How To Work Lower Abs

How to work lower abs is actually pretty simple. However, beware of pointless, ineffective exercises that can even cause lower back pain. No pain, no gain—but don't hurt the rest of your body while trying to strengthen another. A common danger in a lower ab workout is flexing hips; full sit ups and leg lifts cause your lower back to arch, which frequently cause stress that will eventually lead to a painful back. Outlined below are a few great exercise that if followed everyday will yield results you can both see and feel in all the right places. It is also important to know that each of your ab muscles are not completely independent of each other, and that it is impossible to only work one section while ignoring another. However, the exercises listed below are ones that work lower abs more than upper abs.

1. Reverse Crunch. This exercise is great to to work lower abs, although it will also work to strengthen your entire core. Get in position by lying flat on your back. Raise your knees over your hips, bent at a 90 degree angle, ankles touching. Place your arms at your side, palms flat on the floor. If you're on a bench, hold on to the sides. Throughout the movement, be sure to keep your lower back on the floor. To start, slowly curl your hips off the floor, bringing your chest towards your knees. Hold for two counts, and slowly lie back to the starting position. This is one repetition.
2. Hanging Leg Raise. Start by hanging from a sturdy bar (if you don't have access to a gym, affordable suspension bars can be bought from Walmart) with your hands directly above your shoulders. For added support, wrist or elbow straps will help. Take your legs just a little bit behind your torso, and then slowly lift them to about hip level. For less stress on your lower back, keep your knees bent. Slowly return to the original position. This is one repetition.
3. Alternating Supine Leg Walks. For this exercise, start by lying flat on the floor with your hands under your buttocks. Contract your abs, and lift your legs until they are vertically above your hips. Then, lower one leg until it is a few inches off the ground, hold for one count, and return to the vertical position. Do the same with your other leg. This is one repetition.

In order to get the most out of these exercises, be sure to take a slow, controlled pace. With these workouts, it is much more important that you keep the  form with a steady movement to ensure that you work out the correct muscles, in this cases, working out your lower abs. Also, the key to any effective workout regimen is variety. Without variety, your body will adapt to your program and your workouts will become less and less effective. Be sure to spice it up. This can be easily done by changing the number of reps, sequence of exercises, resistance (if you choose to add weights), and speed (but not too fast!). Good luck and get pumping!

Sources:

UNM.edu

Health Care Tips

Health Care Tips