A square or rectangular waistline isn't the shapely, contoured look you're looking for. The way to avoid square obliques is not to train your abs more, but to train them less. Too many weighted abdominal movements, especially side bends and crunches, can overdevelop your abs.
The abs, including the obliques, are activated during many exercises, whether they are directly targeted or not. To avoid getting a square waist, be careful about how much oblique and abdominal training you add on top of regular strength training.
What are the obliques?
The obliques are abdominal muscles on the sides of the waist. The External they are wide, flat and visible. The internal They lie below the external obliques. Both sets of muscles are responsible for lateral flexion and twisting.
When overdeveloped, the obliques can look thick or boxy. Whether you want a sharp, defined midsection, for competition or just for good looks, thick obliques are your enemy. This is especially true for female figure competitors and bodybuilders.
The most important thing is that we do not use weights while working the "lateral muscles", also known as the obliques. The safest way to build a block waist is to do side bends while holding dumbbells at your sides. Instead, we'll work the obliques by doing a few sets of side planks a couple of times a week.
The way to avoid square obliques is not to train your abs more, but to train them less. Too many heavy ab movements, especially side bends and crunches, can overdevelop your abs. The abdominals, including the obliques, are activated during many exercises, whether they are directly targeted or not.
Movements that encourage the square obliques
Oblique exercises can widen the waist. If we build muscle mass in the obliques, they can develop a wide, boxy appearance. Adjusting the exercise routine would be ideal if we want to maintain a slim waist and at the same time maintain a strong abdomen.
You hammer your core with workouts in an attempt to lose weight, but that's not how your muscles work. Many abdominal exercises actually encourage the muscle fibers to get thicker and stronger, expanding the obliques and making them take on a boxy appearance.
Multiple workouts per week that include weighted twists, body saws, side bends, and lying leg raises, for example, encourage stronger, larger, squarer muscles at the sides of the waist. You are at particular risk if you include these movements three or more times per week, add load, and do excessive reps, such as 20 or more.
Training to increase strength
Functional training of the obliques is important. A few sets of 10 to 12 oblique strengthening movements, such as bicycle crunches and side planksThey keep your core strong for bending and turning to the sides, but they don't build excessive muscle. Try to do these movements only twice a week and avoid working to failure.
Don't forget the importance of eating healthy, focusing mostly on whole, unprocessed foods, and sticking to modest servings of carbohydrates, even healthy ones like starchy vegetables and whole grains. This type of diet encourages you to lose excess fat, especially if you keep your calorie intake in check. Excess fat can contribute to a thick abdomen.
El strength training Full-body training will encourage a balanced physique and will also engage your abs, so they stay strong, but not overdeveloped. Squats, deadlifts, chest presses, triceps dips, curls, lunges, and shoulder presses are all standard movements to include in your routine.
One of the side effects of working out your core muscles is that your waistline will get bigger before it gets smaller. Why does this happen? Part of this comes from you gaining muscle definition where we didn't have it before. The other reason has to do with the type of training we are doing. If we are looking to have an hourglass or wasp waist, we must bear in mind that some workouts give a larger waist than others.
Can you avoid the square waist?
People who do CrossFit usually have a squarer waist. A high-volume core workout alongside heavy lifting is the best way to build a thick midsection. In addition, a protected spine, strong back, and athletic torso are also created through a combination of high-volume core work and heavy strength work. This combination is the reason why we see Crossfitters with thick midsections.
When physique competitors are labeled "square," it usually means their oblique muscles are overdeveloped. They have a thick shape, straight up and down. Excessive oblique development counteracts this natural taper and prevents the waist from being noticeably narrower than the ribcage and pelvis.
You cannot reduce the size of your hips; that is determined by bone structure. So if you're looking at your core and feel like you have rectangular hips, it's your genetics, not your workouts. You can increase the appearance of narrowing by doing more work on your shoulders and upper back to broaden your upper body.
Fortunately, some workouts are known to be more effective than others for slimming down the waist. Some fantastic examples of workouts that will be great for your core without the unwanted effect of bulking up your waist include leg raises, Russian twists, toe touches, or side planks.
You can also control the width of your waist from front to back by training with hypopressive exercises. This movement is performed by drawing the belly button in and under the ribcage to create a hollowed-out look in the abs. Hold for 20 seconds or more to train the deep abdominal muscle known as the transversus abdominis, which is also essential for supporting the spine and preventing back pain.