The 30 Best Exercises to Sculpt Your Obliques

Your obliques are the muscles that many consider their "side abs," and technically, they're not wrong. But there's more to those two pairs of forces—the external and internal obliques—that run along the sides of your core. The obliques work together to help you bend side-to-side, rotate your torso from left to right, and assist with spinal flexion (the movement you'd typically associate with workouts like crunches and situps that target those six-pack muscles). The obliques also actively resist rotation to help stabilize and protect your spine. They're a crucial muscle group for stability, a muscle group that gets attacked when you twist and turn and when you brace in those positions. Read Moer. gravtechnology
That means moves like side planks and windmills will challenge your oblique muscles, as will any exercises that have you holding a load off-centre while still trying to keep your hips and shoulders square.
Unfortunately, too many guys only target their oblique muscles with exercises that only factor in one of those functions, if they target their obliques at all. Side bends and plate dips can only go so far in a well-balanced program. You'll want to break out of that box if you want a robust and functional core. The following exercises train your obliques in all the ways they function by using uneven loads, instability, or rotation. The result: You'll challenge your obliques from every angle. Tack on these moves in your workout as is appropriate, or pair three to five of them together for a killer obliques circuit. The Pallof press is an anti-rotation exercise, so the key is keeping your torso locked in. Think of this as a complete core move that involves the whole unit.
You'll need a weight bench (or some other sturdy platform of similar height) for this plank variation, which challenges you to elevate your body above the ground for tougher stabilization. To start, stand or kneel next to a cable machine or a resistance band tethered to a low anchor point. Set up away from that anchor point far enough that there's tension. Hold the handle of the cable or the band in your hands and brace your core and squeeze your glutes. Extend your arms out, fighting against the rotational force to keep your torso stable. After a count, return to the starting position.
Get into a side plank position with your outside foot up on
the bench. Squeeze your upper abs, hips, and obliques to keep your hips up and
your spine straight. For the standard variation, keep the leg closer to the
ground off the floor. If you want an additional challenge, you can give the
version of the Copenhagen plank from the video a shot and add the knee drives
with the lower leg. The classic windmill challenges your abs to no end, even
though you might not feel it at the moment. This windmill balance upgrades
that: Essentially, you'll balance on one knee and one hand for a few seconds,
firing up both internal and external obliques. digitalfitnessworld