How to Carve Your Lower Abdominals

How to Carve your Lower Abdominals

As the old saying goes, abs are made in the kitchen, which is very true, as if there is a layer of fat covering the abdominal muscles, then visibility of the six pack will be non-existent.

But what people seem to forget to add to the old saying is, that you still need to carve them up good and proper in the gym.

So to help you along I have compiled a list of the top lower abdominal exercises to ensure that the lower abs will always be on point.

Exercises For The Lower Abs

Reverse Crunch:

Difficulty: Beginner

1. Begin by lying on your back on the ground
2. Raise your legs and bend your knees to a 90 degree angle
3. Bring your knees towards your chest while simultaneously raising your hips off the floor
4. Make sure to breath out while doing so
5. Ensure to control the movement and not allow the momentum to take over.
6. Then inhale and return to the starting position where your knees are back to 90 degrees

Tip: Make it more difficult by adding a weight in between the feet or a resistance band around your ankles, this will add more resistance when curling your knees towards your chest.

Mountain Climbers

Difficulty: Beginner 

1. Start in a plank position
2. Ensure your abs are tight and engaged
3. As you exhale, pull your left knee into your chest as far as possible, while your right knee is extended behind you
4. Then switch legs, and bring your right knee towards your chest while extending your left leg
5. That is one rep
6. The movement will look similar to that of a sprinter at the starting blocks
7. Ensure you keep your hips down and knees in and ensure to exhale each time the knee is brought towards the chest

Tip: Make it more difficult and also incorporate the obliques by doing cross body mountain climbers.

Instead of the chest, simply draw your left leg towards your right elbow, and then the right leg towards the left elbow. That would be one rep.

Windshield Wipers

Difficulty: Intermediate to experienced

So technically this is a lower oblique exercise but it is on my list as it will ensure the lower obliques become more prominent.

1. Begin by lying on your back on the ground
2. Ensure that your back is flat
3. Extend your arms out either side of you to create a ‘T’ shape
4. Raise your feet off the ground so your body is essentially in a 90 degree angle
5. During this movement the legs will have a slight bend in the knees
6. Then slowly while controlling the movement, rotate the hips to one side, without letting your feet touch the floor.
7. Then come back to the middle and continue to do the same on the other side, that is one rep.
8. Your feet are going in a semicircle, and as the name suggests, you are mimicking a windshield wiper

Tip: This can be made more difficult when done while hanging

Pike on Swiss Ball

Difficulty: Intermediate to experienced

 Begin in a press up position

1. Ensure the swiss ball is resting under your feet
2. Then as you exhale, drive the hips upwards and pull your feet forwards towards your chest
3. This will bring the swiss ball towards you
4. Hold the position and then roll back to the starting position
5. The top of the movement will resemble an A, or upside down V,

Tip: This can also be done on a rowing machine, simply place your feet on the seat and control the eccentric and concentric movement.

Dragon Flag

Difficulty: Experienced

This particular exercise was invented by the legendary Bruce Lee, and made pop culture status in every gym in the late 1980’s after it appeared in Rocky IVs famous montage scene. Thank you Sly, as everybody loves a good training montage.

So here is how its done: 

1. Lying on your back
2. Reach your arms behind you and hold onto the bench
3. Lift up your hips as you roll your weight onto your shoulders
4. Then raise your body into the air but ensure your body is vertical
5. Keep your neck safe by ensuring the weight is on your shoulders
6. Then slowly lower your body back down towards you and the bench until you are parallel to the floor
7. Keep everything tight at this point
8. Then come back up the starting position at the top
9. That is one rep 

Partner Lying Leg Throwdowns

Difficulty: Experienced

So this is actually a partner based exercise, make sure you don’t piss them off before you start this routine as they will have the power to torture you.

1. Begin by lying on your back on the ground
2. Your partner will be standing over you
3. You will be holding onto their ankles for support so ensure you are both in close proximity
4. Ensuring the legs are together, keeping the abs tight, then slowly draw your hips up and bring your legs up towards your partner’s chest
5. Once your legs come towards your partner your partner will push down your feet towards the floor
6. Ensure you control the movement so your legs do not hit the floor.
7. Once your feet come back down that will be one rep
8. Then raise your legs back up to your partner and continue the set

Tip: As well as the lower abs, the obliques can also be targeted, simply get your partner to throw your legs either side of you. Again ensure you control the lowering portion of the movement.

So there you have it, these lower ab exercises will ensure you can continue to sculpt your physique in the gym, while using the kitchen to fine tune things.

Until next time, happy lifting.