Fitness Workouts Workout Videos The Hardest Obliques Workout Your Abs Will Ever Experience Ready to feel the fire? Celeb trainer Kira Stokes is bringing the heat straight to your obliques. By Lauren Mazzo Lauren Mazzo Facebook Instagram Twitter Website Lauren Mazzo has been working as a health and fitness writer and editor since 2015 — including six years at Shape, where she was formerly the senior editor. She's certified as a personal trainer and fitness nutrition specialist through the American Council on Exercise, and is currently working on her health coach certification. In 2015, she graduated from Ithaca College with a B.A. in Journalism and minors in Writing and Honors, and while there, she also studied Sex, Gender, and Desire and The Science and Philosophy of Sex and Love. Prior to Shape, she worked for the digital team at Self Magazine and interned at Marie Claire. Her passion for all things health and fitness began as a teenager, when she first started learning about nutrition and training as a competitive cheerleader. Since then, she's explored a variety of workouts, from weightlifting, running, and cycling to yoga, and continued cheering on the nonprofit team Cheer New York in New York City. While she's currently traveling the world as a nomad, you can catch her learning about the psychology of dating, attempting new adventure sports, and embracing the Blue Zone way of life. Shape's editorial guidelines Published on January 18, 2018 Share Tweet Pin Email News flash: There's a lot more to abdominal muscles than the little bumps you like to call the "six-pack." In reality, you should care more about your transverse abdominis and internal and external obliques; they're the ones responsible for deep core and spinal stabilization (when you do things like squat, run, and throw) and act like a corset to cinch up your stomach. Ready to give these muscles a little TLC? We've got just the thing: A stoked-style obliques workout flow from celeb trainer Kira Stokes, created of the Stoked Method and this 30-Day Plank Challenge. "People always say you can't work certain parts of your abs and not others," says Stokes, "But you can still focus on certain areas." And the focus here is all obliques. One important form tip, straight from Stokes: Keep your lower back pressing into the floor throughout each movement that is done lying faceup, to make sure you're properly engaging your abs. You'll need: Mat (optional) How it works: Do the entire obliques workout circuit on one side, then switch sides and repeat. Do 2 rounds on each side. Isometric Bicycle Hold A. Lie faceup on the floor with legs extended and hands behind head, elbows pointing toward feet. B. Lift shoulder blades off the floor, draw left knee to left elbow, and hover right leg off the floor. Keep both feet flexed. C. Actively push left elbow and left knee together. Hold for 10 seconds. Rotated Bicycle Pulse A. Lie faceup on the floor with legs extended and hands behind head, elbows pointing toward feet. B. Lift shoulder blades off the floor and rotate to draw right elbow to left knee. C. Pulse right elbow and left knee toward each other. Do 10 pulses, then hold for 10 seconds. Straight-Leg Diagonal Pulse A. Lie faceup on the floor with legs extended, hands behind head, and elbows pointing out to the sides. B. Extend left leg toward the ceiling and hover the right foot off the floor. Keep both feet flexed and reach right hand toward left foot. C. Holding this position, pulse right fingers toward left foot. Do 10 pulses. Cross-Body X A. Lie faceup on the floor with arms and legs extended, forming a sort of "X" shape with left arm extended out to the side and right arm overhead to start. B. Lift torso and left leg off the floor to tap right hand to left foot or shin, balancing on left hip and left forearm. C. Slowly return to starting position, tapping right arm and left leg to the floor before beginning the next rep. Do 10 reps. Side Plank Pulse A. Start in side plank position on the left elbow with feet stacked and right hand extended toward the ceiling. B. Maintaining a straight line from head to ankles, pulse hips up one inch. Do 5 pulses. Side Plank Hip Drops A. Start in side plank position on the left elbow with feet stacked and right hand extended toward the ceiling. B. Drop hips a few inches toward the floor, then engage obliques to return to starting position. Do 5 reps. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit