OBLIQUE CRUNCH

Face a high cable pulley with a rope attached to it on your knees with your body angle about 45 degrees from the pulley. Grab the ends of the rope with your left hand and keep your arm out in front of you with your elbow bent about 90 degrees. Maintain this arm position throughout the movement. Use your obliques and abs to bend at the waist bringing your left elbow down toward your left knee. Hold the bottom position for a second as you contract your obliques and abs then slowly return to the start and repeat for reps. Once you have completes all reps on the left side, repeat on the right.You can also do this exercise using a D-handle attached to the cable

The best to do the standing cable oblique crunch is to place a D-handle or stirrup handle on the cable pulley station so that the handle is just above hip height. Stand sideways to the cable pulley with a hip-width to shoulder-width stance while holding the handle with your arm extended down at your side. Contract your oblique muscles to bend your torso down to the side, bringing the handle down toward the floor on the outside of the same side foot. Resist the weight back up to where the weight just touches the stack and repeat for reps. Complete all reps on one side and then repeat on the opposite side. This version allows you to use more weight for a stronger contraction of the oblique muscles and a greater range of motion. Both aid better oblique muscle development and core strength.

One trick I recommend is placing your opposite hand on your obliques so that you can feel them contracting. This allows for a better mind-muscle connection to help you recruit more of the oblique muscle fibers for even better development.

START: Lie on your back, knees bent about 60 degrees and feet flat on the floor. Drop your knees to the left side so that the outside of your left leg is flat on the floor with your knees still bent and the right leg on top of the left. Cup your hands behind your head.

MOVE: Curl up as high as you can to bring your shoulders and upper back off the floor. Hold this position for a second before slowly lowering back to the start. Complete the desired number of reps and then repeat on the left side.Note: this exercise can be made more difficult by holding a weight plate on your chest.

Lie sideways on an angled back extension bench with your ankles supported in the ankle pads and your right hip supported on the seat pad. Bend your torso down toward the floor as far as possible and then using your oblique muscles pull your torso back up as high as possible. Hold this position for a second contracting your obliques as hard as you can and then lower your torso back down towards the floor and repeat for reps. Once you have completed all reps on the left side, turn over on the bench so that your right hip is supported on the seat pad and perform in a similar manner to work your oblique muscles on the right side.

Lie sideways on an angled back extension bench with your ankles supported in the ankle pads and your left hip supported on the seat pad. Bend your torso down toward the floor as far as possible and then using your oblique muscles pull your torso back up as high as possible. Hold this position for a second contracting your obliques as hard as you can and then lower your torso back down towards the floor and repeat for reps. Once you have completed all reps on the right side, turn over on the bench so that your left hip is supported on the seat pad and perform in a similar manner to work your oblique muscles on the left side.