Obliques!?

So I can train everything else via bodyweight/gymnastics and I am making great progress. However my obliques are severely lacking. I know how to train them well with weights( heavy side bends, russian twists, etc) I am having a hard time training them without weights!?

I know of the wipers on the floor even with weight around my ankles those arent terribly difficult.

Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

Thank you

Side flags and air babies.

Buy the book.

Have the book.....thanks though.

There's also a essay by Coach that is sticky on developing a side flag. Do you not like the exercise?

Besides, the obliques are highly active during many core exercises, not just side bending and twisting. Front levers and HLL both have high obligue activation. Harder plank variations highly recruit the obliques as well.

Sorry my response seemed crass.

i can do flag on either side fairly well, and havent seen any noticeable difference in my obliques, same with air babies its driving me crazy! I cant do full one handed air babies(im close) I dont feel it in obliques ar all.

Only thing I can tell you then is to try the ab wheel roll outs, body saws, front levers, and weighted HLL.

You can also give these a try:

05Q74zvdrAc

MzlP-mqrvQ0

Couple ideas for you, first try doing side levers like a dragon flag instead a body lever(ie dont keep you body straight, instead keep you torso horizontal the whole time and lift and lower you legs at the hips all the way up and down), that way its a dynamic moving exercise rather than a static stabilizing exercise. Second, try circular HLL with our without weight. Third, try twisting front levers, where you keep you body horizontal while doing a motion like a floor windshield wiper.

Hello,

first post here

I realize it is not a bodyweight exercise, but what about Saxon Side Bends? In my opinion it is a great exercise and you will need much less weight than with regular side bends.

Another idea I just thought of would be the following exercise for lateral flexion (abduction) with a few changes:

(source: http://www.exrx.net/Articulations/Spine ... chor166721)

Instead of positioning the body in a ~60° position in relation to the floor (as shown in the link above), position the body horizontally. Basically just like hyperextensions but lying on the side. Additionally, holding the arms straight overhead and placing weight in the hands would intensify this exercise.

What you end up with is a saxon side bend in a horizontal position rather than in a vertical position. This is obviously much better because you have a greater ROM to work with.

The only downside is that you will need a setup to do this.

Does this make any sense?

PS: I just tried this exercise and I like it!!

Awesome responses guys thank you!

Triangle, Ill try some more HLL but I came over from rosstraining and have worked up to one arm standing rollouts... Damn obliques just dont want to show i guess :x

About 2:23 in the video is me

That's beastly, bro. Maybe they are there and you need to cut some weight?

Human Flags can be a quite good exercise, Yes I know, they have already been suggested, and you said you can do them. But unless you can hold it for 60 seconds, then you still have not gained all the basic strength possible for that exercise. (The Guiness book of world records is 39 seconds, if you have 60 seconds GO FOR THE RECORD :twisted: ) If Human flags are to easy then add weight to your ankles, if that does not help your obliques, then you probably don't have the proper genetics to look that way, but trust me you will have the strength.

Enjoy mate!

The NewGuy

Thanks guys.

Ill work on flags and see where it goes, I think my bf% is low enough as I have a visible 8 pack.

Thank you again for all the responses gave me a few things to think about.

If your goal is bigger obliques, and you can't do it without weights, then use the weights? I don't see the aversion to using them if they further your goal, unless you goal is to attain a certain look without weights (for whatever reason). I personally find mixing a weighted and bodyweight exercises to be both more fun, and more effective than one alone. But that is just me.

Im not opposed to weight nick. I just am traveling currently and cant lug weights with me from city to city.

Stall bar windshield wipers are probably where you should be looking since the floor version is easy for you, along with side lever negatives if you can do them. For the definition you need hypertrophy, so perhaps modulating the intensity and volume for your obliques into more of a bodybuilding format will help! 10 sets of 10 tempo reps with side plank lifts should do the trick cosmetically. You may need help rolling out of bed after the first workout but that's a separate issue.

You have some good ideas too, so run with it and see what happens! I look forward to hearing about what works for you!

Timy, I came here from RT background too. I know your freakishly strong from posts over on ross' forum so I would recommend you try wipers and side lever pulls but with a tempo, like Coach uses in many of the WOD's. From following ross' style training for 2-3 years my mentality was mostly get a lift or the reps done, so the biggest change for me doing the WOD's was strictly following the tempo on the prescribed exercises. Just try different tempo's and see how you feel the next day then either make it a longer time under ascent and descent (or shorter if you are too sore). That's how I would approach it anyway. Everyone is different though so choose whatever works for you.

P.S Good luck with the 30 muscle ups!

Cheers, mic

What do gymnasts do for anti-rotation and twisting types of trunk strength?

Excuse my ignorance but what is RT? What forum are you talking about? :?:

omegant said:

Excuse my ignorance but what is RT? What forum are you talking about? :?:

www.rosstraining.com

www.rosstraining.com/forum

Thank you, I´m going to check it out!

Thanks guys!

Mic-its coming along man, each week I am able to drop my rest times.

Patrick- I would guess anything with a pommel horse, I want a mushroom that folds up and goes in a suitcase!!!!! :twisted:

Mic-its coming along man, each week I am able to drop my rest times.

Nice, seems like pretty consistent progress. I might experiment myself using it for pushups just as a test, its a different method than I have heard of before for increasing reps/endurance. I think I will maybe leave the muscle ups until my false grip gets better, mine slips after about 5 muscle ups at the minute and I cant go to striaght arms without losing my grip.