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Lower abs are a tricky part of the body to tone up even if you work out regularly, strengthen the core, and have a nutritious diet. If you want an even, chiseled six-pack look, but your abs fade lower down your torso, you might need to focus on specific lower ab exercises.
The benefits of these workouts go far beyond aesthetics. They can give you the muscle tone and definition you desire. A lot of that, though, is determined by what you eat and your body fat percentage.
Lower ab exercises aid in the development of a strong core, which is essential for athletic performance, balance, posture, injury prevention, and functional strength.
Lower Ab Workouts for Men
We've compiled a list of the six best lower ab exercises for men to help them achieve a strong, sculpted core:
1) Low Plank with Alternating Leg Lift
Planks are an excellent core-strengthening exercise, and this variation focuses on the lower abs and obliques.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Place your forearms on the ground with your elbows under your shoulders instead of weight-bearing through your hands in a push-up position.
- Make sure that the body is in a straight line from head to heels.
- Draw your abdomen in, and pull your belly button towards your spine as you breathe.
- Lift one foot off the ground; bend the knee, and frog your knee up and out to the side.
- Alternating your legs, move slowly.
2) Double Crunch
Double crunches are a cross between regular and reverse crunches, making them one of the best lower ab exercises for efficiency and effectiveness.
Here's how you do this exercise:
- Lie on your back, with knees and hips flexed at 90 degrees, and shins parallel to the floor in the air.
- With your elbows out to the sides, place your fingertips on your temple or just behind your ears.
- Draw your belly button to your spine as you inhale.
- Crunch up to raise your shoulder blades off the floor while squeezing the lower abs to bring your knees up to your elbows.
- Return to the starting position slowly.
3) Alternating Toe Touch
The alternating toe touch is a more advanced version of the double crunch. In a single, dynamic motion, it targets the entire abdominal wall (lower abs, transverse abdominals, external obliques, and internal obliques).
It's an excellent core exercise, as it requires the abs to work together in multiple planes of motion.
To do this exercise:
- Lie on your back, with your legs straight up in the air and arms straight above your head on the floor.
- Crunch up and to one side, reaching across your body to touch the opposite foot with your core engaged. Keep your shoulders pulled down and away from your ears.
- Return to the starting position without completely lowering your arms to the floor (just hover for added difficulty).
- With each rep, switch sides.
4) Heel Tap Crunch
This exercise primarily targets the lower abs, obliques, and hip flexors and can be made harder or easier by adjusting the distance between the heels and glutes. Don't be concerned about speed, as controlling the movement is far more important.
To do this exercise:
- Lie on your back, with heels close to your glutes.
- Brace your core, and raise your shoulders off the floor.
- Reach down to touch your right heel with one hand, then your left heel with the other to complete one repetition.
5) Mountain Climber
Make the movement slow and controlled to work the lower abs. Imagine that you are balancing a glass of water on your lower back to keep your hips and spine as still and level as possible during the movement.
To do this exercise:
- Set up on the floor as if in sprinter's blocks, with one foot beneath your waist and the other leg straight and behind.
- Align your shoulders with your hands on the floor. Ensure that your body remains in a neutral plank position throughout the exercise.
- Quickly move the foot under your waist outwards and backwards, as if aiming for the plank position. Bring the other foot in towards your waist.
- Keep alternating your feet, trying to keep your hips down and waist stable.
- Continue for 30 seconds to a minute.
6) Boat Pose to Toe Touch
This exercise appears to be simple, but after a few reps, you will feel the burn. The boat pose, a modified yoga move, strengthens the core and helps promote good posture as well as synergistic support and control from the lower abs and lower back.
To do this exercise:
- Sit on the floor with your knees bent and tailbone supported. Extend your arms out in front of you.
- Lean back, and lift your feet off the ground, keeping your body in a 'V' shape.
- Hold this position for 3-5 seconds before reaching up to your feet.
- Return to the boat position.
- Continue to move your upper body from the 'V' position to toe touch.
Takeaway
The aforementioned workouts can give you abs you can show off in just a few weeks. Perform these poses regularly to avail their benefits.
