Oblique Exercises With Knees

The oblique muscles on the sides of your abdomen are important parts of your core that help flex and rotate your lower spine. The obliques come into play during many athletic movement, such as the twisting in your golf or tennis swing. Many oblique exercises replicate those trunk twists while others use various knee movements to target your core. Some employ both.

  1. Two Knees to Chest

    • The captain’s chair exercise is the most efficient oblique-strengthening activity you can perform, according to a 2001 American Council on Exercise study. Lift yourself off the floor by gripping the hand holds and resting your forearms on the arms of the captain’s chair apparatus, which basically simulates a pair of parallel bars except it has vertical hand grips. Begin with your legs straight and then lift your knees slowly until they are bent at right angles. If you don’t have access to a captain’s chair, try a reverse crunch. Lie on your back, then raise your legs so your thighs are vertical and your knees are angled 90 degrees. Raise your hips and draw your knees toward your head while maintaining the 90-degree knee bend. Return to the start position and repeat.

    Alternating Knees to Chest

    • The bicycle maneuver is the second-best oblique exercise, according to the ACE study. Lie on your back and raise your legs as you did for reverse crunches. Place your hands behind your head with your elbows pointed away from your sides, then bring your right knee toward your chest, twist your torso to the right and try to touch your right knee with your left elbow. Straighten your right leg, then bring the left knee in, twist to the left and try to touch your left knee with your right elbow.

    Twists

    • Incorporate oblique twists into your routine by doing a lying knee raise. Lie flat on the floor with your legs extended and then raise your legs a few inches above the floor, keeping your knees straight. Slowly bring your knees toward your chest and then twist your torso to move your knees from side to side before returning to the starting position. Alternatively, raise your knees toward your chest, use that point as your starting position and then keep your legs together as you swing your legs from side to side. Maintain your knee bend -- which should be a bit less than 90 degrees -- and bring your knees as close to the floor as you can on each side. Make the exercise more intense by holding a weight plate in between your knees.

    Standing Side Crunch

    • Stand straight, then assume the starting position by lifting your right leg to the side and bending your knee so the sole of your shoe points behind you. Your raised thigh and shin should both be roughly parallel with the floor, with your knee bent at a right angle. Place your hands behind your head with the elbows pointed away from your sides, then crunch to the right side and try to touch the raised knee with your right elbow. Perform the exercise on both sides.

    Considerations

    • Speak with your doctor before you start any new exercise program, particularly if you haven’t exercised for a while or you have any health issues. Warm up before your workout with five to 10 minutes of light aerobic exercise. Stop performing an activity if you feel pain.