Anatomy of the oblique muscles and function of the external oblique muscle
The lateral abdominal muscles are usually divided into two general categories: internal and external. The external muscles are larger in size.
It is from them that the so-called abs cubes are formed. The internal muscles are invisible from the outside. All muscles are connected to each other.
Anatomy of oblique muscles
Note! The lateral abdominal muscles form the muscular frame of the torso, so when exercising these muscle groups, rapid fatigue and frequent muscle pain are possible.
The function of the oblique muscles is to allow rotation and flexion of the spine.
When tilting to the left, the right oblique muscle is activated, when tilting to the right, the left one. If the lateral muscles are damaged or atrophied, the ability to turn is blocked, the body remains in a static position.
Features of abdominal training
The abdominal muscles can be exercised twice a week. However, there is no point in developing them throughout the entire training session, since the athlete will not be able to do 5-6 exercises of 2-3 approaches for one muscle group. The abdominals quickly start to burn, and overuse of this area can lead to lingering pain and muscle spasms for the next few days. The best option is to combine the exercise of the abdominal muscles with training other parts of the body. Abdominal exercises can be added to any workout plan. To ensure uniform development of this zone, it is recommended to add three exercises to the training program, one for each abdominal area. They can be performed both before training, since various twists and lifts perfectly prepare the lower back for training, and at the end of the session.
Useful tips
To make side press exercises most effective, consider the following recommendations:
- Always warm up your muscles before starting a workout to help prevent fatigue and tearing.
- The optimal frequency of home workouts and gym sessions is 2-4 times a week.
- Avoid a heavy breakfast before training.
- Do not start eating immediately after finishing class.
- Start pumping up the lateral abdominal area with exercises of easy difficulty level, gradually increasing the load.
- Classes should be regular and intensive. Choose a complex that is right for you.
- A special diet for toned abs will improve the effectiveness of your workouts.
- Drink plenty of fluids.
- Combine abdominal workouts with moderate cardio exercise.
- Do not cut your nutritional intake in half; calculate the optimal amount of calories for your body.
Tiring workouts in the gym every day will not bring the desired results, but will exhaust you. Overexertion is fraught with injuries that take a long time to recover in this area, so the load on the body must be calculated rationally.
Advanced level
When you already perform the exercises from block 1 without additional effort, move on to the next stage.
- Sit comfortably on an exercise mat with your legs straight and one arm behind your head. Now we begin to lift one leg, bent at the knee, and at the same moment we pull the bent elbow towards it.
After they meet, return to the starting position. Switch arms and legs and do this exercise again. - You can do a version of this lift when your feet are on the mat (for convenience, bend them at the knees) and fixed, and your hands are behind your head at the back of your head. You only need to raise your body and reach the opposite knee while twisting with your elbow.
- How to pump up oblique abs in other ways? Side Knee Raise . To perform this complex, you need to sit on your side, leaning on your elbow. We place the other hand behind our back. Legs straightened.
Now simultaneously pull your knees towards your chest, but try to do this in such a way that they do not touch the floor. Relax and do 10-20 repetitions, and then turn over to the other side. - To know how to pump up the sides of your abs, you need to understand how your muscles work. Naturally, the more they stretch and contract and tense, the better. Therefore, the most suitable exercises for complication would be crunches on the horizontal bar, where you will experience maximum loads. And if earlier we simply raised our legs sideways to different levels, now your task will be to linger at the extreme points of tension. The longer you can hang like this, the better.
- One of the most difficult ways to work on the horizontal bar is turning. We hold tightly to the bar and begin to describe an arc with our legs in the air. This exercise requires excellent coordination.
- Do you think I told you about all the ways to pump up oblique abs? Of course not! I have a couple more blanks for the strongest and most stubborn ones. We will do bends with the bar. To do this you will need either a short 10kg bar or a long 15 or 20kg bar.
Feet are shoulder-width apart, and the handle of the bar rests on the trapezius. Now we bend to the sides, trying to fixate ourselves in order to feel the full stretch of the muscles. Make sure that the body does not deviate from the straight axis. - Want to diversify? Do exactly the same tilts, but with a turn. Try to stand very steadily so as not to lose your balance. After all, you will have to lean forward and at the same time turn your body to the side towards the opposite leg.
- The following invention from fitness instructors, called “The Lumberjack,” will help narrow your waist. To do it, you need a simulator with an upper block. Grab the soft handle with both hands and pull it from your right shoulder to your left leg and vice versa, making chopping movements.
So, today we studied how to pump up your side abs at home and what you can do in the gym for these muscles.
