Most people treat their obliques like an afterthought. They spend forty-five minutes grinding through crunches and then throw in a couple of half-hearted side bends at the end of their workout. It doesn't work. Honestly, if you want that "V-taper" or the functional strength to actually move heavy weight, you have to stop treating these muscles like tiny accessories.
The obliques are actually two layers: the internal and external. They don't just sit there to look pretty. They are your body's primary rotational breaks. They stop your spine from twisting when it shouldn't and provide the torque when it needs to. If you're wondering how to build oblique muscles, you need to understand that tension matters way more than reps.
Stop counting to twenty. Start making every second hurt.
Why your side-crunches are probably useless
You see it in every commercial gym. Someone grabs a 25-pound dumbbell and leans side to side like a human metronome. It’s a waste of time. When you perform a standing side bend with a weight in one hand, the weight is actually helping you come back up on the eccentric phase. You aren’t fighting gravity effectively.
Dr. Stuart McGill, arguably the world’s leading expert on spine biomechanics, has spent decades proving that the "crunch" motion isn't even how the core is designed to function. The core is a stabilizer. To really get those obliques to pop, you need to challenge them to keep the torso rigid against outside forces. This is called anti-rotation.
Think about a Pallof Press. You stand sideways to a cable machine, hold the handle at your chest, and press it straight out. The cable is trying to yank your torso toward the machine. Your obliques are screaming to keep you centered. That constant, isometric tension builds density that high-rep floor exercises just can't touch.
The anatomy of the "Side Abs"
Your external obliques are the ones you see. They run diagonally downward from your lower ribs to your pelvis. When they’re developed, they create those "finger" muscles that frame the six-pack.
Right underneath them lie the internal obliques. They run in the opposite direction. Together, they form a cross-hatched wall of muscle. This structure is incredibly strong. It’s designed to handle massive loads. If you're only hitting them with bodyweight movements, you're essentially trying to build a chest like Arnold by doing nothing but wall push-ups. It’s not going to happen. You need load.
Exercises that actually move the needle
If you want to know how to build oblique muscles that people actually notice, you have to embrace the heavy stuff.
The Suitcase Carry is the king of oblique builders, yet almost nobody does it. Grab the heaviest dumbbell you can hold in one hand. Now, walk 40 yards. Don't lean. Keep your shoulders perfectly level. Your opposite-side obliques have to fire like crazy to keep the weight from pulling your spine into a curve. It’s simple. It’s brutal. It works.
Then there’s the Hanging Leg Raise with a Twist. Most people swing their legs. Don't do that. Pull your knees to your chest, then pivot your hips at the top. This targets the lower fibers of the obliques that often get missed.
- Woodchoppers (Cable or Band): These mimic an actual athletic movement. High to low, or low to high. The key isn't the arms; it's the pivot of the back foot and the crunch of the torso.
- Side Planks with a Reach-Under: A standard side plank is fine for beginners. To make it an oblique builder, reach your top arm under your body and rotate your chest toward the floor, then back up. This adds a dynamic rotational component to a static hold.
- Russian Twists (The Right Way): Stop tapping the floor with your hands. Hold a weight. Keep your back flat—not rounded. Move the weight by rotating your entire ribcage, not just moving your arms back and forth.
The "Spine-Health" trade-off
There is a limit to how much "bending" you should do. Constant spinal flexion—especially with weight—can irritate the intervertebral discs. This is why many modern strength coaches, like Mike Boyle, have moved away from traditional sit-ups and toward "core stability" training.
🔗 Read more: Why That United Healthcare TV Commercial Is Everywhere Right Now
You can build massive obliques without ever doing a crunch. Hard heavy lifting—deadlifts, overhead presses, and front squats—requires the obliques to stabilize the trunk. In fact, a study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research showed that the core activation during a heavy overhead press was significantly higher than during many dedicated "ab" exercises.
Don't ignore the big lifts. They provide the foundation. The isolation work provides the detail.
Nutrition and the 12% rule
Let's be real. You can have obliques the size of dinner plates, but if your body fat is over 15%, nobody is seeing them. They’ll just look like a thick waist.
To get that "cut" look, you usually need to be under 12% body fat for men and under 20% for women. This isn't about "spot reduction"—that's a myth. You can't burn fat off your sides by doing side bends. You burn fat by being in a caloric deficit.
Focus on high protein to maintain the muscle you're building. Aim for about 0.8 to 1 gram of protein per pound of body weight. Without the protein, the heavy suitcase carries will just leave you sore without the hypertrophy.
✨ Don't miss: When am i gonna die: What the Science of Longevity Actually Says
Frequency: How often should you train them?
The obliques are mostly Type I muscle fibers. These are "endurance" fibers. They recover fast. You can probably train them 3 to 4 times a week, but you shouldn't train them with heavy weights every single time.
Mix it up. Do one day of heavy anti-rotation (carries, Pallof presses) and one day of higher-rep rotational work (woodchoppers, twists).
Consistency over intensity.
If you go too hard on day one, you won't be able to sneeze without pain for three days. Ease into the volume. The "soreness" in your obliques feels different than your biceps; it's a deep, internal ache that makes literally every movement—even breathing—uncomfortable.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Over-rotating: On movements like the Russian twist, people often twist until they feel a "pop" or a stretch in their lower back. Stop. The lumbar spine only has about 10-15 degrees of total rotation. Most of your "twisting" should come from the thoracic spine (mid-back) and the hips.
- Using Momentum: If you're swinging the weight, the muscle isn't doing the work. The weight should move because your muscles are contracting, not because you gave it a head start.
- Holding your breath: This is a big one. To properly engage the deep core, you need to learn "bracing." Take a breath, expand your stomach (not your chest), and tighten your abs like someone is about to punch you. Maintain that tension while you breathe in small "sips" during the set.
Actionable Steps for Your Next Workout
Don't just read this and go back to your old routine. Change one thing today.
✨ Don't miss: Finding an Accurate Picture of a Black Vagina: Why Medical Diversity Still Matters in 2026
Instead of your usual ab circuit, try this:
Pick a heavy dumbbell. Do a Single-Arm Suitcase Carry for 30 seconds per side. Rest 30 seconds. Do 3 sets.
Immediately follow that with Half-Kneeling Pallof Presses. Get down on one knee, stay tall, and fight the cable.
Finally, finish with Side Plank Hip Dips. 15 reps per side.
Do that twice a week.
Monitor your waist measurement. If your waist is getting wider but not leaner, back off the heavy side-bends and focus more on the "hollow body" holds and anti-rotation. You want density, not a blocky silhouette.
Building these muscles takes time because they are stubborn. They are used to working all day just to keep you upright. You have to give them a reason to grow. Load them, challenge their stability, and get your body fat low enough to let the hard work show.
Check your posture in the mirror. Often, "hidden" obliques are just the result of an anterior pelvic tilt. Tucking your tailbone slightly and engaging your lower abs can make your obliques look more prominent instantly. It’s not magic; it’s just alignment.
Start heavy. Stay consistent. Stop crunching.