The belief that working your obliques would cause an enlargement in the waist is quite widespread.
First of all, what are obliques?
The external oblique muscles are large muscles on the side wall of the abdomen and extend from the pelvis to the ribs. All together, the outer oblique muscles cover the outer sides of the abdomen.
They are responsible, among other things, for the rotation and support of your trunk.
Logic would therefore say that the more we work on them, the more they become apparent and the more we enlarge our size. In fact, it's a bit more complex and difficult than it might sound.
Indeed, one would have to spend an enormous amount of effort and time on this muscle region to reach a level where it will become apparent like Arnold Schwarzenegger's of old!
In addition, all the abdominal muscles are rather enduring muscles and which do not tend to hypertrophy (grow). So it is possible to gain muscle strength and endurance by doing specific exercises for the oblique muscles, but it is very difficult to make these muscles bigger.
Why is it difficult to make your obliques "fatter"?
The reason is very simple: the external oblique muscles are small in size so it is difficult for them to develop to the point of becoming prominent like the biceps for example. It should also be mentioned that, since your obliques are used at little amplitude, the majority of the exercises that require them will not allow you to overload them, conditions necessary for building muscle mass.
Why is it important to work this muscle region?
As mentioned above, strong obliques will give you stability and power.
In all sports where the trunk must perform rotations (tennis, badminton, hockey, baseball), the obliques will play an important role in developing power and increasing striking force.
In other sports where the range of motion in the trunk is reduced, they will play a role as stabilizers. For example, when you hike or run, your obliques help keep your core stable. Note that the faster you go, the more your obliques will be used.
Strong obliques will allow you to stabilize your core so that movements starting from your shoulders and hips can be carried out with more confidence and power.
Ultimately, maintaining this muscle region will decrease your risk of suffering from muscle imbalances.
If your goal is to have ripped abs, we suggest you read this article.
How to work the obliques?
Here are a few exercises that will specifically target the obliques:
The side plank (with or without weight)
The Russian twist (with or without weight)
Lunges with twist (with or without weight)
The bicyclette
If you avoided this kind of exercise for fear of seeing your size grow, rest assured, it will not happen! Why not incorporate some specific exercises for this part of the body into your muscle building sessions?
Good training!
I kickboxed for 4 years and the obliques are still quite solicited (for kicks among others). And on the contrary, I had a much thinner waist!
Wonderful! Thank you
It's nice!