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December 6, 2020 Guardian-Elite Fitness
We’ve all done it at one time or another. We think of what it would be like to have that washboard, full-on eye-popping six pack we can show off on demand. If you’re already there. Congrats. For the rest of us, stripping away the layer of fat that normally resides directly over where any ab muscles would be is a task that has frustrated many. Other than the well documented mantra that abs are made in the kitchen, there is hope to speed along the process using lower ab exercises meant to target not only the lower abs, but the surrounding abdominal and core muscles.
The Lower abs in particular are difficult to reveal. Men and women are predisposed to store most of their excess fat in this area.
Human evolution and genetics are actively working against us on this one. Even when losing body fat, the fat covering the lower portion of the abs is usually the last to go.
It’s true that diet plays a huge role in developing and revealing abs. Since we know that spot reduction of fat absolutely does not work, we know that addressing diet is #1.
Not only will strengthening your core help to bolster your mid-section muscles, but adding in fat burning exercises will aide in getting your body to the all important caloric deficit that is absolutely necessary when losing body fat. Losing this body fat is ultimately what enables the ab muscles to be seen.
Being in a caloric deficit is the most important ingredient in this recipe. Once that part is taken care of, we can focus on lower ab exercises to get those abs you’re after.
- Lower Ab Workouts
- Best Lower Ab Exercises
- Lower Ab Workout at Home
- Lower Ab Exercises with Resistance Bands
- Lower Ab Workouts for Women
- Lower Ab Exercises With Weights
- Lower Ab Workout at Gym
- Lower Ab Exercises For Beginners
- Lower Ab Exercises With Ball
Lower Ab Workouts
woman performing a plank
Abs are a stabilizer for the lower back and core. Lower back pain can be attributed to weak abdominals.
If not for a six pack, developing the abs, and especially the lower abs can help to alleviate lower back pain, and help to align the spine and the hips. Doing so will make more everyday activities less painful.
The core is made up of three different muscles:
Rectus Abdominis—The muscles that show through the front of the body (think six pack)
Obliques—The muscles along your sides
Transverse Abdominis—A deeper layer of ab muscles that help to support the waist and hips
Key Tip: When performing a lower ab workout, you should imagine you’re pulling your belly button in toward your spine when performing an exercise. This will help to keep the abs engaged throughout the lower ab exercises.
Below we’ll outline different lower ab exercises you can do to target and engage the lower abs. Each lower ab workout will be broken into different sections:
- Lower Ab Workout at Home
- Lower Ab Exercises with Resistance Bands
- Lower Ab Workouts for Women
- Lower Ab Exercises with Weights
- Lower Ab Exercises for Beginners
- Lower Ab Exercises with a Ball
Best Lower Ab Exercises
You’ll find that 90% of these exercises will be a lower ab workout with no equipment. Which is good because there really is no requirement to go to the gym to get in a good lower ab workout. We’ve included a full section on lower ab exercises with weights and lower abdominal exercises at the gym.
Starting below, for a full lower ab workout, pick and choose lower ab strengthening exercises from any category to build your own custom lower ab workout.
Lower Ab Workout at Home
Sometimes it can be tough to get to a gym. Whether you’re busy or traveling, still hitting the core for a quick ab session is possible. In fact, most ab workouts have no real requirement for a gym anyway, making a full lower ab workout from home a great option.
Below are the best lower ab workouts for at home.
Heel Tap Crunch
Mountain Climbers
Side Plank
Reverse Crunch
Straight Leg Raise
Scissor
Cross Body Climber
Roll Up
Jackknife
Pike Plank
Rocking Abs
Dead Bug
Bear Crawls
Bicycles
lower ab workout at home
Lower Ab Exercises with Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are an easy way to add an extra challenge to your home workout. Pretty much any ab exercise can be modified to use a resistance band.
The resistance band will help to challenge and work the abdominal muscles more than they would with normal body weight.
Lying Leg Raise
Bicycle Crunch
Bridge Thrust
Side Plank Leg Lift
Vertical Scissors
Lower Ab Workouts for Women
Try out these abdominal exercises for women and be sure to keep the midsection toned and trim. Add these exercises for a full lower ab workout and a spot-on diet and all the ingredients are there for success.
Flutter Kick
Mountain Climber
Scissor Kick
Toe Touch
Bicycle Crunch
Lower ab workout for women
Lower Ab Exercises With Weights
Here is where the rubber meets the road. If you’re ready to really take things up a notch and truly smoke those abs, try these 5 lower ab exercises with weights to add as much resistance as you can handle.
Straight Leg Barbell Sit up
Kettlebell Swing
Side Bend With Weight
Russian Twist With Dumbbell
Dumbbell Crunch
Lower Ab Workout at Gym
The gym is beneficial, even for abdominal exercises, because there is different equipment that a typical person won’t have in their homes. Below are the 7 best lower ab exercises using equipment normally only found in a gym.
Hanging Leg Raise
Horizontal Cable Woodchop
Seated Knee Tuck
Cable Crunches
Garhammer Raise
Hanging Knee Raise
Hanging Knee Twist
lower ab workout at the gym
Lower Ab Exercises For Beginners
Everyone has to start somewhere. If you’re a complete beginner, it might not be great to start with the most difficult lower ab workout you can find. The best solution is to start with the basics, master them, and work yourself into the more advanced lower ab exercises. Below are the 5 best lower ab exercises for the beginner.
Straight Leg Raise
Classic Forearm Plank
Alternating Jackknife
Crunch
Alternating Straight Leg Raise
Lower Ab Exercises With Ball
There are several different lower ab exercise uses with a ball. A medicine ball is definitely good, but there are different ball exercises to fit into your workout too. Here are the 7 best lower ab exercises with a ball.
A medicine ball in all it’s forms can be used for a full abdominal workout, in the home gym or at the gym. For more medicine ball abdominal workouts, try these 9 different total ab exercises with a medicine ball here.
Bosu Ball Crunch
Plank on Swiss Ball
Plank on Medicine Ball
Medicine Ball V-up
Swiss Ball V-Up and Pass
Swiss Ball Crunch
Medicine Ball Jackknife
lower ab exercises with a ball
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