how do you build muscle over your ribs ?

[weltercelt]

How do you build muscle over your ribs ?
What excercises ?

[SplitSecond]

pushups, pullups

[Jack3d]

Planks.

Great Core Exercise

[New England]

How do you build muscle over your ribs ?
What excercises ?

some folks will suggest exercises and they'll be good ones

if you're building muscles anywhere you'll want to eat more, drink more water, and make sure to get adequate rest.

[gaz26]

train ur obliques and ab's and doing pullups and back exercises will do it but only id you know how to train, eat and rest right

exercises like pull up, barbell rows, t-bar rows, pull overs, hanging leg raises, oblique crunches....basically push pull exercises that work ur ab's, back and core

[the_blueprint]

i'd say lat and oblique exercises are the best thing, but just exercise your whole body. do a different body part each day and do a ab workout at the end of each session.

[the_blueprint]

i found i started getting more muscle over my ribs when i did this.

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercise...bell-side-bend

[Ringo]

Ah, one of my favorite types of questions - how to build muscle in difficult places.

The ribs/outer obliques are notoriously difficult to build muscle around because, quite frankly, there isn't much there to work with. But, being able to powerfully contract those areas prior to a gut-hook landing can seriously save your hide.

Quick breakdown -

To harden up the muscle above the hipbone (external obliques); controlled, weighted twisting or stretching motions are your best bet (with great emphasis on control). Medicine ball windmill, kettlebell oblique crunches, and crunches on the lower back extension machine all work well for this.

Another note - do NOT leave out the lower back when considering hardening up the obliques. There are massive fibrous attachments from oblique to back muscles. RJJ was/is notorious for a backside kidney punch - it's good to add some armor. Reverse back extensions and stiff legged deadlifts are good for this.

The medial ribs don't have much hope. They are covered by the serratus anterior muscles. The only way to strengthen them is in a secondary capacity - any kind of overhead or in-line (tug-of-war style) pull will add some work, but your lats and mid-back will always take over. Just rip out a lot of pullups or rope climbs.

Parting shot - strengthing the obliques has a direct effect on your waistline. It will expand. Just like working any other muscle, it gets bigger and thicker. Just fyi.

Hope it helps.

-R.

[jaded]

You can build muscle in between the ribs...intercostal muscle...but not over them.