Top 10 Lower Abs Exercises

By Dana Laurier

The biggest complaint women have about their abdominal muscles (besides having to diet and exercise to see them) is that it is incredibly difficult to target the lower abs.

Well, in what I can only call the most complete abdominal exercise series for women, this first part will focus entirely on the most effective lower abdominal exercises.

It’s no secret that everyone has a six-pack; it’s getting them to the surface that’s the hard part. Eating right and exercising regularly are a big part of seeing your abdominal muscles shine on through.

Ideally, when performing abdominal exercises, you would do them like you would any other exercise, incorporating sets and reps. And while there has been much debate about whether performing weighted ab exercises are useful, I believe that if done right, ab exercises without weights are just as effective.

So now that you’re eating lean meats, fish, and raw fruits and vegetables, it’s time to find out which exercises to include in your abdominal exercise regime to get the most out of your workouts.


Lower abs exercises #10

Decline Crunches
Lie on a decline bench and lock your feet into the footpads. Place your hands next to your ears, making sure that your elbows stay in line with them at all times. Contract your abs and raise yourself up until your chest comes close to your knees, then lower yourself slowly until you’re two inches away from the bench. Without touching, raise your body again.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #9

Parallel Bar Knee Raises
Hold yourself up on a parallel bar by placing your elbows and forearms on the pads, and let your legs hang down. Contract your abs and lift your knees up toward your chest, tilting your pelvis as they pass your hips.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #8
Lying Reverse Crunches
Lie on a mat and place your hands under your butt, palms down. Start off with your legs straight and bring your knees toward your chest, raising your pelvis, your head and shoulders simultaneously.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #7
Flutter Kicks
Lie on a mat with your arms by your sides, palms down. Straighten your legs, but keep a slight bend in the knees. Your starting position has your legs off the ground by about 5 inches. While one leg remains here, the other leg is raised about 10 inches. When that leg comes down, the other one goes up – your objective is to execute a scissor-like motion.
Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #6
Swiss Ball Leg Raises
Lie on a mat and place a small Swiss ball in your hands above your head. Contract your abs and bring your arms and legs into the air, transferring the ball from your hands to your feet. Lower the ball without touching the ground and bring the ball back up with your legs to transfer it to your hands.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Lower abs exercises #5
Hanging Leg Raises
On a pull-up bar, let your body hang with your legs straight. Raise your knees until your thighs are parallel with the ground. Hold the position for a second then lower your legs to the starting position, remembering that your abs should be doing the work.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #4
Bent-Knee Hip Raises

Lie on a mat and place your hands by your sides. Bend your knees, keeping your feet a couple of inches off the ground, and raise your pelvis and bend your knees toward your chest, lifting your head and shoulders simultaneously. Contract your ab muscles and hold the position for a second before lowering your body back down.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #3
Reverse Decline Crunches
Lie on a decline bench, but place your head where your feet would normally go and hold the top of the bench with both hands. Keep your legs parallel to the floor (and off the bench), then raise them as you bring your pelvis towards your chest. As you lower your legs, make sure to keep your abs tight throughout the exercise.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #2
Exercise Ball Pull-Ins
On a Swiss ball, place your arms in a pushup position on the floor and place your shins on the exercise ball. Pull your knees toward your chest, making sure to keep your back straight throughout the motion. Contract your abs, hold for a moment and roll back to the starting position.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced


Lower abs exercises #1
Hanging Knee-To-Chin Raises
On a pull-up bar, let your body hang with your knees bent. Tighten your abs and bring your knees in toward your chest. Return to your starting position and remember that at no point should your legs swing.

Difficulty: Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced

Abdominal muscle workout

With some dedication to your body via diet and exercise, a toned mid-section is not impossible to achieve. If you put your head and heart into it, your abs will follow.