Wouldn't it be nice to be able to relax with a six-pack? Ok, maybe we aren't thinking about the same thing here... I'm not talking about relaxing in front of the television with a cold one. I'm talking about not having to worry about having a gut to go with that cold one.
We all strive for those etched in stone abs with deep cuts that you could wash clothes on. However, obtaining those abs aren't as easy as what people may think. Many think that if they simply do a whole bunch of crunches that they will have abs of steel in no time.
You use your lateral abdominal muscles when you rotate your upper body or lean side-to-side. Technically, your lateral abdominal muscles are the internal oblique and external oblique muscles; you can collectively call them "the obliques" too. Several exercises and exercise variations will work these muscles. Choose one or two to complete each exercise session. The American College of Sports Medicine's Guidelines for Exercise Testing and Prescription recommends modifying your routine every two to three sessions to include different exercises for your internal and external obliques.
Get some 10 pound dumbells and start off with your feet shoulder length apart, knees slightly bent. Lean to your side using your torso only with dumbells in hand. Do 2 sets of 15 alternating each side. Also get a 5 pound dumbell a towel or blanket for you back and do a holding crunch for 60 secs. While alternating the dumbell to the ground on each side back and forth. Keep your feet under a piece of heavy furniture if you can't keep them on the ground. This should help.
Vary your typical sit-ups by rotating your torso on the way up. Alternating right and left rotations will build your lateral abdominal muscles equally on either side. Do this for incline sit-ups, incline bench sit-ups, and raised leg sit-ups too. Strength Training Anatomy affirms that this shifts the workout from your rectus abdominis (your anterior abdominal muscle) to your obliques.
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