Looking to get rid of that "spare tire" and even strengthen the rotary strength of your core in the process? If so, keep reading because I'm going to profile a couple of the best oblique exercises you can possibly do. So without boring you with a long, dragged out introductory paragraph explaining all the details about the obliques - what they are and how they function - I'll just get right into it.

The most functional - and therefore most effective - oblique exercises are the ones that improve your rotary strength. This is of course accomplished by twisting your torso against an external resistance. With a quick analysis of this twisting movement, its importance becomes obvious.

Whether we're playing sports or just going through our day to day routines, we're constantly twisting and turning so it comes to reason that the stronger our obliques are, the easier these movements will be. So in my professional opinion, here are some of the best oblique exercises available.

Best Oblique Exercises

Seated Medicine Ball Twist: This is an awesome exercise and all you need to perform it is a medicine ball. Actually, I recommend that you invest in a couple medicine balls just to keep around the house because they're just so versatile.

The starting position for this exercise has you sitting down with your legs bent to about a 45 degree angle with your heels in contact with the ground. You then lean back slightly until you feel a contraction within your abdominals, elevate the medicine ball over your chest with your arms extended and from here, you just move your arms in a semi circle - from side to side. You'll feel this one right away, trust me!

Olympic Bar Rotations: You don't see many people doing this one simply because well, they don't know about it. This is somewhat of a "hidden secret" if you will. It's awesome for both athletics and vanity. In other words, it'll make you stronger, more powerful and of course, it'll make you look better as well.

To perform the exercise, you stick an Olympic barbell in the corner between two walls. Throw some weights onto the end nearest you, pick up one end of the barbell and hold it up with your arms extended in front of you and your feet shoulder width apart.

From here, you're just going to rotate the barbell from side to side in a semi-circle with your arms extended. Don't forget to breathe as you're doing it through since a lot of my clients tend to hold their breath for some reason.