Oblique Crunches

What it is

This movement targets your oblique muscles, the side abdominal wall, to sculpt your core. You perform it by lifting your upper body towards your opposite knee while lying on the floor. It is an isolation exercise designed to strengthen and define your side abdominals.

Technique tips

• Keep your lower back pressed into the floor throughout the movement.
• Initiate the crunch by lifting your shoulder toward the opposite knee.
• Exhale as you lift your shoulder; inhale as you slowly return to start.
• Avoid pulling on your head; support it gently with your hand.
• Focus on contracting your side abdominal muscles with each repetition.
• Control both the upward and downward phases of the exercise.

How to track your progress

Log reps, and add the extra load if you wear a belt or a vest. Straddly counts your bodyweight in the estimated max, so added weight and extra reps both show up as progress, and new records are flagged during the session.