Lower Abs

BigMace255 · 05-11-2005, 03:48 AM

Looking for a few good workouts for lower abs (weighted, unweighetd, whatever equipment needed, my gym hopefully has it.)

Out of the 6-pack, my top 2 are REALLY well-defined (deep ridges in them, good seperation, and decent size)
my middle 2 are OK, and I'm working on them
but my bottom 2, unless I JUST finished a crazy ab workout, AND am flexing, really don'y show.

Right now I usually do:

Reverse crunches (pretty much take the incline crunches and turn them around to lift your legs instead of the torso)

Incline Crunches

Hanging Leg Raises (also do these with an oblique twist)

Incline Crunches with an oblique twist with a 10 pound medicine ball

Just recently started (this week) using the stomach vacuum.

Any ideas for lower abs?

**johnsbod** · 05-11-2005, 04:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by USMuscle9403

That's all going to hit the entire abdominal musculature. Sounds like your problem is more diet related than anything.

I agree. If you're doing incline crunches with a medicine ball that hit's the lower abs pretty hard.

sfiximo · 05-11-2005, 06:05 AM

Drop the hanging leg raises and do lying leg raises. You will notice a huge difference.

Dan · 05-11-2005, 12:06 PM

Take 1-2 45 pound plates and use them in place of the medicine ball. Throw in alternating Russian twists at the top. Move to cable crunches, then leg extensions while sitting cross ways on a bench (high reps). If your abs are not burning yet... simply repeat.

~~Fresch~~ · 05-16-2005, 05:22 AM

One of the great problems with the lower part of the rectus is that most so called "lower abs exercises" involve movements based at the hips: I have yet to see the abs connected to the legs! So, most lower ab exercises are predominantly hip flexor exercises, and involve movement of the legs with flexion of the hips.

Now, the role of the lower abs is to tilt the pelvic bone backwards, so this gives you an idea as to what sort of exercises are needed to target the lower abs. Start with lying on your back with knees bent and see if you can flatten your back against the floor by rolling your pelvis backwards. Many people can't do this beacuse they have very poor activation of their lower abs and over-activation of their hip flexors.

Exercise progressions are such that this action of rolling the pelvis backwards, or controlling the forwards rotation of the pelvis, is made harder. One such way is to have the feet off the floor, and think to keep the pelvis and legs as a single unit. Try to roll the legs and pelvis backwards and forwards, without changing the alignment of the legs.

AnabolicFreak · 05-30-2005, 09:50 PM

Most ab exercises work the whole abs but getting the bottom ones to show requires very low BF.

crazycacti · 05-30-2005, 10:28 PM

agree with the above -

there is no such thing as lower and upper abs - all ab exercises hit the whole abdominal muscle

IMO abs look better when not trained or trained only a little before a comp

If u are hitting ur sets with enough intensity then the abs are always being worked - esp in squats, deadlifts and mil. press

05-11-2005, 03:48 AM	#1
BigMace255 Amateur Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 31 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	Lower Abs Looking for a few good workouts for lower abs (weighted, unweighetd, whatever equipment needed, my gym hopefully has it.) Out of the 6-pack, my top 2 are REALLY well-defined (deep ridges in them, good seperation, and decent size) my middle 2 are OK, and I'm working on them but my bottom 2, unless I JUST finished a crazy ab workout, AND am flexing, really don'y show. Right now I usually do: Reverse crunches (pretty much take the incline crunches and turn them around to lift your legs instead of the torso) Incline Crunches Hanging Leg Raises (also do these with an oblique twist) Incline Crunches with an oblique twist with a 10 pound medicine ball Just recently started (this week) using the stomach vacuum. Any ideas for lower abs?

05-11-2005, 06:05 AM	#3
sfiximo Pro Stature Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: a Posts: 303 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 7	Drop the hanging leg raises and do lying leg raises. You will notice a huge difference. __________________ check out my journal (its somewhere in the workout log section)

05-30-2005, 09:50 PM	#6
AnabolicFreak New Member Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 5 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	Most ab exercises work the whole abs but getting the bottom ones to show requires very low BF. __________________ 100% Anabolic 100% Freak

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05-11-2005, 12:06 PM	#4
Dan Unpaid Trash Collector Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Colorado Posts: 1,784 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 26	Take 1-2 45 pound plates and use them in place of the medicine ball. Throw in alternating Russian twists at the top. Move to cable crunches, then leg extensions while sitting cross ways on a bench (high reps). If your abs are not burning yet... simply repeat.

05-16-2005, 05:22 AM	#5
~~Fresch~~ Banned Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 195 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	One of the great problems with the lower part of the rectus is that most so called "lower abs exercises" involve movements based at the hips: I have yet to see the abs connected to the legs! So, most lower ab exercises are predominantly hip flexor exercises, and involve movement of the legs with flexion of the hips. Now, the role of the lower abs is to tilt the pelvic bone backwards, so this gives you an idea as to what sort of exercises are needed to target the lower abs. Start with lying on your back with knees bent and see if you can flatten your back against the floor by rolling your pelvis backwards. Many people can't do this beacuse they have very poor activation of their lower abs and over-activation of their hip flexors. Exercise progressions are such that this action of rolling the pelvis backwards, or controlling the forwards rotation of the pelvis, is made harder. One such way is to have the feet off the floor, and think to keep the pelvis and legs as a single unit. Try to roll the legs and pelvis backwards and forwards, without changing the alignment of the legs.

05-30-2005, 10:28 PM	#7
crazycacti Amateur Join Date: May 2005 Posts: 32 Recipes: 0 Rep Power: 0	agree with the above - there is no such thing as lower and upper abs - all ab exercises hit the whole abdominal muscle IMO abs look better when not trained or trained only a little before a comp If u are hitting ur sets with enough intensity then the abs are always being worked - esp in squats, deadlifts and mil. press