Warm up before exercise
Stretching exercises
Before performing oblique exercises, men and women need to do a 5-7 minute warm-up. It will prevent tears and other injuries, and also prepare the fibers for stress:
- Warm up cardio. Cardio exercises prevent the condition when a person “pulls” a muscle. This warm-up consists of a quick run or walking in place for 1-2 minutes. Can be combined with high knee raises.
- Joint warm-up. Each exercise in the complex is repeated 10 times. All large joints are worked out: rotation of the ankles, hands and elbows, as well as circular rotation of the knees and hip joints. Additionally, you can rotate your shoulders and elbows.
- Dynamic stretching. Perform each exercise for 20 seconds. They start by stretching upward - reaching their arms towards the ceiling, then stretching their joints by bending their straight arm and holding it with their other hand. Next, for stretching, do lateral bends, bends towards the legs, squats with a back arch. You can include forward lunges and lateral leg stretches in your warm-up.
After completing the workout, perform a cool-down - fast walking, slow swings of arms and legs, weak stretching.
Preparing muscles for load
Before you get started, follow two rules. To maintain a consistently high energy level, eat a snack 2 hours before class. Choose a fast-digesting lean protein product that provides nutrition to myofibrils.
Another important condition is warming up. Sports injuries are rare when performing any exercise for the oblique muscles. Troubles occur due to haste and poor body warming. The appearance of heat provides elasticity to the fibers, minimizing the risk of deformation and stretching. In addition, blood vessels dilate, the molecular bonds of oxygen with red blood cells are weakened, and endurance increases. During a warm-up, the body releases hormones that control energy levels and transport amino acids into muscle cells.
I want to draw the sides!
I'll start with the main thing. If you perform basic exercises correctly, your abs should develop quickly. How much depends on individual characteristics. By means of slight adjustments, you only need to “paint on” each muscle to a visible relief.
Let me make a reservation right away: there is no “upper abs,” “lower abs,” or “middle abs.” This is a single, inseparable muscle corset in the area of our abdomen and waist. There is no need to divide it into parts.
Someone says: “It’s made in the kitchen!” - and it is true. Someone is indignant: “I'm tired of hearing for the thousandth time that abs are made in the kitchen! This is wrong!" - and he’s not wrong either. If you work out as hard as you can, but don’t see results, it means you forgot about the B/F/U ratio. And remember that power loads are of no use here. In this case, the aerobic method with less effort will lead to results without losses and injuries.
Three main postulates:
- any muscle fiber works only when it contracts;
- nutrition is required to thicken these fibers;
- skeletal muscles are not adapted to work under constant load.
It is clear that in order to get rid of excess food, you need to reduce carbohydrate foods, and to increase meat, you need to increase protein foods. And what is especially important: if the muscles are overworked, they become exhausted.
Safety precautions
When doing crunches, try not to let your chin touch your chest, and don’t lift yourself by your neck. This may cause injury.
When bending to the sides, do not bend; all movements should be in the same plane. Don't forget to drink water between sets.
Before starting classes, carefully study the technique of performing the exercises.
After exercise, be sure to stretch your muscles - this will help them recover faster.
You can hang from a bar, do a bridge, or do upward dog pose.
Lying down, stretch to touch the bent knee of your right leg to the floor to your left. Repeat with the other leg.
If your external oblique muscle hurts, then most likely the load was excessive.
Aching, nagging pain occurs in the case of minor tears in muscle tissue or minor sprains.
They subside within a couple of days as the fibers recover
This is why it is so important to correctly calculate the load, warm up well before training and perform the exercises smoothly.
If the pain does not subside after a few days, there is a risk of muscle rupture. It's better to see a doctor.
Do not heat or apply ice to a sore spot when injured. You can easily rub anti-inflammatory ointment and tighten the area with an elastic bandage or bandage.
It doesn’t matter where you work out - at home or in the gym. Considering the habitual way of life of a modern person, it is impossible to do without physical activity.
Considering the habitual way of life of a modern person, it is impossible to do without physical activity.
The main thing is to train regularly and do the exercises correctly, then you will see the results faster.
It would be good in everyday life to try not to “loose” your stomach, and to constantly keep your muscles toned.
This is especially important for those of us who spend most of our time sitting at a desk. At first, you will often catch yourself feeling that your abdominal muscles are relaxed, you are hunched over and “spread out” in your chair
Pull yourself up and keep on your toes
At first, you will often catch yourself feeling that your abdominal muscles are relaxed, you are hunched over and “spread out” in the chair. Pull yourself up and continue to keep yourself in good shape.
A little time will pass and you will become uncomfortable working in a relaxed position.
Having made this your habit, you will very quickly find that the body begins to respond to efforts, the figure becomes more toned, the waist decreases, and the posture is leveled.
Agree, to achieve such a result it is worth trying and putting in a little effort.
