The external oblique
External oblique · musculus obliquus externus abdominis
The outermost side abdominal muscle, which twists and bends your trunk.
What it does
The external oblique wraps around the sides of the abdomen, its fibres running down and forward like hands in your front pockets. It rotates and bends the trunk, and squeezes the abdomen when you breathe out hard, cough or push.
Surprising fact
The lower edge of its tendon sheet rolls under to form the inguinal ligament, the crease where your thigh meets your belly.
Why it matters
Twisting sports like golf, tennis and throwing rely on the obliques, and they also help hold the belly contents in place.
Nearby
Read more
Sources
Drafted with AI help; awaiting a human fact-check against these sources.
Open in the 3D atlas · Suggest a correction · Not medical advice.
3D models: Z-Anatomy & BodyParts3D (CC BY-SA 4.0 / 2.1 JP). Card text CC BY 4.0.