Best Exercises for Lower Abs

These are the Best Lower Ab Exercises for Women

What are the best lower ab exercises? A lot of people have a hard time developing their lower ab muscles in comparison to their upper abs. The main reason for this is because regular crunches and sit-ups place more stress on the middle and upper regions of the abdominal muscle.

Your lower ab muscles are still worked, just not as hard as your upper abs. While focusing on developing your lower ab muscles don’t forget you need to lose lower ab fat first if you want to see your lower abs clearly.

Let’s go through some of the best lower ab exercises you can do to develop those stubborn lower ab muscles:

Hanging Leg Raise

Hanging leg raises are definitely one of the best lower ab exercises you can do.

Start: To perform the hanging leg raise you will need to begin the movement by hanging from a high bar with a wider than shoulder-width grip. Your body should be fully extended in a vertical position while hanging from the bar.

Execution: Raise your legs up around the hip level while keeping your legs as straight as you can. It’s natural to maintain a slight bend in the leg while bringing them up. Keep your knees together throughout the movement. The hanging leg raise can also be performed using bent knees.

Instead of keeping your legs straight, raise them up by bending your knees and leading the movement with your knees. This is an easier version of the hanging leg raise and would probably be a better option for beginners. Once you progress and get stronger then try switching to the straight leg variation to make the movement harder.Finish: Lower your legs back down to the starting position so they are fully extended and your body is back in a completely vertical position. Try and control the movement as much as possible. Your body should not be swinging. Try and keep it still and focus on using your ab muscles to stay stable and perform the movement.

Lying Leg Raise

The lying leg raise is, in theory, the same movement as the hanging leg raises except that you will be laying down in a more stable position. The lying leg raise is also handy if you do not have a high bar to perform the hanging leg raise.

Start: Lay down with your back flat against the floor or a bench. Place hands either down by your sides or underneath your glutes (bum) and raise your legs up in the air near a vertical position with knees slightly bent.

Execution: Similar motion to the hanging leg raise. With your legs extended up in the air lower them down to just above floor/bench level with your feet and toes pointing forwards. You can either keep your legs as straight as possible while lowering your legs or you can keep them bent throughout the whole movement. Completely bent knees will make the movement easier. Straighter legs will make it harder.

Finish: Now raise them back up focusing on pulling your legs up using your ab/lower ab muscles.

Barbell Ab Rollouts

Barbell ab rollouts are rarely used in the gym. Barbell rollouts are a great exercise for the abs which many people seem to neglect. Instead of using a barbell, it is also possible to use dumbbells or an exercise ball. Here we will focus on the barbell rollout.

Start: Start with the barbell at your feet. Bend over to grip it with legs straight (or slightly bent if you can’t stretch that far) and arms straight.

Execution: Roll the barbell forward until you are stretched out as far as possible while maintaining a flat lower back. The further you roll out the more stress that is placed on your abs and lower abs to stabilize the body. If your midsection is not strong enough there is a chance you will lose position.

If you find this happening then roll the bar forward but don’t fully extend yourself. Only roll the bar out to the point you know you still have full control of your body and can stabilize yourself. Work your way up to using a full range of motion and keep form strict.

Finish: Once you’ve rolled the bar out as far as you can go you need to pull it back to the starting position. Keep tension on your abs and pull everything back.

The Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is another great lower ab exercise.

Start: Lay down on the floor with your arms by your sides. Move your legs up in the air but bend your knees so that thighs are perpendicular to the floor. Your knees and feet should form a straight line and feet need to be put together.

Execution: To perform the reverse crunch move your legs in towards your body using your ab muscles while moving your hips off the floor slightly. Knees should end up above your chest.

Finish: Return your legs to the original starting position keeping them under control at all times.

Those are in my opinion 4 of the best lower ab exercises you can do to develop those stubborn lower ab muscles. Try and perform all lower ab exercises with strict form keeping as much tension as you can on your abs throughout every movement.