In order to have a beautiful and toned stomach, it is necessary to train all its areas. Many athletes (both beginners and experienced) often train only the upper and lower press, completely forgetting about the existence of the side press. But in vain! Developed oblique muscles give the stomach a more aesthetic appearance from the side and emphasize its relief. How to pump up the lateral muscles of the press? What exercises are best for this part of the abdomen? Is it possible to achieve good results by training at home? You can find answers to all these questions in our article.
Anatomy
Our stomach consists of several parts, namely: from the rectus, oblique and transverse muscles. Oblique muscles - this is the very lateral press, which is discussed in the publication. They contribute to the flexion and extension of the torso, are responsible for turning the chest in different directions, and also support our back.
What are the benefits of training lateral abdominal muscles?
The development of oblique muscles not only improves the appearance of the abdomen, but also has many health benefits. Firstly, constant training in this area has a positive effect on the digestive system, prevents bloating, and also reduces the load on the spine. Secondly, doing exercises on the side press helps to do better basic exercises such as bench press on a horizontal bench, squats with weights, deadlift, etc. Often these muscles are trained by bodybuilders, team sports players, gymnasts, athletes and figure skaters .
How to pump up the lateral muscles of the press?
Well, we figured out the general information, now you can go directly to the topic of the article. Before telling you about the basic exercises for the side press, we would like to share with you some important tips and tricks, thanks to which you can significantly improve your training result:
- Adjust your diet. Many novice athletes naively believe that they can get rid of a big beer belly if they do different exercises for their abdominal muscles every day. If you, too, are among them, then you are forced to disappoint: training the press will not save you from a big belly. The fat layer can be removed only with the help of proper nutrition and cardio workouts, and after the amount of your subcutaneous fat has noticeably decreased, you can begin to build the relief of your press.
- Do not train the press too often. If you are doing strength training for the whole body and doing all sorts of basic exercises (bench press, push-ups on the bars, push-ups from the floor, bar, etc.), then your press will receive a good indirect load during their execution. Do 2-4 exercises on the abdominal muscles per week, for example, after completing each strength training. Believe me, this will be quite enough to achieve a good result.
- Train not only the press. Any experienced bodybuilding specialist will tell you that to create a beautiful and aesthetic physique, you need to perform exercises for all muscle groups.
- Do not exercise on a full or empty stomach. Eat 1-2 hours before your workout. During this time, the food in your stomach will have time to digest, but you will still not experience feelings of hunger.
- During exercises, try to feel the lateral press as much as possible. Many people do not concentrate on their oblique muscles during training, which is why they have completely different muscles loaded. This leads to the fact that a person does not get the result that he originally expected.
- Warm up well. This applies not only to training the press, but to all training in general. A high-quality workout will not only allow your body to warm up and get involved in work, but also protect your joints from all kinds of injuries.
Figured out? In this case, let's move on to the description of the exercises, thanks to which you can pump your side press at home, as well as in the gym.
Alternate twisting
This is a truly classic exercise for which you do not need any equipment. The technique of its implementation is very simple:
- Lie on the floor, bend your legs at the knees, and fold your hands on the back of your head. We recommend placing something under your back (for example, a special mat) so that you are comfortable throughout the entire exercise.
- Lift the body so that your right elbow touches your left knee.
- Return to the starting position, and then repeat the same movement, but already touching the left elbow of the right knee.
- Do the exercise a specified number of times.
Perform 3-4 sets of 15-20 repetitions.
Side Lifts
Another simple and effective exercise that can be done without problems at home. It is performed as follows:
- Lie on the floor or bench. It is necessary to settle down on a horizontal surface so that half of the body does not touch it.
- Fix your legs somehow or ask a friend to hold them for you.
- Make approximately 30 body lifts, and then repeat the same on the other side.
Just need to do 3-4 approaches. If at some point it becomes too easy for you to perform this exercise, then you can use weighting materials to increase the load.
Twists on the bar
If the previous exercises could be performed without any additional equipment, having only one floor at hand, then in this case you will have to use the horizontal bar. The benefit of the crossbar is in almost every yard, which means that almost all people have the opportunity to engage in this sports equipment. Despite the fact that, in mechanics, the exercise under discussion is somewhat reminiscent of the usual leg lifts on the horizontal bar, there is a significant difference between them. The lateral presses work out the twists on the crossbar, while the leg lifts in the hang load its lower part. You need to do it like this:
- Grasp the horizontal bar with a direct grip. Hands should be approximately shoulder width apart.
- Bend your knees.
- Lift your legs to the left, and then repeat the same movement the other way.
- Perform the required number of repetitions.
Do 3-4 sets of 10-15 times.
Slopes
In this and the next exercise, we will need additional equipment, namely dumbbells. If you do not have such shells, then do not be upset. Alternatively, you can use any other weights that you can do at home. For example, you can take bottles and fill them with water, sand or stones. For pumping oblique muscles, this will be quite enough, since too much weight in the following exercises can be very dangerous.
We start with the slopes. If you are a beginner, then at first you can do this exercise without weight. It runs like this:
- Stand on the floor, put your feet shoulder width apart.
- Raise your hands up and lock them into the lock.
- Without bending in the back, lean to the right, then return to the original position and lean to the left.
In total, you need to do 3 sets of 15 times on each side. You can learn more about how to do dumbbell bends from the video below.
Many experts in the field of fitness and weight loss do not recommend doing this exercise with weights very often, since it can greatly expand your waist.
Woodcutter
This exercise, unlike frequent bending with a dumbbell, will not expand your waist.
Technique of execution:
- Take a light weight dumbbell with both hands.
- Make 12 chopping movements so that the body curls toward the opposite lower leg.
- After doing 12 repetitions on one side, repeat the same on the other.
Now you know how to pump up the side press at home and in the fitness center. We hope that the information presented was very useful to you and you learned a lot of new things. We wish you success in building a beautiful and embossed press!