wasting your time and
energy on ineffective abs exercises; read this article to learn how to
finally achieve the flat, muscular tummy you’ve always wanted.
The Bracing Maneuver
To protect the spine and get more out of the exercises by engaging
the transversus abdominis, you’ll want to perform the “Bracing Maneuver”
while doing abs exercises. To brace, simply pull your belly button in
toward your spine by actively contracting your deep abdominals. This is
different from “sucking it in”, which comes from the diaphragm. Do the
bracing maneuver, keeping the deep core tight, while you do all of the
best abs exercises described below.
The Vacuum
This exercise isolates the transversus abdominis, that deepest
abdominal muscle responsible for supporting the internal organs and
stabilizing the spine.The vacuum is sometimes performed in yoga
practice, as it is a great way to stabilize and strengthen the deep
core.Whether or not you’re a yoga practitioner, everyone can benefit
from increased tone in the transversus abdominis, since more core
support means greater strength and less chance of injury. Also,
increased strength of the transversus abdominis will naturally slim your
figure and improve posture!
Don’t skip this one! To perform the vacuum, you can stand up straight or bend over at a
slight angle with your hands on your knees.You can even go down on all
fours to increase the resistance once you’re comfortable with the basic
movement.The movement is similar to the bracing maneuver you should be
performing during all abs exercises, but it is more forceful. As you
exhale deeply, contract your abdominal muscles strongly so that your
belly button area pulls in toward your spine.
This is different from
“sucking it in,” which comes from the diaphragm. Focus on clenching the
abs rather than just sucking in your stomach. Hold for a count of ten,
then release. Inhale deeply and repeat the exhalation/contraction three
more times, not 20-30 times like the other exercises. You can do the
vacuum exercise every day to firm up your waistline faster.
