Muscle outlines from Body Muscles by Ivan Vulović, Apache 2.0 — regrouped and recoloured for Muscle Train.
Brace your core, maintain a neutral spine, and slowly bend laterally toward the weight. Pause briefly at the bottom, feeling a stretch on the opposite side. Engage the opposite obliques to return to upright. Complete all reps on one side before switching.
To isolate your obliques, focus on initiating the movement from your waist, avoiding any rocking or swaying of your hips. Keep your hips stable throughout the exercise to prevent momentum from taking over and ensure you're targeting the correct muscles. Maintain a square shoulder position, preventing one shoulder from hiking forward or backward, which can compromise form and reduce oblique engagement. Control the descent by resisting the pull of gravity, feeling the stretch in your oblique muscles as you lower the weight. As you rise, consciously squeeze your obliques to powerfully pull your torso back to the starting position, maximizing muscle activation.
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