The activity oblique twists the lateral muscles of the stomach. Highlights the waist and strengthens the press.
Oblique twists are important for the balanced development of all abdominal muscles as a whole, as well as for strengthening the lumbar region and preventing spinal injuries. Strong oblique stomach muscles play a decisive role in performing blows with a turn of the body in tennis, hockey, golf, boxing and martial arts, when turning and tilting the torso in various directions during game situations in football, handball and basketball.
Technique of carrying out the exercise: Oblique twists
- Lie on the floor and bend your knees. Turn slightly to the side until the knee touches the floor. Put one hand behind the head and put the other on the thigh.
- Take a breath. Holding your breath, strain your stomach’s oblique muscles and try to “fold” in half, directing your head and shoulders straight up and forward.
- As soon as the shoulder on which you lay in the rest position rises by a couple of centimeters above the floor, exhale and return to the starting position.
- Once all the repetitions have been worked on one side, turn to the other side and repeat the same number for the other side. Make sure that your hips are rotated 90° in relation to your body throughout the set.
Tips: Oblique Twists
- Do not try to raise your head and shoulders as high as possible! This will not only improve the performance of the exercise, but can also cause injury (you squeeze the vertebral discs when the spine itself is curved).
- Do not do this exercise if you do not have a flexible hip joint. You should freely hold your hips turned 90° in relation to your body. If it is hard for you, you will perform diagonally rather than twisting, which is extremely dangerous for the spine.
- Hold your breath while your shoulders are raised. This will give you more strength and allow you to concentrate more on the contraction of the oblique muscles of the stomach.
- Only the head and shoulders are detached from the floor. The bottom of the back is always pressed against the floor. Flexion occurs exclusively in the thoracic region of the spine. Trying to lift the whole torso, you redistribute the load from the oblique muscles to the lower back.
- Keep your head and neck in line with your spine, do not turn or tilt your head. Do not pull your head by hand. Only raise your shoulders with the force of your oblique muscles.
