Sidebends for a thick or thin waist?

[SteelWeaver]

I've read 2 contradictory opinions about this. I never do them, or obliques, because I believed they would thicken out my waist, but read recently that they would give me my equivalent of a wasp waist. So which is it? Thick or thin??

 

[ann]

I did sidebends for the first time last night. The guy I did them with is Mr Abbs himself..... he felt it gave a slimming effect..... I personally am not sure what good I did with them, but I see it going both ways, slimming and thickening......

Hopefully someone can clear this whole exercise up for us Yea or Nay??????????????????

 

[Phemomena]

i personally wouldn't to them heavy or often... my obliques get worked enough stabalizing my squats/deadlifts etc.

 

[b fold the truth]

I do them to help with my strength performance. It has not thickened my waist but has shaped it a lot. Remember...you are not going to grow huge obliques over night.

B True

 

[gvulf]

seems a bit contradictory

I mean, if you're gonna build everything around the 'muscle in question' wouldn't there be some safety concerns with intentionally leaving something out? By the same argument, wouldn't it be true that any erector or ab work would "thicken" your waist? I think they need to be worked, but just like everything else you have to pay attention to how you work them.

But I'm really just playing devils advocate here.

 

[Phemomena]

Re: seems a bit contradictory

I mean, if you're gonna build everything around the 'muscle in question' wouldn't there be some safety concerns with intentionally leaving something out? By the same argument, wouldn't it be true that any erector or ab work would "thicken" your waist? I think they need to be worked, but just like everything else you have to pay attention to how you work them.

But I'm really just playing devils advocate here.

agreed, i don't work my abs heavy or often either... i am of the school of belief that if you squat and deadlift without a belt, the torso (low back and abdominal region) should get a pretty damn good workout itself...

i do a set or two of cable crunches once a week and low back extensions (with glute empahsis), but other than that, very little work on the stabalizers...

but, everyone is different... this is just my personal routine and what has worked for me...

 

[SteelWeaver]

Mm, a variety of opinions ... My regular ab routine for several months now has been 4 sets of 15 to 30 reps, usually 2 sets of regular, incline or swiss ball crunches, and two sets of incline hip raises, bench V tucks or swiss ball knee tucks. I used to sometimes throw in obliques, but I never felt like I could feel anything, really - anyway not the burn you get with incline crunches.

This routine has worked wonders - before, I only worked abs twice a week, now it's this routine 4x per week. You can't see them (well, blurry outlines slowly coming through), but boy can I feel those blocks under there - much stronger and more defined.

I was just wondering if, for variety, and possibly a slimming effect, I shouldn't do sidebends. I tried them the other night and am still a little sore there now.

Just for the record Phem, I also do squats and deadlifts (well, stiff-legged dl's) without a belt.

And b fold, "Remember...you are not going to grow huge obliques over night": ha ha, point taken - don't we all wish for huge growth overnight!

 

[b fold the truth]

I train them because it helps with my events. Doing heavy squats, deads etc do not build the kind of ab strength that I need to support very heavy weights while moving quickly. Till I got serious about my strength trainin...I never trained abs at all.

I am not a bodybuilder nor do I have a greatly built body. I train for function...so maybe I am not the greatest person to give advice on this subject.

Bless

B True

 

[wyst]

Re: Re: seems a bit contradictory

agreed, i don't work my abs heavy or often either... i am of the school of belief that if you squat and deadlift without a belt, the torso (low back and abdominal region) should get a pretty damn good workout itself...

i do a set or two of cable crunches once a week and low back extensions (with glute empahsis), but other than that, very little work on the stabalizers...

but, everyone is different... this is just my personal routine and what has worked for me...

And we've seen your fantastic abs! I would kill for them. Weren't you actually worried they were getting too concave at one point. I was in awe of those pics.

Wyst

 

[OTCbooty]

There's a difference between thickness added from development of the rectus and erector spinae (front to back) and that which would be added by further developing the obliques (side to side). And that difference adds up to a totally different look in your physique. For me personally, highly developed obliques would kill my overall look because I'm so long-torsoed, I really need that little narrowing in the middle. But it's not to say my obliques aren't developed at all...they're just hit as a secondary/stabilizing muscle rather than in isolation.