By Prodyut Das

Lower Abs Workout

Lower abs workout exercises for your abs can help you lose belly flab, recondition your muscles following a pregnancy, tighten your core and build that abdominal six-pack you've always wanted. Exercises for the lower abdominal area involve drawing an imaginary circle on the ceiling with your extended leg as you lie on the floor. See the abs workout videos for more detail.

The abdominal muscles are located between the ribs and the pelvis on the front of the body. The abdominal muscles support the trunk, allow movement and hold organs in place by regulating internal abdominal pressure.

Beginner level Lower abs workout

1) Pelvic tiltLower abs workout

Do the pelvic tilt to strengthen your abdominal muscles. Lie on your back on the floor with your knees bent. Flatten your back against the floor by tightening your abdominal muscles and bending your pelvis up slightly. Hold for up to 10 seconds. Repeat.

2) Knee up- Lower abs workout

Knee ups are a great exercise for your abdominal muscles. You hang from a bar or dip machine and pull your knees up toward your chest. This is a type of reverse crunch -- you pull your legs toward your chest instead of crunching your torso toward your legs. You can substitute knee ups with other reverse crunch variations.

3) Seated knee up- Lower abs workout

Sit in the middle of a bench with your knees and feet together. Grasp the back of the bench and lean backward making sure your shoulders are pulled back. Lift your knees towards your chest then extend them back out. Then follow by extending your legs straight and up,use your arms to support your body and maintain balance.

4) Leg lifts- Lower abs workout

Lie down on your back with your hands under your buttocks. Lift your legs up vertically with your knees bent on the way up to avoid straining your lower back.

Straighten your legs an keep your abdominals contracted – you should feel the tension. Lower both legs slowly without locking your knees until your feet nearly touch the ground. Hold for a second. Return your legs to the vertical position and repeat. If you feel tension in your back keep your legs slightly bent and do not lower too much initially. The toning work to your lower abs is done during that second when you are holding your position.

Intermediate level Lower abs workout

5) Bicycle Crunch- Lower abs workout

The bicycle crunch develops strong abdominal muscles along with balance and coordination. A very challenging exercise which requires a reasonable level of core strength and balance.

Sit on a gym mat. Raise both feet off the floor and find your centre of balance. Straighten out both legs, then place hands by the side of your head. Bend one knee and bring it in towards the chest. At the same time twist the torso, so the opposite elbow meets the opposing knee. Repeat for the other knee, twisting the torso to the opposite side.

6) Leg raise bent knee- Lower abs workout

Using a Roman Chair to perform bent knee leg raises increases the load on the lower abdominals and hip flexors. It also hits the obliques and the front and outer thighs. A less challenging option to this exercise is to perform it sitting on the floor. To increase the challenge, wear ankle weights.

Position yourself in the Roman Chair with elbows on the support pads and the small of the back against the lumbar support. Inhale and raise the knees up towards the chest, bending the knees allowing the lower legs to relax. Round the back up to contract the abdominals at the top of the movement. Pause briefly and lower back to the start.

7) V Sit Ups- lower abs exercises

The v sit up is an effective exercise for developing the abs, and is performed by extending the arms and legs, then crunching up to bring them all together. It can be quite challenging for beginners as it requires a certain amount of core strength and balance.

Lie flat on your back on a gym mat. Arms stretched out straight behind your head. Simultaneously flex at the hips & curl the abs to raise the legs and torso off the floor. Bring the hands to meet the feet. Ensure the arms and legs remain straight throughout the movement. Pause at the mid point and then return back to the starting position. This is one repetition.

Advanced level Lower abs workout

8) Bicycle Crunch, Bosu- lower abs exercises

The bicycle crunch develops strong abdominal muscles along with balance and coordination. A very tough exercise and one that should be practiced on a flat gym mat before progressing to the bosu ball.

Sit on bosu ball with the flat side down. Raise both feet off the floor and find your centre of balance. Straighten out both legs, then place hands by the side of your head. Bend one knee and bring it in towards the chest. At the same time twist the torso, so the opposite elbow meets the opposing knee. Repeat for the other knee, twisting the torso to the opposite side.

9) Leg Raises, Hanging- lower abs exercises

Hanging leg raises require a considerable amount of strength in the arms, shoulders and core abdominals. However if you can master the technique of this exercise you will experience considerable strength gains in the upper and lower abdominals and the core.

Hang fully from a pull up bar. Keeping your legs straight, raise them up into a horizontal position, at right angles with your upper body. Keep knees and feet together and toes pointing up. Hold and squeeze and gradually lower to the start. Try not to swing your body for momentum. Keep the movement focused and controlled. Continue until you break good form.

10) Mountain Climbers- lower abs exercises

The mountain climber is an effective exercise for developing the legs and core, and is performed by switching the position of the legs while in a plank pose. The prone mountain climber exercise is a classic move for building leg and core strength plus improving coordination.

Adopt the extended push up position with a straight back. Ensure your weight is evenly distributed between your hands and feet. Bring the knee of one leg up towards the chest as though taking a step up. Both feet should still be in contact with the floor with even weight distribution. Switch legs as though climbing steps. This is one repetition. Continue alternating legs to complete the set.

11) Stability Ball, Jack Knife with Push Up- lower abs exercises

The stability ball jack knife with push up is not for beginners. It’s an exercise that incorporates multiple joint movements and requires great skill and balance to perform correctly. It targets the core abdominal muscles, chest, hips, shoulders and back. This exercise will develop exceptional core strength and good balance.

Position yourself so that you are in the press up position. Hands on the floor about shoulder width apart, with feet resting on top of a stability ball. Keep your back straight, with a neutral spine position at all times. The first part of this exercise is the jack knife. From the starting position, flex at the hips, so that your thighs come towards your abdomen. Keeping your knees and elbows straight, your feet will roll across the stability ball and your back side will rise upwards. Stop the movement once your tip toes are on the ball. Pause at the top. Straighten your hips and roll your feet back to the starting position. The second part of this exercise is the push up. Bend at the elbows and lower your upper body towards the floor. At the point where your elbows are a right angles, push back up to the start position.

Return from Lower abs workout to Home Page

Return from Lower abs workout to Sports Physical Therapy

Recent Articles

  1. Physical Therapy Abbreviations

    Jan 05, 20 06:55 PM

    Common Physical Therapy Abbreviations used in documentation
  2. Pes Anserine Bursitis

    May 26, 17 11:36 AM

    Pes anserine bursitis (tendinitis) involves inflammation of the bursa at the insertion of the pes anserine tendons on the medial proximal tibia.
  3. williams flexion exercises

    May 22, 17 12:02 PM

    Williams flexion exercises focus on placing the lumbar spine in a flexed position to reduce excessive lumbar lordotic stresses.

Rating: 4.4

Votes: 252