If you are only working with a barbell and are looking for more challenging or weights oblique variations then you are in the write place. These variations may not be easy to come up with if you’re not a coach so hopefully, they should add some value to your training regime.
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I will use a variety of landmine exercises, if you do not have access to a landmine then you can simply put your barbell in a corner of a squat rack or a room and use the barbell as a landmine.
The landmine anti rotation is a challenging core exercise tht predominantly works the oblique muscles. This exercise can be hard to perform as it requires you to keep your hips as square as possible while the weight of the barbell pulls on your obliques.
The landmine rotation may look very similar to the landmine anti-rotation but is very different in the sense that the hips move (rotate) with the arms and are therefore useful for lifting the weight, it’s normal if your able to lift more weight on this exercise than on the landmine anti-rotation as you are able to use the force from the rotation.
The single arm landmine row is not a core exercise primarily, it is a horizontal pull, that being said, when loaded it can have a great effect on the obliques, so you may want to use this horizontal pulling variation in your training regime to target both your upper back and your obliques with a barbell.
The landmine full contact twist is a much more athletic and powerful exercise compared to the previous two exercises, it requires both power and coordination. That being said it will also do wonders for your oblique and help you use your body in unison.
Barbell windshield wipers are not really a true barbell oblique exercise as they use the barbell as a counter weight, but it provides a fun and challenging way to train the muscles of the obliques.
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This resource was written by Sean Klein. Sean Richard Klein has thousands of hours of coaching experience and a BSc in Sports Science with Management from Loughborough University. He owns a gym in Bayonne France, CrossFit Essor, which runs group classes and a Personal training studio.