The external obliques are the muscles at the sides of the waist. The external oblique complex actually consists of three layers of muscles: the internal obliques, the transverse obliques and external obliques. Together, these muscles contract to tilt the torso, as well as twist it, from side to side.
While a bodybuilder would not want massive obliques as this would take away from symmetry and give the illusion of a thick waist, these muscles do need to be trained in order to maintain ideal postural alignment. A great exercise for these muscles is the side bends performed on a swiss ball.
Another exercise that also needs to be performed for these muscles in order to exercise its rotating capabilities are the Russian Twists.
The Intercostal Muscles
The intercostals are the muscles of breathing that lie between the ribs and show as bands of muscle angling downward in the sides of the rib cage and the upper abdomen. The intercostals come into play by flexing the torso and causing it to twist, so doing any type of twisting crunch on a swiss ball will stimulate this group maximally.
The Serratus Muscles
The serratus anterior muscles are the finger–like strands of muscle on the rib cage between the front abs and the lats.
Their job is to depress the rib cage and also assist in bringing the upper arms from a position pointing directly up from the shoulders to one pointing directly below the shoulders. A good exercise that will stimulate these muscles is the one–arm cable crunches (using an overhead pulley).
While a bodybuilder would not want massive obliques as this would take away from symmetry and give the illusion of a thick waist, these muscles do need to be trained in order to maintain ideal postural alignment. A great exercise for these muscles is the side bends performed on a swiss ball.
Another exercise that also needs to be performed for these muscles in order to exercise its rotating capabilities are the Russian Twists.
The Intercostal Muscles
The intercostals are the muscles of breathing that lie between the ribs and show as bands of muscle angling downward in the sides of the rib cage and the upper abdomen. The intercostals come into play by flexing the torso and causing it to twist, so doing any type of twisting crunch on a swiss ball will stimulate this group maximally.
The Serratus Muscles
The serratus anterior muscles are the finger–like strands of muscle on the rib cage between the front abs and the lats.
Their job is to depress the rib cage and also assist in bringing the upper arms from a position pointing directly up from the shoulders to one pointing directly below the shoulders. A good exercise that will stimulate these muscles is the one–arm cable crunches (using an overhead pulley).
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