How to Build Lower Abs

Recently a lot of people have been asking me how to build better and more defined lower abs.  It takes these three regiments (cardio, strength, and diet) working in concert to achieve this goal.  This is a lower ab workout for you to get better defined lower abs.Lower Abdominal Specific Workouts

This page is dedicated to specific workout plans that will help you target the lower half to one-third of your abdominal muscles.  These specific routines should be inserted into a larger core workout.  I will explain how you may elect to do that on a general core workout article. 

I will be listing a number of workouts that will target the lower abdominal area.  Many and almost all will also target the hip flexor.  This will be part of the process in any lower abdominal workout.  It is important to have strong hip flexors if you want to target the lower abs, but if you don’t have strong hip flexors now, you will soon!  In doing these exercises, many people may feel as if they are inadvertently targeting the wrong muscle group.  This is not true.  If you do not come from a highly competitive and technically disciplined track background or a martial arts background, more likely than not, your hip flexors will be weaker than your abs.  And so consequently, at the beginning of adding many of these workouts, you will endure some hip flexor fatigue before you get an opportunity to truly engage the lower abdominals to where you can get the results that you are looking for.

There are a couple of things, six even, that will apply to all of the following workouts with exception to one or two.  If there is an exception then I will note it at that time.  This IS the most important part of all of these exercises

1) These workouts should be over exaggerated through power, speed and extension during the contraction of the muscle.

2) Though the contracting of the muscle should be explosive, while returning to the starting point of the exercise you should be slow and controlled and breathing through the targeted muscles.

3) As the lower abs fatigue, you will instinctively attempt to shift the stress to a different muscle group, such as the chest, neck, shoulders, or upper abdomen.  Resist this impulse.

4) Focus on keeping the neck, shoulders, to the small of your back/navel in perfect posture.  They should remain stationary throughout the exercise.  Belly button to Spine.

5) Do not swing your body.  When you return to the starting position of the exercise, eliminate any momentum that can be carried into the next repetition.

6) There is no rest during, or between repetitions.  The muscle should continually be at point of tension, even at the starting point of each repetition.

It is important in targeting the lower abdominal muscles, to continually vary your workouts.  Use these workouts in rotations that do not repeat at the same rate as your regular strength training.

1) Leg Lifts – Elevate your body on a workout bench with your legs hanging off the end of the bench.  Your legs should be able to touch the ground while your legs are completely straight.  Your back should be completely flat against the bench.  Lift your feet slightly off the ground into the ‘start’ position.  Your legs will remain feet and knees together, and lift to just past 90 degree from your torso, and repeat.  Stopping momentum at the top and bottom (finishing and starting positions).   Can be done in 3 sets of 10, up to 4 sets of 25 for the more advanced.

2) Jackpots – This is actually a three part isolation abs workout for all three ‘rows’ of your six pack.  Using a decline workout bench, lie on the workout bench traditionally with head towards the ground.  You will perform three variations of sit-ups for this position.  The first will be from the top (normal finishing position for sit-ups) with elbows touching knees; reclining to a position where your back is parallel to the floor (start/bottom), repeat.  Follow this immediately by reclining to where your back is flat against the bench (bottom), and contracting to where your back is parallel to the floor (top), repeat.  Follow this immediately with sit-ups of the complete length.  3 Sets of 7-7-7 for each position (which is why they are called Jackpots).  Increase reps as you become stronger.

3) Hanging Knee Lifts – Hang from a pull-up bar with arms as wide as you can maintain comfortably.  Start from a position with back tight and legs straight and extended behind you.  Contract with the goal of touching your knees to your chest.  Can be done in 3 sets of 10, up to 4 sets of 25 for the more advanced.

4) Stair Climbers – Begin at the ‘top’ position of a push-up.  Alternating legs; drive one knee to your chest while extending the other out behind you with leg straight.  3x30seconds. Increase time as you become stronger.