When it comes to the core, the rectus abdominis, or 6 pack muscles, get all the shine.
But the workhorse of the midsection that often gets overlooked, and are crucial for athletic performance and injury prevention, are the obliques.
I explained the importance of a balanced core training strategy with the “box concept” here.
But years of chronic low back pain, and the need to fortify my spine and low back, drove me to discover the power of the obliques.
I never realized how much of a game changer they are for pain and performance, and unfortunately, how underdeveloped mine were until I found a better, more integrated way to strengthen them.
Let’s first look at why obliques, then how to best develop them for BJJ performance and resilience.
Functions of The Obliques
You have two layers of oblique muscles, the internal and external. The internals laterally flex and rotate you toward the same side, while the externals rotate you toward the opposite side.
They are the primary muscles of rotation, however also provide stability and help pull the rib cage down towards the pelvis.
The obliques also help force air out of the lungs upon exhalation, which is an important function for optimal nervous system regulation.
If the obliques are weak, a series of problems can occur, including anterior pelvic tilt, which can contribute to lower back pain, or a flared ribcage.
When ribs are flared, this usually means they are stuck in an inhaled or externally rotated position. This compresses the muscles of the back and could leave you in a low level state of “fight or flight.”
From a performance standpoint, any type of rotational movement will benefit from strong obliques. As we know, nearly every move in jiu-jitsu is rotational, from sweeps to takedowns to passes, but the obliques also drive any kind of side bending like shrimping and crunching.
Plus, they are the key players in anti-rotation too.
So, not only will oblique strength, power, and endurance have a huge impact on your performance, they also stabilize the pelvis and spine for injury resilience.
How To Best Train The Obliques
Most people target the obliques with inferior exercises like Bicycle Crunches, Russian Twists, Side Planks, and Renegade Rows. While these may be minimally effective, they fail to integrate the obliques with the rest of the body, as they were designed to function.
Targeted oblique exercises may help to strengthen weak muscles, but to fully express their power you must work them in chains with other muscles above and below.
The following exercises strengthen and integrate the obliques with the rest of the body for a more optimal training experience, starting with the least demanding, up to the most advanced.
1. Crawling
Crawling is an easy way to hit the obliques anywhere, anytime in a fully integrated way with the rest of the body.
As we developed as babies, crawling was a pivotal step that helped us integrate our upper and lower bodies through the core, ultimately preparing us to walk.
The upper body including the arms, shoulders, and back must work contra-laterally with the opposite lower body, down through the hip, knee, and ankle.
Simply crawling for distance can be an excellent challenge for the core and a total body workout.
To target the obliques even more, try to maintain a flat back with no movement of the spine. This will challenge anti-rotation, however the coiling crawl is my preferred way to train.
2. Turkish Sit Up
The Turkish Sit Up is the most targeted oblique exercise of this list, and in fact, is the best way I know of to target them with heavy loads.
The concentric contraction needed to drive up against a 70lb+ kettlebell is like nothing I’ve felt on any other exercise.
Plus, you integrate the upper body through the shoulder, lat, and serratus anterior while stabilizing overhead, and the lower body through the glute when driving down through the foot.
I also think the Turkish Sit Up is one of the most functional and relevant exercises you can do for jiu-jitsu.
3. SUITCASE Carry
The Suitcase Carry with one arm is an excellent way to build strength and endurance in the obliques.
In this exercise you are maintaining your rib cage down while resisting side bending.
You are also building grip strength and endurance, an added benefit for BJJ, while working in a gait pattern.
Any time we can improve our ability to walk is beneficial, so this one offers many benefits for the busy grappler.
4. Club Pendulums
Any standing rotational club exercise, like the Circle or Mill, will work the obliques in the best way possible because you’re hitting the entire oblique sling the way it was designed to move.
The oblique slings are lines of muscles that connect across the body from the shoulder down to the hip. They facilitate the most fundamental human movements including walking, running, and throwing.
And there is no better way to train the slings than with heavy clubs.
The Club Pendulum is essentially a side clean that also includes a lateral hinge.
Of all the standing club movements, the club pendulum works the obliques the most.
5. Landmine Clean & Jerk
Finally, the landmine clean and jerk is the fullest expression of integrated oblique strength and power.
The reason being is that you are performing the full coiling core movement on both sides of the body under heavy load.
To clean the weight up, you must maximally coil, or contract, flex, and rotate to one side, then explosively coil to the other side.
You repeat this when you jerk the weight overhead, taking the body though a fully integrated rotational sequence from the ground up.
Just a few weeks of these will have your midsection performing and looking much better.
Final Thoughts
The obliques are the secret weapon to performance and injury resilience. If they’re weak and underdeveloped, you may be increasing your chances for injury while limiting your performance potential.
But to get the most from your oblique training, don’t isolate them like most programs would suggest.
Work them in an integrated way that incorporates the hips, upper torso, and shoulders, and in a way that you can load with some real weight.
The exercises above are a good place to start.
What’s your favorite way to train the obliques? Did I miss any?
Feel free to reply here.
WHENEVER YOU’RE READY, THERE ARE 4 WAYS I CAN HELP YOU:
1. Start improving your BJJ durability and performance with the new Foundations of Rotational Strength.
2. Fortify your body for BJJ with this free course on the Grappler’s Get Up.
3. Apply for 1-on-1 coaching here.
4. Join the free weekly newsletter here.
