What are the Best Lower Ab Exercises for Your Workout?

First, let’s set something straight – there’s no such thing as “lower abs.” It’s actually all one muscle. Getting rid of body fat in your lower abs is tough because there is no way to directly target so-called “love handles.” Instead, your entire body needs to be activated to burn fat overall, as is explained by Sadik Hadzovic in this Men’s Fitness article. It’s not all about burning fat, though; the top lower ab exercises target both fat loss and building muscle. The following are the 6 best exercises for lower abs and how to do them.

6 Amazing Abdominal Workouts

These are the best lower ab exercises for building muscle and burning fat. I chose exercises that focus more on building muscle, because more muscle means more passive and active fat burning – you’ll get more mileage out of your cardio if your muscles are well-developed.

Aerial Leg Raise

All this requires is a pull-up bar. Simply grab the bar as if you were about to do a pull-up, but instead bring both of your legs up simultaneously until they are at a 90 degree angle from your body. Do this slowly, and hold the position for 3 seconds before returning to a hanging position. This is similar to a leg raise on the ground, but offers much more intensity.

Deadlift

This is one of those one-size-fits-all workouts that seems to make its way into most of my posts. It’s one of the best lower ab exercises and muscle building workouts in general – but only if it’s done with proper form. Instead of giving you a summary, allow me to point you to Layne Norton’s Bodybuilding.com video on how to set up and execute a safe and effective deadlift.

Woodsplitting

It’s true – lumberjacks are ripped for a reason. You can go out and actually split wood with the excellent advice of Dave Jewett, or you can use a cable machine at a gym. To properly perform a cable wood chop:

1. Place the cable at the highest point on the machine and grab the handle.

2. Stand about 2 feet away with your body perpendicular to the machine.

3. Bend your torso toward the machine and grab the handle with both hands, letting it retract as much as possible.

4. Keeping your arms straight, pull down in a fluid motion toward your opposite thigh; your torso should be in its original position.

5. Hold position briefly, then slowly return to the position in step 3.

Army Crawl

You may wish to purchase a pair of workout gliders for this exercise (also known as gliding discs). It’s a simple workout and basically transforms the plank to focus on muscle strength. First, get into plank position with your toes on gliders (if you wish). Then use your elbows and fists to pull your body forward. Keep the rest of your body straight, and don’t move your legs. You can go forward and backward if you don’t have much room, but try to crawl for at least 30 seconds per rep.

High Resistance Elliptical Routine

Yes, the elliptical is primarily a cardio machine, but if you crank up the resistance and incline, it works wonders for your lower abs. All machines vary, so you’ll have to play around with the resistance on yours to find what works for you. Pump it up as high as you can handle it – think of each step as one rep in a weight training exercise, because that’s what this ultimately is. Remember to keep your back straight and your hands on the bars.

Swimming

Last but certainly not least is one of the most effective general workouts you can do: plain old swimming. I could devote an entire article to swimming workouts that target the lower abs alone, but ultimately any kind of swimming with proper form provides a fantastic whole-body workout. If you want cardio, strength, and endurance all in one, hit the pool!

A few reminders

Before you rush off to the gym, commit these tips to memory.

1. The best workout for lower abs requires variety. Your body stops benefitting from workouts if you repeat the same one for too long.

2. Activating your body’s fat burning mechanisms takes time; warm up before you get into your routine.

3. It’s all about form: if you do exercises wrong or get sloppy in an attempt to fit more reps in, you’ll just wear yourself out with little gain. Take your time and get it right.

4. Get the right fuel. Make healthy eating your way of life, and remember to get plenty of protein within an hour after your workout to maximize muscle growth.

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