This is one of my favorite "side-ab" targeting exercises (i.e. the area under the love handles...a.k.a. the obliques).

It hits the entire side wall of the torso...but without overloading it and building up the obliques. It really tightens everything up along the sides.

The best part is, no equipment necessary!

How To Do It:

Sit on your right side on the floor (with your right hip on the floor) with your right hand propping up your body, fingers pointing directly in line with your body. Keep your right arm straight and locked.

Your legs should be extended straight. Your body will be bent sideways at the waist, like you're about to push yourself up to get up. Your feet should be together, legs straight. If you like, you can brace feet against a solid object like a wall or machine (that's how I prefer, so my feet don't slide as I push).

Place your left hand on your lower right rib cage - this will help you to feel exactly how the abs are contracting as you do the exercise and help you make sure you're doing it right.

Now, using ab contraction, raise your hips directly up in the air until you've come up as high as you can (it will look like a sideways pike position), using your lieft hand to feel for that ab contraction. Squeeze the side abs HARD at the top then lower your body slowly.

Your body doesn't bend in a perfectly straight line, just fyi...because of how the muscles function, there will be some crunching forward as your hips come up.

At the bottom, try to keep your hip off the ground to get a good stretch on the side abs - you can rest it on the floor between reps if you need to, though.

Do your reps on one side (as many as you can) then switch sides.

Make sure you are on your side as much as possible throughout the movement - some forward bending is natural due to abdominal function in that area. Try to feel like you're also pushing up with your arm to get the strongest effect on the abs. Lean your head down towards the floor as you come up.

Watch out for your lower back on this exercise as this is not a common plane of movement (the frontal plane).

This exercise really tightens the entire side ab wall strongly. It's practical, functional and requires zero equipment. It's not necessary or recommended that you add weight to this exercise.

Common Errors

1. Moving too fast

DO NOT do this exercise quickly. It's not a common movement and requires a slow, steady contraction. If your start bouncing up and down when doing this exercise, you could injure your lower back.

2. Not coming up all the way

Come all the way up until your body is in a sideways pike position, bent at the waist about 20 degrees or so. This will get you the strongest contraction and best results on the abs.

3. Piking forward too much

Don't let your body tip forward too much (some forward bending is natural due to the function of the abdominal muscles in that area). Make sure you do your best to keep your body on it's side throughout the movement.

 

Tricks

1. Getting a big stretch at the bottom

To get a bigger stretch and make this exercise harder, use your calf as a pivot point. Don't rest your hip on the floor between reps but let your calf touch the ground and raise your feet off the floor. This will allow you to dip down and stretch down a little further at the bottom. Keep your arm locked and straight. Just let your hip stretch down, stretching your side abs strongly. Use your hand to push upwards at the same time to keep your hip off.

2. Change of venue

You can do these not only on the floor but on a bar in the rack or on any other low object that you can set your locked-arm hand on. This gives you a different line of pull and greater range of motion and can help you get more stretch at the bottom.

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The first time I tried this exercise, my side abdominal wall was sore for days...it's a very unique movement pattern that is rarely worked!

If you're interested in more core and abdominal exercises like this, definitely check out my book "The Best Abdominal Exercises You've Never Heard Of"...

It's got 76 MORE exercises just like this one...killer core training!

Nick Nilsson
The "Mad Scientist of Muscle"