Hitting all areas of the core requires doing more than just crunches, sit-ups and leg raises. These popular ab moves all occur in the sagittal plane of motion, and they’re perfectly fine to do — just not exclusively because the muscles of the core are also highly involved in the other two major anatomical planes: frontal and transverse. This bodyweight obliques workout will get you moving through different planes, so consider it your ticket to an all-around stronger core.
This routine hits the frontal plane with a vengeance via a trio of side-bend exercises, plus a dose of transverse with a twisting movement (low-plank body saw). The side bends target the obliques, the diagonal muscles that run on either side of the torso, while also hitting deep core muscles and the rectus abdominis (six-pack) to an extent.
The four moves in this routine may look basic at first glance, but they’ll provide a surprising burn to your midsection, particularly with the 60-second sets programmed by ISSA-certified trainer Aneshea Shali, owner of Core Camp Challenge. “These are some great bodyweight core exercises that can be done anywhere,” she says. “I recommend incorporating these exercises into your daily routine for best results.”
Bodyweight Obliques and Core Workout
Complete each of the below four exercises for three sets, doing continuous reps for 60 seconds and resting another 60 seconds between each set. Between exercises (after set No. 3 of a given move) rest only 15 seconds.
If you’re at an advanced level or have done the workout multiple times, Aneshea recommends scaling up the workout as such: “You can add more sets and/or increase the duration of each exercise the more comfortable you become to challenge yourself.” This could mean, for example, doing four to five sets per exercise and/or 90 to 120 seconds per set.
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