Before I started doing Pilates years ago I never had visible obliques–in fact I wasn’t even aware that you should focus on training specific parts of your abdomen for a well-rounded healthy core. I just thought doing one million crunches until I had some type of visible lines made me ‘fit’. ( Oblique muscle refers to two of your abdominal muscles known as the external and internal obliques, aka the sides of your core that give you those sexy side body lines ). However, years of Pilates training helped me to realize building strong obliques are much more important than just aesthetics.

Having strong obliques helps to support your back and overall posture, which can help to prevent injury in the lower back and shoulders. Every time your twist your torso the muscles in your back, core, and shoulders all work simultaneously to contract and lengthen on each side, which is what builds that strong side body. Think about it next time you’re carrying heavy groceries in each hand–your obliques are working over time to help you stay balanced with each and every step. Training this muscle group is amazing for injury prevention and keeping your body balanced and healthy as you age (things you start thinking about in your late 20s yikes).

Here are a few of my all time favorite Pilates exercises to strengthen your obliques:

Forearm Plank Hip Taps

Start in a forearm plank position with elbows directly underneath your shoulders and forearms in front of you. Check to make sure your body is in one straight line (squeeze the glutes to avoid sending your bum up to the sky). From here, slowly shift both hips to the right until your right hip lightly touches the floor. Return to center and repeat on the other side.

Side Plank Reach Throughs

I LOVE these for getting deeeeep into the side body. This exercise is really all about mind body connection and taking it slow–don’t rush! Start in a forearm side plank position with your top arm straight and finger tips reaching towards the sky. From here, pretend like you are going to give your ribcage a hug by reaching your top arm through the gap between your side body and floor. You can add a light hand weight in your top hand to give yourself an extra challenge. Try 10 reps on your right side then repeat on your left.

Russian Twists

There’s a reason these are a classic. I love how there are so many variations of Russian twists and that you can always find new ways to challenge yourself with these by adding weight, lifting your feet off the ground, or using new props. Let’s start by mastering the basic variation today. Start seated with bent knees and feet pressing into the ground. Hold your hands by your chest and sit back slightly (still keeping the spine straight). Take a big inhale, then exhale as you twist deeply to the left. Inhale back to center and repeat on the other side. Think about how you would wring out a wet towel–that’s how I want you think about twisting through your torso here.

To challenge yourself, add a weight or a pilates ball in your hands as your twist, or lift your feet off the ground to challenge your stability.

For a full oblique workout give me 3 rounds: 20 forearm plank hip taps (10 on each side), 20 side plank reach throughs (10 on each side), and 30 Russian twists.

Try this 20 Minute Pilates Side Body Flow with me on Mils Method with the 7 days free trial: