Reverse the move to return to the starting position.

Keeping your core braced, slowly bring your left elbow and knee toward one another.Place your left fingertips behind your left ear. Lie on your right side (feet stacked) and prop yourself up on your forearm, lifting your hips so that your body is straight from head to heels.Make it easier: If this move is too difficult you can modify it by keeping your legs on the ground and only elevating your torso.īenefits: Stability takes center stage with this plank variation, which forces you to perform it in an already challenging position.

Slowly reverse the move to return to the starting position.

Keeping your core braced (imagine someone is about to punch you in the gut) and legs straight, and making sure not to push with your grounded hand, raise your torso and legs off the ground simultaneously and bring them toward one another.

Lie on your right side with your legs straight, feet stacked, and your right arm extended in front of your chest on the ground, palm down.

Oblique V-upīenefits: The focus here is on side flexion of the obliques and on going as far into the end range of motion as you can. Now that you know what obliques are, you’re ready to develop them. Why They’re Important: These muscles work cooperatively with your internal obliques, so if your internal obliques are stabilizing and bracing your core before you swing a baseball bat, it’s your external obliques that take advantage of that stability to bring the bat around with as much power as possible. What They Do: Each one works in conjunction with the internal oblique on the opposite side of your body to rotate and bend the torso sideways, as well as with the rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscles) to flex the trunk forward. What They Are: A thin layer of muscle that runs across your internal obliques, extending from the middle of your rib cage down to your pelvis. The more stable you are, the more strength and power you can generate and apply to the movement. Why They’re Important: In addition to rotating your torso, the internal obliques help to stabilize your body, keeping you balanced while you walk, run, throw a ball, or pick something up off the floor. They can also assist in breathing during exhalation. What They Do: Help rotate and bend the torso in concert with the external obliques.

What They Are: Muscles that run from your lower ribs down to your hip and pubis. There are two different types of obliques - internal and external - and both are part of our core musculature.

Crunches workout