Twisted Crunches For Obliques

The regular crunch exercise works the main portion of your ab muscles, but there is more to working the abs than that. With a slight twist, we can use the crunch to also hit our obliques.

The Twisted Crunch

If you remember this video of mine, then you already know one the best exercises to work your abs: the regular crunch. But, as hinted above, it alone only hits the portion of your abs that runs from the ribcage to the pelvis. To the left and right, there is a bit more muscle on your abs, the “obliques”.

There are various exercises to target them, but one of the easiest to implement into your schedule is the twisted crunch. Just a slight variation of the movement you do during a regular crunch and your obliques share some of the workout goodness as well:

When To Do Them

If you follow a 3-day-split and finish each session with an ab exercise, then simply reserve one of those occasions for the twisted crunch. For example, on Mondays you do regular crunches, on Wednesdays lying leg raises – which will target the abs, but also the deeper abdominal muscles – and on Fridays twisted crunches.