Lower Ab Exercise
Getting the ripped, flat abs of your dreams requires working out all of your ab muscles. There are actually 6 different abdominal muscles commonly referred to as “abs,” and many people neglect one or many of these muscles when planning their abdomen exercises. In fact, many people go about their lower ab exercise the wrong way. Exercising your lower abs requires targeted movements to strengthen these muscles, while incorporating a workout for related muscles. Here are a few things to keep in mind when exercising you lower abs:
First, this exercise routine is not about doing many reps. Your lower abs may not benefit very much from hundreds of crunches. In fact, this might just over-strain them, making your muscles sore the next day. Instead, lower ab exercises are all about targeting the right muscles, making them work and increasing their definition. You will truly feel these muscles working when you’ve found the right lower ab exercises.
A great exercise for your lower abs targets the transverse ab muscles, which run vertically across your torso to pull your stomach in towards your spine. To work the transverse abdominus muscles, kneel on the ground with the palms of your hands flat on the ground in front of you. Then, concentrate on using your lower ab muscles to pull your belly button upwards into your spine as much as you can. During this exercise, focus on relaxing the rest of your body, so that your lower abs are doing the work. Otherwise, you may end up working other muscles without touching your abs at all. As your lower ab muscles grow stronger, increase the length of time that you hold this position, up to two minutes at a time.
If you’re not sure if you are doing this exercise right, test yourself by lying flat on your stomach, rather than on your hands and knees. Then, repeat the same exercise movement as if you were on your hands and knees. You should be able to feel your lower abs pulling your stomach towards your spine, ensuring that you are doing this exercise correctly.
Another effective exercise for the lower abdominal muscles begins with lying flat on the floor, on your back. Now, bend one leg at a 90 degree angle, with the thigh muscle perpendicular to the ground. Keep the other leg flat on the ground. Use your lower ab muscles to move your leg towards the ground, stopping when your foot touches the ground. The goal of this exercise is to move your legs while keeping your ab muscles tightened throughout the movements, which requires concentration. Repeat this movement with each leg until you stop feeling your ab muscles tightening. This exercise should be done slowly and with plenty of concentration on working your ab muscles. Try 2 or 3 sets of 10 to 15 reps on each leg. As your ab muscles get stronger, this exercise will get easier. For an extra challenge, keep your leg straight out rather than bent, or bend both legs and lower them at the same time.
