Side bends

[DR. NOE]

Was doing side bends this morning when a trainer(who is a fat ass) told me they would make my obiiques bigger and consequently my waste bigger. I am also a certified trainer and so the argument started. First of all, I been doing them for years and my waste is not big.This is an old wives tale, if you ask me. No one's abdominal region ever became extremely hypertrophied from training. The distended guts you see in pro bodybuilders is from the extreme amounts of drugs, especially growth hormone. Obliques are very important for stabilizing the trunk during heavy lifting and preventing low back injuries during rotational type movements. Side bends also very heavily involve the quadratus lumborum, a small low back muscle which is important in low back stability.Well needless to say, he still was not convince. Who's, right.

 

[Getdownonit]

I actually agree with you both. IMO they will add (although minimal) some size to your waist, but not huge,bloated looking amounts. They are great for the entire mid-section and will build get stability.

 

[pact]

personally i'm not a fan of side bends, but i am not a certified trainer either. i find my trunk/obliques get much stronger from squats, deadlifts, and particularly dips (well-controlled). another great exercise that improved my trunk stability is flat db press on a swiss ball. obviously one can't go too heavy, but it's all about control, it has to be done right with your hips up (so your body is parallel to the floor) and not to get lazy and let your hips slide down!
pact

 

[bignate73]

some people do have the capacity to become "blocky" though. if you ever see those people with wide waists, its probably not a good idea for them to do it (if thier goal is cosmetically centered)

the majority of trainers who see this being done, tend to think the same thing. "this guy is trying to lose those love handles or slim the waist".

for core stability, its fine to work on the obliques. i dont think weighted is necessary though. alot of people dont execute the motion properly and actually end up using glutes and serratus as helpers.

 

[Lumberg]

I have been doing heavy side bends (70+ lbs) and have noticed that my obliques are starting to stick out like love handles, though I know they are not. I am going to maintain weight instead of upping it.

I also agree that the obliques are crucial to stabilizing the spine during heavy lifts, in my case I know they help with squats, especially since I don't use a belt anymore

JC