Don't Do This Exercise Unless You Want a Thicker Waist!
I have seen (and continue to see) countless people in various stages of physical fitness perform this exercise. I have even seen trainers recommend this exercise to their clients. Frankly, it just makes me cringe every time I see it. It is the very definition of an average Gymbro exercise. It makes it look like you know what you're doing to the untrained eye, but those of us who know better just shake our heads.
Don't get me wrong, I've actually tried to tell people what I'm about to tell you with mixed results. Some have thanked me for the information. Others have looked at me like I'm the imbecile. Well, at least I tried.
So which exercise is it? It's the weighted oblique crunch (or side bend or oblique bend)… whatever you want to call it, it’s a waste of time and may potentially result in injury.
Just because an exercise is popular, doesn’t mean it’s effective, and this is exactly the case with the weighted oblique crunch. Here are the top 4 reasons you should remove this old-school, useless movement from your workout for good (oh, and keep reading. I'll tell you how to properly and optimally build obliques at the end of this post).
why skip weighted oblique crunches
1. May Cause Back Problems
If the weighted oblique crunch looks awkward, you are spot on. It IS awkward. You see, lateral spinal flexion (i.e., bending from side to side) puts your spine in a vulnerable position, especially if you are holding a heavy weight. You should abstain from this movement altogether in order to avoid putting undue stress on your back.
2. Worst way to train Your Core
Your core is designed to resist movement, not create it. The core muscles are anti-movers, which means that their function is to stabilize the spine while the appendages move. Their bracing effect protects your spine and helps transfer power between your lower and upper body (e.g., such as when you swing a bat or throw a ball). The weighted oblique crunch takes you through a very limited range of motion, one that you will likely rarely use in sports or your daily life... except perhaps if you are a Playboy Bunny.
3. Way Too Easy
This exercise is stupidly simple, which may explain why it's so popular (especially with the "gymbro" muscleheads, who love to side crunch with 45 pound plates to show off their "brute strength" <insert eye roll here>). In reality, however, moving a weight up and down over a few inches hardly qualifies as a challenging (or very effective) exercise.
4. Will Not Define, Spot Reduce, Or Shred
If I had to guess why so many people keep doing this useless exercise, it’s probably because they think that it will serve to spot reduce their love handles give them more definition in the oblique area.
Well, hmm, kinda… not so much. Although weighted side bends will certainly build up your oblique muscles, they are totally useless for defining them or reducing love handles. Only your diet can do that (contact me for more information if you're interested in learning how). The irony is that developed oblique muscles just make you look thicker around the waist, which is likely the antithesis of most people’s intended goal.
Simply put, the bigger your obliques are, the fatter you look.
3 STeps to Properly Build Obliques
So now that you know what you should NOT do, you are probably wondering what in the world you SHOULD be doing. Fortunately, there are many effective exercises that target these muscles properly and safely.
1. Heavy Compound Lifts
I only train my abs once a week, have never done side crunches (my back is still in tact as a result), and my obliques are decidedly the best part of my physique. Contact me for more information about my NEW YOU programs.
If you are already doing heavy, compound lifts, like squats and deadlifts every week, you don't need to worry about doing side bends. The squats and deadlifts alone should sufficiently develop your core and obliques without having to do countless crunches of various sorts.
2. Proper Oblique Targeting Exercises
If you remain unsatisfied with your oblique development despite a solid number of weekly squat and deadlift reps in your repertoire, stick to stabilization, rotation and isometric movements. Some sample exercises to strengthen obliques while maintaining a small waist are:
Twisting Cable Crunches - this is a great isolation exercise for your abs and obliques.
Air Bikes - According to a study conducted at San Diego State University’s Biomechanics Lab, this is the single most effective exercise you can perform if you want to work your rectus abdomens muscles (i.e., these form the “six-pack” at the front of your abdomen) and the second most effective exercise you can perform if you want to work your oblique muscles.
One-Arm Dumbbell Farmer's Walk - In this exercise, you hold a dumbbell to your side and walk while keeping your torso upright vs. tilting your torso,. This builds your obliques and increases overall core stability.
Side Planks - This is the most basic, but highly effective exercise to work the core muscles on the side of your body.
Pallof Press - this is an anti-rotation exercise. This movement trains the same muscles you use in the weighted oblique crunch, but in a way that’s more functional to sports performance and injury prevention.
3. Diet
There is little doubt that developed obliques are undoubtedly one of the most attractive features of a great core when you are lean (with "lean" being the operative word, because even if you have strong developed obliques, you won’t see them under a layer of fat).
This means that the single MOST IMPORTANT element of building a washboard stomach that you can proudly flaunt on any beach (and your Instagram) is diet… diet… diet! You can roll out the ab wheel 400 times and do cardio all day long, but if you don’t eat the right foods in the right quantities, no one will ever see the strong abs you’ve worked so hard to build.
If there’s anything you remember from this read (other than to never do oblique crunches), it’s that abs and obliques are created in the kitchen!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victoria Gregory is an Integrative Nutritionist, NASM Certified Personal Trainer, and founder of NEWTRITION NEWYOU. Her focus—whether with private clients, readers of her blog, or her followers on social media— is whole body wellness, incorporating whole-food nutrition, supplementation, exercise, toxin-free living, and mindset coaching. Victoria’s personal mission is to help make the world a healthier place, one person at a time, and she has helped thousands of people find joy and self-love through better eating habits and mindfulness. Learn more about Victoria.