As mentioned, your internal and external obliques will work in unison but in the opposite manner. In other words, there aren't 'external' oblique exercises, nor are the 'internal' oblique exercises. Still, these two sets of muscles always work in unison together. That being said, when we speak of training the 'obliques,' we generally refer to the external obliques as that's what we see. We're pretty sure you could guess which one is which, but the internal obliques sit superficial to the external obliques. Yes, there are actually two sets of obliques, with one set lying beneath the other. Lastly, we have internal and external obliques. When comparing your abdominal muscles, the transverse abdominis is the primary muscle used to create internal abdominal pressure. The transverse abdominis basically wraps around your core and acts like a corset, keeping everything nice and tight. These are primarily responsible for your spine and core flexion (as with a crunch). Your obliques are two of four main abdominal muscles:Īs mentioned, your rectus abdominis is two independent sets of parallel muscles which run up the middle of your stomach. Pay attention to the information because if you follow the advice in this guide, you're going to look better, perform better, and create a stronger core to decrease injury. This article will tell you all you need to know and more: So, with the obliques top of mind here, we are going to provide you with 9 of the best exercises to build an insanely powerful set of obliques.

But they do more than that, such as enhancing your overall aesthetics. Having a strong set of obliques is crucial to help with rotation and even more importantly, to resist rotation. One of those is known as the obliques (internal and external obliques).

While there's nothing wrong with those exercises or placing focus on your abs, the core is actually composed of multiple muscle groups that also need attention. Give your sides some love! When people think about the 'core', they usually just consider the rectus abdominis (aka the 6-pack muscle), with exercises like hanging leg raises, planks, and maybe some crunches or sit ups.

Oblique crunch