How to Build Lower Abs

While the upper abdominals are relatively easy to exercise, the lower abs are more challenging, especially since they tend to be positioned under a layer of fat. To build and show off your lower abs, try these exercises.

Steps

Warm Up Crunches

Lie on your back with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor. Wear comfortable exercise clothing and do this on some kind of cushioning, like an exercise mat. Inhaling, tuck your chin to your chest.^[1]
Exhaling, curl your head, neck and shoulders up off the floor and reach toward your feet. Don't tug on your neck and shoulders, let your ab muscles do the work.
Pause and inhale. Feel the different muscles groups working. Start becoming familiar with the way different muscles respond.
Exhaling, slowly return to the starting position. After a set of 8-10 of these light crunches, your abs should be warmed up for these lower abdominal exercises.
- This exercise should work the rectus abdomens or the vertical band of muscles stretching across your stomach from the middle of ribcage to the pelvic region. It includes both upper and lower abdominals and, because it has three horizontal creases, forms the part of the abs called the washboard. While the upper and lower abdominals cannot be worked independently, you can position your body to target one area more than the other.

Lower Ab Exercise 1: Reverse Crunches

Start by laying flat on a mat and resting your arms parallel to the floor, palms down. Rest your hands on the floor lightly and do not use them to push off. Raise your legs off the floor in a bent knee position.
In a slow, steady and controlled movement, use the strength of the lower abdominals to bring the knees close to the chest so that your butt lifts slightly off the ground. It's important to do this slowly, because toning occurs less from repetitions and more from consistent tension. Keep your muscles flexed.
Slowly release to the starting position and repeat. To start with, try a set of 10.
- Combine the reverse crunch with a regular crunch for a complete abdominal workout.
- The first two ab exercises work the internal oblique muscles, found beneath the external obliques and running at right angles to them. Together with the external obliques, they are responsible for flexing the rib cage and pelvis as well as bending and rotating the trunk.

Lower Ab Exercise 2: Leg Lifts

Start by laying flat on a mat with your legs straight and your hands palms-down beneath your buttocks. Keeping your hands underneath provides back support and balance for this exercise.
Keeping your ab muscles contracted, slightly bend your knees as you slowly lift your legs into a nearly vertical position. Don't lock your knees, which cuts off the blood flood flow in your legs. Hold this position as you inhale.
Lower your legs slowly until they almost touch the ground. Hold them there and breathe. Repeat.
- For a variation on this exercise, you can scissor your legs when they're in the down position, adding a cardio and leg-toning element to this work out. Spread your legs in a "V" and bring them back together, first with the left foot over the right, and then the right foot over the left. Try six scissors per set of ten reps to start out with.

Lower Ab Exercise 3: Bicycle Crunches

Start by laying flat on a mat and placing your hands behind your head for support. As with the warm-up crunches, don't tug on your head and neck while doing the crunches. Let your muscles do the work.
Bend your knees into 45-degree angles and pull them upwards so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Pressing the small of your back pressed into the mat, lift your shoulder blades off the floor.
Straighten one leg, holding it about 45 degrees from the floor, while keeping the other knee bent; at the same time, twist and lift your upper body so that the elbow opposite your bent knee touches that knee. Don't worry about touching the knee to the elbow perfectly--the point isn't the touching, it's the rotation. Get as close as you can.
Bend the straightened leg, straighten the bent leg, and twist the upper body to touch the other elbow to the knee across from it. Repeat.
- This exercise works the external oblique muscles, found on either side of the rectus abdominus, forming a diagonal V shape by connecting the sides of the ribcage to the pelvis and pubis.

Lower Ab Exercise 4: Hip Lift

Raise both legs toward the ceiling and point your arms straight down at your sides. Again, rest your hands lightly on the floor and do not use them to push off.^[2]
Exhaling, tighten your core muscles and curl your hips toward your ribs, lifting your hips off the floor. Keep your feet pointed straight up.
Inhaling, lower your hips back to the floor. Repeat the sequence. Try a set of ten of these to start out.

Creating a Workout Regimen

Start slow. While it may be tempting to jump right into a heavy workout with lots of reps, you'll want to ease into any exercises you aren’t familiar with. Eventually, you can gradually increase the intensity of your workout to keep from hitting a plateau.
- Start by increasing the number of repetitions per set (i.e. the number of times you repeat a given exercise). Then, increase the number of sets you do. You might start out with a 2x5 routine (two sets of five repetitions, before increasing to a 2x7, and then a 2x10. You'll be doing 5x10 in no time.
Vary your workout. You can wear out and overwork muscle groups, so it's very important to vary both the frequency and the content of your workouts. You might try this routine 3 days a week the first week, but switch to two the next, supplementing cardio or other exercise.
As you build your endurance, shorten the periods of rest you allow yourself between sets. If you're waiting five minutes between sets, your heart rate will slow and you'll lose the cardio element to these ab workouts, an important part of all-around health. You may need the break in the beginning, but gradually work up the speed of your exercise.
Stay motivated. It may be slow going at first, but keeping at your routine is how to build this muscle group. Set a goal and stay consistent.
- Try motivational tricks like reading a page of a novel in between sets, or watching an episode of your favorite TV show while you do these ab workouts. If you're excited to work out, you'll be more likely to do it consistently.
Remember: quality not quantity. It's better to do a small number of reps correctly because working the abs quickly tends to rely upon the stronger abs and ignore the weaker muscles, which defeats the purpose of exercise.
Once you’re very comfortable with your routine, you may want to increase the angle of a particular movement or even attach leg weights to yourself to create a new challenge.^[3]
- Trying the reverse crunches on an incline, with your head pointed upslope is a good challenge once you've become familiar with the exercise.
- Exercise balls can be likewise useful in this capacity.
Remember to combine ab-specific workouts with healthy nutrition and consistent all-around exercise. Though the exercises below will help you build your abdominal muscles, no targeted exercise can selectively burn fat from a certain area. This means you’ll have to lose weight everywhere to show off the muscles you’re creating.^[4] The best way to do this is to couple a healthy diet with a regular cardio exercise regimen.
Eat healthy ab foods. Eating a balanced diet rich in protein is a good way to build your muscles. Good ab foods include:
- Salmon
- Almonds
- Berries
- Yoghurt
- Quinoa
- Rice
- Turkey
- Soy
- Natural peanut butter
- Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli and cauliflower
Avoid foods high in saturated fats, carbohydrates, and processed or refined sugars. Avoiding the following foods will greatly benefit your abdominal development:
- Sodas, including sodas with artificial sweeteners
- Bagels
- Jams and jellies
- Pastries
- Ice cream
- Salty foods
- Frozen and processed meals, including "Diet meals"

Tips

To protect your lower back during floor exercise that targets the lower abs, make a triangle with your hands and place the hands under the small of your back for extra back support.
Seek the advice and guidance of an experienced fitness trainer who can tailor a well-rounded workout to meet your specific lower abdominal needs.
Try to stay away from side bends. Instead add a rotation when working abdominals for example oblique cable twist.

Warnings

Always stretch before and after you work your lower abdominals to warm up the muscles properly and to relax the muscles after a workout.
Stop floor exercises if you experience pain or excessive discomfort in your back.

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Sources and Citations

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