Cross Crunches
Cross crunches are an effective move for targeting the obliques, and there are several variations of this exercise that you can do which are explained below. The movement begins in the position of a standard crunch. Instead of crunching straight up, however, crunch over to your left side by rotating your body, bringing your right elbow towards your left leg.
Hold the position at the top of the movement to emphasize the work of your obliques, then return to the starting position slowly. You can perform all of your reps on the left side and then move on to your right side if you like, however it may be easier to alternate between crunching to your left and right on each rep. Difficulty Rating: 1 Variation with Reach
This exercise is performed the same way as the one listed above except here, you reach towards your side as you crunch upwards. Aim to reach past your knees on every rep. By extending your arms out and reaching like this, it is usually easier to raise your shoulders a little bit higher off of the mat. This increases the contraction of your abs and obliques. Difficulty Rating: 1
Variation on Fitness Ball
For this variation, try performing the exercise on a fitness ball. As you perform your crunches on the ball, keep your feet placed close together. This will make it more difficult to stay balanced and thus, increase the intensity of the exercise by placing more effort onto the obliques. Conversely, the wider your feet are spaced apart, the easier the exercise becomes. Difficulty Rating: 2
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