Tip The Smart Way to Hit Your Obliques Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip The Smart Way to Hit Your Obliques Do this instead of silly side bends by Charley Gould April 11, 2020November 1, 2020 Tags Training Side Bends Kinda Suck It's often said that there's no such thing as a bad exercise, only misplaced application or poor execution. I disagree. The dumbbell side bend makes the naughty list for a few reasons: First, people often do them with dumbbells in both hands, which doesn't make any biomechanical sense considering that the weight on the non-working side essentially offsets the weight on the working side. This means neither side is actually working. Even then, doing them the "right" way – with one dumbbell – is still pointless from a leverage standpoint. Since you're holding the dumbbell close to your body and giving yourself a huge mechanical advantage over the weight, any semblance of actual resistance is virtually nonexistent. Second, even if physics didn't apply, dumbbell side bends would still be suboptimal for targeting the obliques, which is supposed to be the whole point of the exercise. Sure, they might make a slight difference, but there are significantly better ways to train your obliques without working through hundreds of reps of monotonous side-bending. One of the best ways to hypertrophy a muscle (or muscle group) is to isolate it while it's executing its true function. Think about how the obliques actually function. Whether you're doing an athletic movement or carrying grocery bags in from the car, the primary job of the obliques is to create a strong brace to resist excess movement at the trunk, not create it. That's why they don't respond all that well to dynamic exercises like side bends. Instead, they're targeted most effectively through the act of resisting lateral flexion while maintaining a braced isometric position. Still, the obliques need load and quantifiable measurements of progression to grow. That's why a well-rounded approach to training them requires taking both load and functional anatomy into account. The Barbell Suitcase Carry The barbell suitcase carry is a far better alternative to side bends because it imposes actual "usable" resistance, and it trains the obliques in the same way they function – by resisting excess movement at the trunk. Since training a muscle in accordance with its primary anatomical function is more effective for hypertrophy, this makes the barbell suitcase carry a surefire exercise to build your obliques – and the rest of your midsection – while also hammering your traps, shoulders, forearms, and upper back. Plus, a stronger and more stable core is conducive to strength in the big lifts, which is never a bad thing. Using a barbell instead of a dumbbell ups the ante in three ways: You can use heavier loads without having to worry about a massive kettlebell or dumbbell banging into your hip. Due to the length of the bar, the barbell suitcase carry hammers the forearms especially hard. Any breakdown in your grip, whether it's your wrist position or a couple of fingers loosening up, will inevitably cause the bar to tip forward or backward. The full-body stabilization demands are amplified since there's a stronger need for tri-planar stability because of the "free-roaming" nature of the bar. As a result, the entire body is forced to create dynamic tension from head to toe. Regardless of the loading tool, both suitcase carry variations blow dumbbell side bends out of the water in terms of building your obliques, which makes them a superior alternative. Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training The Contreras Files Volume I Glute activation, hip hinging, bench pressing, and why sometimes you should train like someone is going to shoot your family. Glutes, Training Bret Contreras December 7 Training Mass Made Simple A heavy bar across your back and peanut butter sandwiches in your belly: it's time to build mass the Dan John way! Bodybuilding, Training Dan John December 14 Training Tip Rotational Medball Throw Exercises like this one, performed in the transverse (rotational) movement pattern, add to your overall athleticism. Abs, Athletic Performance, Exercise Coaching, Tips Arianna Hoffman October 12 Training The Absolute Best Way to Build Hamstrings Big strong hammies are rare, even though everyone trains them. Here's what they're doing wrong and how to really build them. Bodybuilding, Legs, Powerlifting & Strength, Training T Nation April 18