Oblique Crunches
Oblique crunches are used to train the obliques, which are the missing link for many people in their midsection development. Start by lying on the mat and swinging your legs to the right. This positioning of your legs will put your torso at an angle. Perform crunches in this position to feel the effort in your obliques. Difficulty Rating: 1
Crunch up and contract your abdominal core, then slowly return to the starting position. Double Crunch Variation
In this variation you perform a double crunch to really emphasize the contraction of the obliques. Start by lying directly on your side with your body in a straight line. Place one hand behind your head and the other one on the ground for stability. Raise your head and shoulders toward your side while simultaneously raising your legs up as high as possible. Keep your legs straight as you do this. The range of motion will be short as you will not be able to raise your legs very high. Nevertheless, you will feel an intense contraction in the obliques as you perform this exercise. Difficulty Rating: 2
Variation on Exercise Ball
In this variation, you begin by placing an exercise ball a few feet away from a wall. Position yourself so that you are lying on the ball on your side, with your feet resting against the wall. Bring your head and shoulders upward as you feel the contraction in your obliques. This is a very challenging exercise, particularly because it is so difficult to maintain your balance in such a position. This, of course, only adds to the tension on your abdominal core, helping you get the best results. Start with lower reps until you feel comfortable with the movement and are able to keep your balance for the duration of the set. Difficulty Rating: 3
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