obliques

[chilango1986]

So Its been some time since I have been back to the gym , recently put on a few more lbs than I wanted mainly cause haven't been watching what I have eaten but Im pumped and ready to hit it, have my meals ready and everything down but just wanted to know because I gained my weight solely in my obliques , So my question is there a way i can target that area, would really like to lose the love handles. So is it all about dieting and cardio, or ab workouts? i had a buddy of mine tell me to wrap a trash bag around my midsection to sort of target the area im trying to lose. Just looking for suggestions to help me .

[PORTERHOUSE]

So Its been some time since I have been back to the gym , recently put on a few more lbs than I wanted mainly cause haven't been watching what I have eaten but Im pumped and ready to hit it, have my meals ready and everything down but just wanted to know because I gained my weight solely in my obliques , So my question is there a way i can target that area, would really like to lose the love handles. So is it all about dieting and cardio, or ab workouts? i had a buddy of mine tell me to wrap a trash bag around my midsection to sort of target the area im trying to lose. Just looking for suggestions to help me .

Your buddy is an idiot. No such thing as spot reduction, dropping your bf% is the only thing that will help reduce your midsection. You shouldn't neglect ab/oblique training though, it's not only good to have a strong core, but I have seen guys diet down to 3-4% that have no visible abs because the thought it was entirely dietary related (I was one of them, about 5 years ago). Also, the obliques fat mass is coming from your lower back, work on strengthening your lower back and glutes in addition to abs/ob's to help carve the area when your lean.

[Solid Dreams]

Your buddy is an idiot. No such thing as spot reduction, dropping your bf% is the only thing that will help reduce your midsection. You shouldn't neglect ab/oblique training though, it's not only good to have a strong core, but I have seen guys diet down to 3-4% that have no visible abs because the thought it was entirely dietary related (I was one of them, about 5 years ago). Also, the obliques fat mass is coming from your lower back, work on strengthening your lower back and glutes in addition to abs/ob's to help carve the area when your lean.

This is one of those things where people will debate the shit out of it.

Not the targetted fat loss bit, yeah that's dumb, but whether you should train your obliques. some people say yes, some people say no dont do that you moron if you do they get wider.

I dont know myself, but I figure if big Evan doesn't, then I might as well not try it. I do a ton of crunches/leg raises/etc, and sometimes I'll throw a twist in or two, but I try not to do weighted obliques for sure.

[PORTERHOUSE]

This is one of those things where people will debate the shit out of it.

Not the targetted fat loss bit, yeah that's dumb, but whether you should train your obliques. some people say yes, some people say no dont do that you moron if you do they get wider.

I dont know myself, but I figure if big Evan doesn't, then I might as well not try it. I do a ton of crunches/leg raises/etc, and sometimes I'll throw a twist in or two, but I try not to do weighted obliques for sure.

haha yea everything is a debatable in this game. I think it's important to have a strong core, but that doesn't necessarily have to come from direct ab training. Obliques, again, A lot of guys get away without training them. I personally train both abs/obliques, I feel that it enhances the deepness effect when I'm down low. I don't bust my balls on them though...

And either way, developing your lower back/glutes will not only help with the "tucked" look, it will help stave off injury and help with your compound movements as well.

You really can see the difference in some guys, when they diet down, who have neglected ab training. No washboard, more like an ironing board. Guys like Evan have years of compound movements that help develop the core as a by-product, whereas newer guys don't.

I gotta tell ya though, In my personal experience, oblique training hasn't made them wider, I just have deep grooves.

[masonjc]

Working your lower back will help reduce your obliques? Other than deads what other exercises do you suggest for lower back?

[chilango1986]

So ok figures the best thing to do is continue with my dieting , and intake to get my BF% down . Which completely understand but yeah i Figured that the spot reduction was non sense but just wanted to double check. And as far as cardio with trying to bring out abs and the obliques down , 20 mins a of interval cardio be ok? or whats some suggestions. And any routines for abs/obs routine would be very helpful/.

[PORTERHOUSE]

Working your lower back will help reduce your obliques? Other than deads what other exercises do you suggest for lower back?

Not directly, but most oblique fat starts at your lower back and the top of your glutes, its back fat that is wrapping around, so what I mean is that by working these area's, you will not only be helping yourself out in the gym, but the entire area will have a better "tuck" to it when you diet down. The diet is really king here, but making sure you have the entire area developed will enhance the area.

