Why The Obliques and Abdominals Go Together Like Peanut Butter and Jelly

For all the people out there wish for a washboard stomach, they often miss an important piece of the puzzle... the oblique muscles. This muscle group is located to the outer sides of the abdominals and wrap just over the hip region. What makes the obliques and abdominals work so well together is that they interlock in a well formed muscle mass. Performing a variety of oblique exercises will accentuate efforts placed on the abdominals. In some individuals, the obliques can form lines running directly into abdominals, thus establishing a very aesthetically pleasing physical appearance.

Neglecting the oblique muscles can result in a poorly defined torso. Much like the majority of teenage boys who only focus on how much they can bench press, others focus solely on the abdominals without much thought given to the obliques. This type of muscular neglect can result in under development or injury. The good news is that it is never too late to start training. Here are some helpful tips to keep in mind when training the obliques:

• Don't go for heavy weights, it doesn't take much to engage the obliques.
• Smooth and controlled motions will tone the muscle better than fast, jerky lifting motions.
• Hold the at the peak moment of whatever oblique exercise you are performing, this forces the muscles to stay contracted longer therefore making the exercise more difficult and yielding greater results.

So next time you're out there doing your ab workout, be sure to incorporate some twisting motions into the ab exercises. Bicycle kicks are a great way to involve the oblique muscles as well as sit-ups with an elbow to knee twist. For every set of abs, try to get one set of obliques, I think you'll be quite surprised at the results.