20 Best Oblique Exercises for a Solid Core

A solid core is important for athletes or recreational exercisers to perform their sport or physical activity effectively. Oblique exercises are critical to building and strengthening your core muscles, so developing a routine that includes these moves is vital. 

In this blog post, we'll cover the 20 best oblique exercises to give you maximum results in the least amount of time. We'll outline what each exercise does, provide videos and descriptions of how to do them correctly and suggest additional information on factors like rest and recovery for optimal performance. By the end of this blog post, you will have everything you need to start building a solid core with practical oblique exercises!

20 Core Crushing Oblique Exercises 

1. Dumbbell Side Bend

Maintain a straight posture with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a dumbbell with your hand towards your hip, and position your left hand behind your head. Pause while bending to your right as far as you are capable of. Continue to the end of the set, and then swap sides.

1. Russian twist 

Sit on the ground and extend your legs in a straight line. Slightly lean back, forming a V with your body and legs, and stabilize your abdominal wall to activate your core. While maintaining balance and keeping your legs still, shift your body to the side.

1. Pallof press

Align your body parallel to a cable machine. Ensure that your body is facing forward, then put your hands to the middle of your chest and push out gently. Return your hands to your chest slowly and repeat.

1. Cross-body mountain climber

Begin in the push-up position. Bring one knee across your chest to your opposing elbow. Maintain your core tight with your shoulders engaged—alternate knees. To adjust if you lack flexibility, pull your knee to just below your hips or as far as is comfortable for you. You should form a straight line from your head to your hips to your heels.

1. Side plank

Tighten your abdominal muscles and pull your belly button toward your spine. Exhaling, lift your hips and knees off the mat. Keep your torso straight without any drooping. Maintain the position. Inhale and return to the beginning position after many breaths. 

1. Trunk rotation

Exhale and gently twist your torso in one way and maintain your upper arms at your sides, elbows bent, and hands at your midline. Head, chest, and torso should move in unison, and you should avoid tilting your torso in the direction of your movement.

1. One Arm Overhead Press

With one hand on a dumbbell, stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Press the dumbbell overhead while squeezing your glutes and bracing your core. 

1. Side Bends

Maintain a shoulder-width stance while carrying a medium-to-heavy dumbbell in the right hand.

Engage your core and bend to the right toward the floor at the waist. Let the weight guide your descent. Using your core, return your body to the starting posture.

1. T-Rotation 

Begin with the push-up position. Transfer your weight onto your left arm and twist your body to the right until you are in a side-lying place. Pause for three seconds before switching sides and continuing the exercise.

1. Bicycle Crunch

You should bend your hips and knees 90 degrees so the lower legs parallel the floor. Put your fingers along the sides of your forehead and raise your shoulders off the ground. Rotate your upper body to the right as you move your right knee toward your left wrist as quickly as possible. At the same time, extend your left leg.

1. Spiderman Push-Up

Begin in a push-up position. As you lower your body, raise your right foot off the ground, swing your right leg out to the side, and attempt to connect your knee to your elbow.

1. Corkscrew

Begin by laying on your back with your legs in the air. Heels over your hips, knees bent, and arms at your sides. Pull your legs together, raise your hips off the floor, and point your toes toward the sky as you turn your knees to face your right shoulder.

1. Medicine Ball Slam

With a shoulder-width distance between your feet, hold a medicine ball in front of your right hip. Raise a medicine ball, standing on the balls of your feet and pivoting your right foot to spin your torso to the left. Swing the medicine ball with force outside your left foot. Should create a "rainbow" formation.

1. Heel Taps

Lay flat on your back with your heels close to your glutes. Raise your shoulders off the ground and use your right hand to contact your right heel, followed by your left heel with the other hand.

1.  Cable Woodchop

Go to a machine with a cable. Grasp both handles of the rope and then slightly bend one knee, shoulders positioned perpendicular with both hands on the rope. With arms stretched over the opposite shoulder and a forward gaze, bring the rope across the body to waist level.

1. Standing Side Crunch

Begin with slightly bent knees, your feet hip-width apart, and your hands behind your head. Transfer your weight to the left leg, crunch to the right side, and drive your right knee near your elbow. Return to the starting position by lowering the right leg. 

1. Plank Hip Dips

Begin in a low plank position with your body in a straight line, elbows bent beneath your shoulders, and feet hip-width apart. Tilt your hips to the right and lower your body to the floor.

1. Pallof Press

Grasp the handle or strap and move away from the connection point. 

Bring your hands close to your chest. You should gently rotate your shoulders and extend your arms straight in front of you. Then, extend your arms to their furthest extent. After pausing for a few seconds, carefully return your hands to your chest.

1. Barbell Rollout

Overhand, grasp the barbell with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Let the barbell slowly roll out in front of you as your body moves forward. Let the barbell roll entirely in front of your head as you proceed. Get as low as possible, ideally achieving a position where your shoulders are parallel to your torso.

1. Dumbbell March

Hold one dumbbell with either hand and lift the opposite leg. Swap arms and legs and continue to march, lifting your legs to form a 90-degree angle. 

Exercising should be fun, so be creative and find what works best for you and your lifestyle. In the meantime, feel free to check out our fitness products. Happy Training!

Concluding Thoughts 

Now that you know the 20 best oblique exercises for a solid core, you can see results in just a few workouts. Finding the proper routine that works for your body and sticking to it will be vital in achieving your goals. Keep in mind that consistency is paramount if you want lasting results. How often and intensely you do these exercises will depend on your fitness goals. Furthermore, no single exercise regimen will give you the same results as someone else – make sure to assess yourself regularly, ask for feedback from experts or friends and be patient. Remember: with perseverance, anything is possible!