The 20 Best Exercises to Sculpt Your Obliques

Why: This is one of the most popular exercises to train your obliques, and for good reason. The plank is a simple, accessible movement, and flipping to the side gives you a potent bracing and stabilization challenge.

How to Do It:

• Lie on one side with your legs straight and prop up your upper body on your forearm. Raise your hips so your body forms a straight line from your head to your heels.
• Brace your abs and squeeze your glutes to hold the position.
• If you want to make it harder elevate your feet or add a torso rotation.

Sets and reps: 2 to 3 sets of 40 second holds per side

Why: This slightly-tougher side plank puts even more onus on the obliques.

How to Do It:

• Get down on the floor on your side, placing one elbow on the floor stacked directly beneath your shoulder.
• Extend your legs out, then rest your weight on the top foot and brace your core to elevate your body off the floor, resting on your elbow and foot.
• Drive your bottom knee up, as if you were raising it up to run.
• Hold this position, maintaining tension to keep your spine straight and your torso from falling forward, then return to the floor.

Sets and reps: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 second holds per side

Why: Add abduction to the equation with this variation of the side plank.

How to Do It:

• Start in the side plank position on your side with your elbow on the floor stacked below your shoulder.
• Bend your knees together on the floor. Push your elbow and bottom knee into the floor and press upward, raising your top arm and leg up in the air in the shape of a star.
• Hold this position for a count, then return to the start.

Sets and reps: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 second holds per side

Why: Add an rotational element here, giving your obliques a challenge and introducing spinal mobility into the equation,

How to Do It:

• Get into a high plank/pushup position, with your hands on the ground directly beneath your shoulders, your feet on the floor in line with your hands, squeezing your glutes and abs to create fully body tension and keep your back level.
• Push one hand into the ground, then lift the other off the floor, rotating your torso to reach up to the sky.
• Keep your eyes locked onto that hand as you raise up. Pause for a count, then rotate back to the starting position

Sets and reps: 2 to 3 sets of 10 to 20 second holds per side

Why: You’ll need a weight bench (or some other sturdy platform of similar height) for this plank variation, which challenges you to elevate your body above the ground for a tougher stabilization.

How to Do It:

• Get into a side plank position, with your outside foot up on the bench. Squeeze your upper abs, hips, and obliques to keep your hips up and your spine straight.
• For the standard variation, keep the leg closer to the ground off the floor.
• If you want an additional challenge, you can give the version of the Copenhagen plank add the knee drives with the lower leg.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 10 to 20 second holds per side

Why: As if the standard Copenhagen plank didn’t provide enough of a challenge, this variation pushes you to keep bracing your core to stay in position while you add an extra element that will throw you out of posture. You’ll have to fight to keep from shifting your torso forward or dropping your hips.

How to Do It:

• Start in a Copenhagen plank (as outlined above). Hold a light weight overhead in your non-balancing arm.
• Keeping your hips and shoulders square to the front, lower the weight in front of your torso. Pause and hold briefly.
• Raise the weight back to overhead to the starting position.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps per side

Why: Loaded carries are an underrated core strengthening move as you brace to support the load. This single-arm variation adds an element of anti-rotation, leaning on your obliques to keep your torso upright and balanced.

How to Do It:

• Grab a heavy dumbbell in one hand and stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Hold it with your palm facing your side and the dumbbell hovering a few inches away from your body.
• Brace your abs like you’re about to be punched in the gut and walk for a prescribed distance.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 30 seconds per side

Why: The Pallof press is an anti-rotation exercise, so the key is keeping your torso totally locked-in. Think of this as a full core move that gets the whole unit involved.

How to Do It:

• To start, stand or kneel next to a cable machine or a resistance band tethered to a low anchor point. Set up away from that anchor point far enough that there’s tension.
• Hold the handle of the cable or the band in your hands and brace your core and squeeze your glutes.
• xtend your arms out, fighting against the rotational force to keep your torso stable.
• After a count, return to the starting position.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per side

Why: This exercise might not look like much, but it can be very effective for both core training and as a means to promote better shoulder stability and hip mobility.

How to Do It:

• Start in a half-kneeling stance, slightly wider than usual.
• Press the kettlebell straight overhead. Keep your ribcage tight by squeezing your abs and glutes.
• Look up to the kettlebell, then push your butt back and rotate your chest open as you lower down to the floor. Keep the weight elevated.
• Reverse the movement to the upright position.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps per side

Why: Only add this exercise into your ab training if you’re going to do it the right way. Too many guys rush through reps, which isn’t just ineffective—it could put you at risk of injury, too.

How to Do It:

• Sit down on the floor or on a mat, keeping your feet on the ground. Your heels should stay on the floor, but your toes can be off the ground. Squeeze your glutes for stability.
• Lean back, forming a right angle from your torso relative to your thigh.
• Raise your arms out in front of you. Look up at your hands (and the weight, once you progress to working with a load)—you’ll keep your gaze trained there throughout the movement.
• Rotate your torso from one side to the other, pausing for a beat in the middle position between each rep. Move slowly, and keep your eyes on the weight. Keep the load out as far as possible to keep the lever long to challenge your abs. Only work within you range of motion; once your hips and knees begin to shift, you’ve gone too far.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 15 to 20 reps

Why: The goblet squat is a great way for beginners to learn the basics of the squat—but it can also provide a potent challenge for the obliques once you’re working with heavier loads as you engage your core to stay in position.

How to Do It:

• Take a comfortable stance and grab your weight, holding it in front of your chest with both hands.
• Squeeze your shoulder blades to create mid-back tension to help support the load.Before you descend into the squat, take a deep breath and brace your core. This will help you to avoid tipping too far forward.
• Push your butt back, then bend your knees to squat down as low as you comfortably can while maintaining the proper upright posture. Push your knees out and keep your core engaged; don’t rest your elbows on your knees.
• Press off the floor with both feet to stand back up, squeezing your glutes and exhaling at the top.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 6 to 8 reps

Why: This tweak to the classic cable fly puts your obliques on notice as you battle to keep your hips square to the ground while the resistance pulls you upwards. It’s a solid chest-day finisher that blasts your abs too.

How to Do It:

• Set up in a cable machine, holding the handles in a bear plank position.
• Perform alternating pressing reps with either arm. Squeeze your abs and glutes to keep your hips and shoulders square.

Sets and reps: 3 sets of 8 to 10 reps per arm

Why: This classic stabilization exercise challenges your obliques. Emphasize the squeeze at the top of each reach, and you’ll feel it.

How to Do It:

• Get into a tabletop position with your hands directly under your shoulders and your knees directly under your hips.
• Simultaneously lift your left arm and right leg. Pause for 5 to 10 seconds before lowering.
• Repeat on the other side.

If you want to make it harder, elevate your knees so they hover just a few inches off of the floor.

Sets and reps: 3 rounds of 8 to 10 reps per side

Why: The mountain climber isn’t just an a