Common abdominal exercises such as crunches or bicycle are great and effective way of sculpting your core and obliques. It will definitely make your abs pop out.
But take note that conventional ab exercises barely work that lower abs, making it a little harder for you to get a completely toned abdomen.
So if you really want a sculpted belly (with a nice six-pack), working those last hidden inch of muscles can make a big difference.
And you can start with your lower abs!
Now working your abs isn’t that easy and it is quite painful. But as the saying goes “no pain, no gain”, there is absolutely no reward without efforts and sacrifices.
You also need to put your legs and your brain together into it. Why legs? Because every time you move your legs, you are working your lower abdomen. Simple isn’t?
So without further ado, here are some of the best exercises for your lower abs.
Military Crawl
Military crawl or sometimes called army crawl, is a plank position exercise but in a crawling motion.
This exercise requires you to squeeze your butt, with a glider under each foot, on the edge of your mat.
Your forearms crawl forward about four to five steps until your gliders hit the end of the mat, then crawl back.
Ensure that you maintain a plank position and keep your legs straight and hips stable at all times.
Bear
Bear position (as pictured below) is one of the most effective lower ab exercises that you can do at home.
Just follow the position below where you should be on an extended arm plank, keep your hands directly beneath your shoulders, feet hip-width apart.
Press down and slowly pull your knees in so they come about four inches in front of your hips. Then push back to your starting plank position.
Do this for 30 to 45 seconds, or 8 to 12 reps.
C-Curve
C-Curve is a popular move among women as it is not too stressful on the lower back unlike other ab workouts.
To do C-Curve, just follow the position below sitting on the floor on your tailbone (sit up position). You can use a ball or a pillow if you don’t have one.
Put the pillow between your thighs and squeeze tightly as you do the whole workout. Start to arch your back into a small stretch, tuck the tailbone and drive the low back down.
Pick your elbows up and hold onto the backs of your thighs. Remember to keep your shoulders down, chin open and elbows wide. This forms the C position.
X-Factor
This workout is truly satisfying and worth adding on your workout program. As pictured below, start with your body lying on the floor in an X position.
You can use weights in both hands but you can also do this without weights. Simply lift your left hand and torso at the same time, keeping your belly pulled into your spine, until you roll all the way up to balancing on your tailbone.
Lower back down and do the other side. Make sure that you keep your legs straight.
Six Pack Scissor
Six pack scissors is one of the most popular ab workouts that most people do (probably second only to planks).
Simply lay flat on your back, pull your right leg up into the ceiling, while your left leg straight and about two inches off the ground.
Lift your upper body high and use your hands behind the knee and then bring your hands behind your head.
Then lift your left foot and tap the back of your right heel, crunch and tip your hips, half release and bring the leg back to its original position.
Conclusion
These five lower abdominal exercises will surely help improve your overall mid-section figure. Do this four to five times a week and expect great results in no time!
About the Author:
Perly Rodolfo is a health and fitness blogger that shares informative articles online. She’s been in the IT industry for over a decade now and is still working as a programmer and SEO consultant. You can learn more about Perly via her website at Popular Diet Pills.
Image Credits:
www.skimble.com
www.huffingtonpost.com
www.youbeauty.com
www.wikihow.com/Get-Fit-the-Military-Way
