When it comes to how to get six pack abs, you cannot neglect your lower abs as they are key to achieving well developed 6 pack abs. But as you probably know by now, getting the lower abs to pop is no easy task. And although nutrition does play a huge role to flatten the lower belly, you can actually develop the lower abs to make them appear more visible and defined. That’s why I’m going to show you 3 of the best exercises for lower abs you can incorporate into your next intense lower ab workout. If you’ve been putting yourself through lower abs workout after workout without any results to show for it, then you need to watch this video.
Now first off, for those saying that the upper abs and lower abs can’t be selectively targeted, research clearly indicates otherwise. In fact, multiple EMG analyses have concluded that “top down” abs exercises will preferentially target the upper abs whereas “bottom up” abs exercises will preferentially target the lower abs. So if you want to develop your lower abs most effectively, you need to choose the best bottom up abs exercises to do so.
And one of the best lower abs exercises is the reverse crunch. However, most people just don’t perform it in a way that actually works the lower abs. A mistake I commonly come across is that many people would aimlessly swing their legs up and down. What this does, essentially, is turn the reverse crunch into a hip flexor exercise. If you want reverse crunches to target your lower abs, you need to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt before initiating the movement and then simply focus on curling your pelvis up towards your shoulders. Visualize the lower abs working as you perform each rep while avoiding using momentum. You will then want to progress this lower ab exercise overtime for the best results, which can be done by adding a weighted ball between your knees and/or performing the exercise on a decline.
The second exercise that needs to be included in your lower abs workout is the hanging leg raise. As with the reverse crunches, its effectiveness on targeting the lower abs depends on how you perform it. When done incorrectly, it can quickly become a hip flexor dominant movement as well. Once again, you need to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt before starting the movement by contracting your core and pushing your hips forward. Again here you’ll want to simply focus on curling your pelvis up towards your shoulders rather than just swinging your legs up. This helps ensure that you’re targeting the lower abs. These can be done hanging off of a bar and then progressed by adding weight between the feet. Alternatively, these can be made easier by doing these on a Captain’s Chair leg raise or performing them with bent knees at first.
The final lower abs exercise – also one of the best exercises for lower abs – is the ab wheel roll-out. And of course, its effectiveness depends on proper execution. Before performing this exercise, you want to move into a posterior pelvic tilt by thinking about pulling your belly button into your spine and pushing your hips forward. This will enable you to have a slight flexion to your spine. Not only will you be better able to engage the lower abs, but you’ll also put your lower back in a safer position during the roll-out. Then, as you roll out and back, make sure you don’t cheat by bending your knees on the way back. The hips should not move further back than where they started from each rep.
I hope that you were able to see that when it comes to how to get lower abs and a well-defined six pack, you need to not only choose the right exercises, but you need to ensure you’re performing them optimally as well.
Doing so, together with the implementation of the right nutrition plan, is going to be the key to dropping your body fat, and developing those much-coveted six-pack abs.
And for a step-by-step science-based nutrition and workout plan designed to get you lean and develop your six pack as quickly as possible, take the quiz below to discover what SHRED program is best for you:
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STUDIES:
REVERSE CRUNCH LOWER ABS ACTIVATION
HANGING LEG RAISES EMG ANALYSIS – T NATION
HANGING LEG RAISES EMG ANALYSIS – SUPPVERSITY
AB WHEEL ROLL-OUT EMG ANALYSIS – T NATION
AB WHEEL ROLL-OUT EMG ANALYSIS – 2006 STUDY
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