Isolate Obliques for a Deeper Twist

This TOTW is all about how to get deeper into your obliques! In order to really isolate the work this muscle group, you generally need to plant either your shoulders or your hips, and rotate your spine around one of those fixed points. Let’s go deeper with that info! I’ll help you find greater control over your movements so you can go deeper and work your abs more in your twists!

More on the obliques:

Your obliques are your second deepest abdominal layer, connecting your pelvis to your ribcage in two diagonal lines. In order to deepen your oblique engagement in twisting, you generally need to fix either your shoulders or your hips in place. Twisting both the shoulders and the hips is 100% the way to get into a deep stretch, BUT if you want your abs to do the work, you have to ground through one of these joints. Otherwise, your hips and/or shoulder joints will cheat the rotation work away from your core.

Hot Tips for Class

• Ab Work on Your Back

  • Go deeper, not bigger: Twist opposite rib to opposite hip vs elbow to knee.

  • Think about your waist as a towel you are trying to "wring out."

• Plant your feet to plant your hips

  • When you twist your hips, you twist your feet! If the goal is to keep your pelvis still, use your feet as a guide.

• Smaller can actually be better

  • Ex: Hip rotations in a plank: If you're really keeping your shoulders still, your hips can't rotate more than a few inches without taking your shoulders with them. Try a smaller range of motion, but feel the work even deeper in your abs!

Want More? Try it with me in an 8-minute Ab workout on YouTube!