• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Generation Iron

Generation Iron Fitness & Strength Sports Network

  • Movies
  • Original Content
  • Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Pre-Workout
      • Fat Burners
      • Testosterone Boosters
      • Creatine
      • Protein
      • BCAAs
      • Multivitamins
      • Omega-3
      • Joint Supplements
      • Super Greens
      • Meal Replacement
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Foam Rollers
      • Best Massage Guns
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
  • Equipment
    • Cardio
      • Treadmills
      • Best Exercise Bikes
      • Best Stair Climbers
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Best Apparel
      • Best Gym Bags
      • Weightlifting Shoes
    • Strength
      • Best Dumbbells
      • Best Barbells
      • Best Kettlebells
      • Best Squat Racks
      • Best Weightlifting Belts
      • Best Home Gym Equipment
      • Complete Home Gyms
    • Training
      • Best Knee Sleeves
      • Best Wrist Wraps
      • Best Weightlifting Wraps
      • Best Weightlifting Gloves
  • More
    • About Us
      • Our Team
      • Our Experts
    • Advertise
    • Franchise With Us
    • Exercise Guides
    • Athlete Profiles
    • Podcasts
    • Power 30
    • Bodybuilding Awards
    • Supplement Awards
  • Shop
Bodybuilding

Natural Bodybuilder Adrian Pietrariu Reveals Secret Oblique Exercise for Washboard Abs

by Terry Ramos Updated by GI Team on Feb 17, 2025

PNBA Adrian Pietrariu
This post may contain affiliate links (disclosure policy).

INBA PNBA athlete Adrian Pietrariu shares his secret oblique exercise for shredded abs. 

Everyone wants washboard abs, but anyone who’s been training in the gym for years knows that getting abs is no easy task. It takes a disciplined diet and the correct movements. Some key muscle groups of your abdominals are your obliques. These muscles on the side help give you the awe-dropping V-taper. International Natural Bodybuilding Association (INBA)/Professional Natural Bodybuilding Association (PNBA) athlete Adrian Pietrariu shared his secret exercise for obliques on Instagram (IG). 

In 2018 Adrian Pietrariu was the INBA PNBA’s Athlete of the Year. In addition, he was inducted into the INBA PNBA Hall of Fame in 2020. On IG, Adrian said:

“This Exercise is one of my Secrets to getting those Obliques to show like the Shark Gills 

I do 4 to 6 sets of 30 reps each side.”

Below is a video of Adrian Pietrariu performing this movement. 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Adrian ®️ (@adrianironman)

The exercise Adrian Pietrariu is doing is known as oblique extensions. Oblique extensions target your obliques. You can add weight to them as well. 

Key To Abs

Of course, everyone wants chiseled abs, but it’s imperative for a competitive bodybuilder. The right exercises can help tone your abs. However, as the adage goes, abs are made in the kitchen.

A lot of people think that by doing more ab exercises, they’ll get abs. However, it’s cutting body fat via a caloric deficit that truly gives you washboard abs. Although, the correct movements will make your abs stronger and help them be more noticeable once you get down to lower body fat levels. But you must have low body fat levels if you want your abs to show. We recommend between 10-12% body fat for visible abs. 

Other Ab and Oblique Exercise 

Of course, nutrition is essential to get low body fat levels, but critical exercises are also crucial. Aside from oblique extensions, there are a variety of other exercises you can do to target your core. To name a few, we created a list of a few ab exercises you can try next time you workout. 

Ab Movements

  • Decline Crunch
  • Plate Twist
  • Ab Roller
  • Plank

Natural Bodybuilding

As the name suggests, natural bodybuilding is a sport that prohibits drugs. Bans against drugs are especially true in the INBA PNBA league. That’s because this natural bodybuilding league vets every athlete through the utmost drug testing standards – the World Anti-Doping Agency. 

Competitors that fail a WADA-compliant drug test at any point during the year – the INBA PNBA does both in-season and off-season testing – will be stripped of their title and banned from competing. And instead of earning a spot on the Hall of Fame as Adrian Pietrariu has. They’ll be ridiculed on the Hall of Shame. 

Below is a Generation Iron exclusive interview with Pietrariu on his perspective on whether he thinks a bodybuilder is natural if they used to take steroids but don’t now. 

If you’re looking to develop your obliques and get one step close to a Greek-God V-taper, give Adrian Pietrariu’s secret oblique exercise a try next time you’re in the gym. 

Follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more workout tips from natural bodybuilders!

About Terry Ramos

As a personal trainer and writer, Terry loves changing lives through coaching and the written word. Terry has a B.S. in Kinesiology and is an ACSM Certified Personal Trainer and ISSA Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. He enjoys playing music, reading, and watching films when he's not writing or training.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Get the Latest

Stay informed with the latest news, product reviews, & expert advice.

Popular Reviews

  • best protein powders

    The Best Protein Powder Supplements of 2025 (Tried and Tested)

  • Best Creatine Supplements For Bulking & Muscle Growth of 2025 (Personally Tested)

  • top x pre workout

    The 14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2025 (MD Reviewed)

  • Performance Lab SPORT BCAA

    The Best BCAA For Bodybuilding Health & Performance Goals

Trending Articles

  • female fitness models

    18 Best Butts On The Internet (Updated 2024)

  • ronnie coleman the king workout

    Ronnie “The King” Coleman’s Complete Bodybuilding Workout

  • The Ultimate Mike Mentzer Workout and Diet

  • Chris bumstead's 2024 workout and diet plan

    Chris Bumstead’s 2025 Complete Bodybuilding Workout & Diet Plan

Popular Now

  • best protein powders

    The Best Protein Powder Supplements of 2025 (Tried and Tested)

  • Best Creatine Supplements For Bulking & Muscle Growth of 2025 (Personally Tested)

  • top x pre workout

    The 14 Best Pre-Workout Supplements of 2025 (MD Reviewed)

  • female fitness models

    18 Best Butts On The Internet (Updated 2024)

  • best citrulline supplements

    The Best Citrulline Malate Supplements for Performance and Pump

  • ronnie coleman the king workout

    Ronnie “The King” Coleman’s Complete Bodybuilding Workout

Generation Iron

Generation Iron is the first and only digital network delivering health, fitness, bodybuilding, and strength sports content. We deliver premium content with the biggest names in fitness and provide expert coverage, reviews on top brands, workout tips and trends in the worlds of fitness, health and strength sports.

Strongman Corporation
Vladar

Sections

  • Trending News
  • Original Movies
  • Original Content
  • Supplement Reviews
  • Equipment Reviews
  • Exercise Guides
  • Nutrition Guides
  • Athlete Profiles

More

  • About Us
  • Our Team
  • Our Experts
  • Advertise
  • Franchise With Us
  • Podcasts
  • Power 30
  • Shop

CONTACT

Generation Iron Brands LLC
134 West 29th Street Suite 902
New York, NY 10001
Email: [email protected]

Follow

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • X / Twitter
  • YouTube

© 2025 · Generation Iron · Disclaimers · Privacy Policy · Accessibility