Hyper extensions and good mornings are what I use. I don't pull when I'm dieted down anymore because I tend to get injured. When working lower back, don't get crazy with weight, form is extremely important. An injured back can dictate the rest of your life.

[PORTERHOUSE]

So ok figures the best thing to do is continue with my dieting , and intake to get my BF% down . Which completely understand but yeah i Figured that the spot reduction was non sense but just wanted to double check. And as far as cardio with trying to bring out abs and the obliques down , 20 mins a of interval cardio be ok? or whats some suggestions. And any routines for abs/obs routine would be very helpful/.

I liek HIIT ok when gaining, but it tends to kill me when Im dieting down, some guys love it though, it depends on what you can handle. I personally use fasted cardio on off days, usually 45 mins, low intensity, heart rate about 125. On training days, 30 mins low intensity post training. As my diet progresses, I may add a second cardio session in the evening, anywhere from 15-45 mins depending on how I feel.

I don't use a specific routine for abs, like i siad in aprevious post, I don't bust my balls on them. I like incline sit ups, leg lifts, bicycle kicks, swiss ball crunches, stuff like that. Obliques I do weighted extensions, cable bends, cable twists, cable chops etc... look some moves up on line and try em out to see if you like them.

[Saeger]

Your buddy is an idiot. No such thing as spot reduction, dropping your bf% is the only thing that will help reduce your midsection. You shouldn't neglect ab/oblique training though, it's not only good to have a strong core, but I have seen guys diet down to 3-4% that have no visible abs because the thought it was entirely dietary related (I was one of them, about 5 years ago). Also, the obliques fat mass is coming from your lower back, work on strengthening your lower back and glutes in addition to abs/ob's to help carve the area when your lean.

Thanks for the words of wisdom, I myself have some "love handle" issues that I have had my whole life and I'm tired of them. Looking forward to getting rid of them.

[Joe J]

Your buddy knows nothing about fat loss clearly. We can debate all day over training obliques, I personally stay away from training the obliques. But as others have stated, spot fat reduction does not exist.

[Aggression]

So Its been some time since I have been back to the gym , recently put on a few more lbs than I wanted mainly cause haven't been watching what I have eaten but Im pumped and ready to hit it, have my meals ready and everything down but just wanted to know because I gained my weight solely in my obliques , So my question is there a way i can target that area, would really like to lose the love handles. So is it all about dieting and cardio, or ab workouts? i had a buddy of mine tell me to wrap a trash bag around my midsection to sort of target the area im trying to lose. Just looking for suggestions to help me .

Wrapping a trash bag around your waist will only rid that area of excess water weight .. temporarily. You're basically mimicking a sauna suit around your obliques. Its a quick fix, one that would only last a few hours. If you solely gained excess weight in your oblique area, then that should be the first area to shrink down due to proper dieting. So I'd recommend cleaning up the diet and doing some cardio. In time, with consistency and dedication, they'll get back into shape. As for training them? I usually throw in some type of oblique training. If I'm doing 4 sets of abs, I may do 3 sets of standard abs and then one final set targeted solely at the obliques.

[Big Wides]

Train your obliques dude, these muscles are important espically as you start moving any type of weight, espically in the squat, dead, and bench. Think about it, they are your last stabilzer muscle in your gut area (I hate the word/term "core") to keep you straight and in proper form. To build them up, which adding more muscle burns more fat, I suggest some of the following exercises:

Barbell Twists
Elbow to Knee Crunches
Twisting while doing leg raises

If you wear a belt, tighten up your abs and push out against the belt, this helps build your abs too

Also, my favorite obliuqe exercise is the Landmine. There used to be a link on here from Powerfreak (miss this fucker) where you put a barbell in the corner like your doing a T-bar row, stand it up on the end and twist the weight so that the plate clears your hip. Once it does that then return the bar till it's back in the center, do the same for the other side which counts as 1 rep.

[Deathride]

As above. No such thing as spot fat removal.

My favourite oblique exercises
- One handed farmers walks - keep yourself bolt upright as you go and feel the strain on the opposite side.
- Asymmetric barbell leans - put weight on one end of hte barbell only, put it in the squat position, then lean towards the weight to work the opposite side. Pull yourself back up using only the abs.

Boom.