# What are the obliques?

The side abdominal muscles is called the external and internal oblique muscles. Gray's Anatomy (1918) describes it as two broad, flat muscles that make up the sides of the abdominal wall.

## What it means

- Two broad, flat muscles that make up the sides of the abdominal wall.
- Their fibers cross each other at right angles.
- Bend and rotate the trunk and help compress the abdomen.

## Action steps

1. On the sides of the abdomen, between the lower ribs and the pelvis.
2. The external oblique is superficial; the internal oblique lies beneath it.
3. Both end in aponeuroses that form the sheath of the rectus abdominis.

## Sources

- [Gray's Anatomy of the Human Body (1918)](https://www.bartleby.com/107/)

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