17 Comments

  1. Dave - Not Your Average Fitness Tips
    May 1, 2011 @ 4:42 pm

    Definitely some great oblique exercises. I like to perform them all. It means nothing without having low enough body fat though.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 4, 2012 @ 8:52 am

      Very true, thanks for the comment Dave. It doesn’t matter how nice your obliques are if you’ve got too much fat covering them.

      Reply

  2. Brandon
    March 21, 2012 @ 2:25 pm

    Would you consider Gymnastics Circles aka Pommel Horse to be a great oblique workout?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 23, 2012 @ 1:35 pm

      Brandon, you know what man, those actually do look really good.

      There isn’t too much “bending” or twisting and the movement looks a lot like a side plank.

      I’ve been doing side planks and straight planks with a rocking squeeze and it’s been working nicely … this looks like it produces the same effect.

      Here ya go -> http://youtu.be/u_iG_DWLdN8 Bob Harper showing us how it’s done! 😉

      Reply

  3. Keith
    March 23, 2012 @ 9:50 am

    Great post Kevin. However, I agree with Dave, although doing these exercises will build a strong core, most people will never be able to truly see their results because they’ll always have too much body fat.

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 23, 2012 @ 1:36 pm

      Absolutely Keith, there’s no denying that when it comes your core, abs and obliques that it takes low, low body fat for them to really look great.

      Reply

  4. Troy
    March 23, 2012 @ 11:50 am

    Kevin, Renegade rows are incredible. A while ago I ran across Steve Maxwell’s Man Maker movement with kettlebells – super set of renegade rows, clean and press with dual kettlebells. Brutal.

    Which made me come up with a question for you. What do you think about weighted oblique exercises such as kettlebell windmills?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 23, 2012 @ 1:41 pm

      Hey Troy,
      I honestly haven’t done much (any) actual kettlebell workouts so … now that I’m back from watching videos on YouTube … I’m not really a fan.

      These don’t look like they’re BAD for your spine or anything but it sure looks like it would build size in the obliques. In my opinion, I think you should try to keep your obliques small and dense to give your upper body a V shape … just my $.02!

      Reply

      • Troy
        March 23, 2012 @ 4:18 pm

        Back to the pull-up bar to build the V and the Bulgarian Training Bag to burn the fat. And then hit your top-3: renegade rows and side planks both high and low. Sounds like a great plan to prep for summer.

        Reply

  5. Brad
    March 24, 2012 @ 1:45 pm

    Renegade rows are one of my all-time fav total core movements. Unfortunately people often try to lift too much weight when they do it which ultimately reduces the effectiveness of the movement.

    Cool looking site too…I even see you used a picture of me in one of your lower abs articles!

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 25, 2012 @ 12:51 pm

      Hey Brad, heck yeah dude, you’re ripped! I wasn’t sure if that was you or not. I’ll add a link to your site under the pic.

      Reply

  6. Robert King
    March 24, 2012 @ 2:42 pm

    Kevin,

    The obliques are one part of my body which I’m hoping to improve this year. Right now, mine are still a bit too rounded and bulky, so over the course of this year, I hope to make them more like the picture on the right rather than the picture on the left.

    My plan is to get my body fat percentage down as far as I can, then use specific oblique targeting exercises if needed.

    What percentage of body fat should I be aiming for in order to get a better idea of whether or not I might need to introduce oblique exercises? I would assume under 10% right?

    Reply

    • Kevin
      March 25, 2012 @ 12:55 pm

      You’re totally right Robert, it’s really all about low body fat percentages. I’d say around 10% and below is when the exercises would make a noticeable difference. Of course, the lower you go the more noticeable the differences will be. Also, it depends on where you store most of your fat. Most of us guys store our stubborn body fat on our abs and obliques but there or some other guys who are a bit more fortunate and their body fat is more evenly distributed.

      Reply

  7. Clint - Crude Fitness
    March 25, 2012 @ 2:20 pm

    Hanging leg raises (side,front,side) variations are also great for obliques.
    As are high-to-low cable ‘chopping’ movements etc.
    So many great exercises, so little time 🙂

    Reply

  8. Niko
    March 25, 2012 @ 9:19 pm

    Kevin,
    Great post on how to achieve awesome obliques. For me it’s not only about being able to see my obliques, but also how much having a strong core improves my athletic performance. For years I had a weak core and performed average in the gym on on the football field. Over the last few years I have worked on strengthening my core and as a result my overall strength and explosive power on the football field has improved dramatically. For those wondering, football to me is Rugby League, it’s kind of like NFL without all the pads and helmets.
    Niko

    Reply

  9. Jesse
    September 27, 2012 @ 6:38 pm

    I think the smaller obliques look stupid. the ones on the left are much better

    Reply

  10. Jamal
    July 2, 2013 @ 8:39 pm

    I have a very narrow waist, and I am wondering what or which exercise would you recommend for me to increase my waist measurements without adding fat?

    Reply

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