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Have you noticed that many ab workouts just don’t hit the lower abs as well as they should?
There are multiple reasons for that, but the key is finding an exercise that keeps your legs off the ground. That way, your body will have to work harder to keep your hips and torso in position, which in turn helps increase the engagement of not only the lower abs but also the glutes.
The six seated ab exercises below involve moves with the legs in different positions; some of them can be done on a traditional workout bench, while others require a mat or another surface.
Seated Ab Exercises for Men
Here's a look at six seated ab exercises:
1) Figure 8
If you want your lower abs, try this burnout seated ab exercise: Do figure eights with your feet.
Start with a slow tempo, and build up your speed as you go. That will help you target your lower abs, engage other muscles of the core, and prevent you from falling off to the side.
How to do it?
- Lie on the floor, with your arms by your side and feet together.
- Brace yourself for stability, and lift both legs — keeping them together — and draw horizontal figure eights in the air.
- As you approach the top of each curve, squeeze your lower abs to lift your butt off the floor.
2) Hands Back Raise
Hands-back crunches are a different kind of crunch than traditional crunches. Instead of keeping your hands on the floor, you rest them in front of you on the ground, using them to brace your upper body while you do crunches. Just don’t use your arms to push up into the crunch.
Here's how do it:
- Lie on your back, with both arms and legs outstretched.
- Bend your knees, and bring them toward your chest.
- Bring your left elbow towards your right knee, followed by your right elbow towards your left knee. Finally, bring both elbows together in front of you.
- Repeat these movements as many times as possible within a minute.
3) Twister Piston
Next are twister pistons, which increase the heart rate and melt away the fat in the lower abs. Besides training like an athlete, you will work the muscles in your shoulders and upper body as you brace against the ground.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Lie facedown on the floor, with your legs straight and arms extended behind you.
- With a small hop forward, bring your knees closer to your body, and twist your torso to the right, reaching toward the right with both hands.
- Hop back to the center, and repeat, this time twisting in the opposite direction. Keep moving for 60 seconds.
4) Seated Ab Circle Clockwise
Sitting in a circle and making figure eights with your legs engages both the lower abdomen and the core as you work to stay balanced. You can do two rounds of this seated ab exercise, moving clockwise and then counterclockwise.
How to do it?
- Lie on your back, with your legs slightly bent and feet off the ground.
- Moving in a clockwise direction, draw a circle in the air with your feet for 60 seconds.
- Do not pull up using your hip flexors; focus on engaging your abs.
5) Seated Ab Circle Anti-Clockwise
To work your abs from a different angle, rotate your circles. You should feel these seated ab exercises working by now, which really shows that an ab session doesn’t need to be prolonged to hit hard.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Lie on your back with knees bent, feet flat on the ground and hands either side of the body.
- Lift your feet off the ground, and draw a circle in the air with your feet in an anti-clockwise direction, making sure not to pull up using your hip flexors.
- Keep circling for 60 seconds.
6) Scissor
This seated ab exercise is great in increasing heart rate and building strength in the lower abs. Moreover, it also targets the adductors, abductors, and glutes, so you get a full body workout. Just be sure to keep your lower back flat on the floor so that you don't hurt yourself.
How to do it?
- Lie on the floor with your arms by your side, bracing yourself for stability.
- Lift your feet off the ground, and bring them in towards each other, crossing the right foot over the top of the left.
- Bring your arms back to the center, and repeat with your left foot over your right.
Takeaway
You can’t spot-reduce fat, so the key to getting rid of a lower belly pooch is to create a calorie deficit. With men, in particular, the first place to put on fat and the last site to lose it is around the midsection.
You can work on strengthening the area with consistent lower abdominal exercises, which will help you look more toned, especially once you’ve lost some body fat.
In short, seated ab exercise is a great way to firm up your middle and improve your overall core strength. Make sure to choose the right seated ab exercises and perform them regularly to get the most out of this workout routine.
