yes you can work the lower region of your abs more than the upper region and if you're aiming to strengthen your lower core create that defined vshape and protect against lower back pain you actually need to focus on this area but here's the deal you won't achieve it with these common moves not this exercise or this one or any type of leg exercise why because the lower abs don't lift your legs the muscle we refer to as the ABS the rectus abdomin starts up at the ribs and extends downward in several segments divided by tendons
with the lower portion attaching here at the pelvis is Ramis this means that every leg lifting exercise out there is really engaging your hip flexors not your lower abs in these movements the ABS act as stabilizers for your core working both the upper and lower regions equally now I know some of you might be skeptical thinking hey abs are a single muscle there's no way to isolate the upper and lower regions but recent advances in muscle research around region specific hypertrophy prove otherwise in just a minute I'll walk you through the science that backs this
up but first let me demonstrate some exercises that activate your lower abs in a way that you likely haven't felt before if you give these techniques a shot you'll never again doubt that you can Target your lower abs number one mountain climbers the mountain climber is a must- try exercise to combat lower belly fat it offers The Best of Both Worlds cardio and muscle training with the use of this position the mountain climber exercise exerise challenges you to brace your core and once you get moving your legs and hips are also active here's how to
do it step one assume a high plank position with your hands stacked directly below your shoulders elbows turned out and feet just wider than hip width apart your shoulders should be higher than your hips step two create a full body tension by squeezing your shoulders core and glutes Drain Your Eyes On the Floor to your head in a neutral position step three drive one knee up high to your chest as if you were running return your leg to a straight position and repeat with the other leg step four continue alternating reps working to keep your
torso in position with your shoulders higher than your hips make sure to keep your core brace to stay level sculpting these muscles in your body is essential to having lower abs and one of the best exercises for targeting those muscles is the number two oblique crunch one good thing about crunches is that they isolate the ABS meaning they work exclusively for training your abdominal muscles while standard crunches and situps Target the front of the abdominal muscles oblique crunches focus on the sides of your body with correct form they can help you tone your abs glutes
as well as your lower back muscles here's how you do them step one lie on your back as if you're about to do a situp place your hands behind your head supporting your neck without letting your chin touch your chest think of it kind of like having an apple between your chin and your chest the entire time step two now cross your right foot over your left and lower your right thigh knee still bent to the ground make sure you glue that left thigh to the ground too step three keeping your torso rigid crunch up
as high as you can lifting your shoulder blades and as much of your torso off the ground as possible step four lower with control is the oblique crunch not your thing you may want to try your hand at another crunch variation called the reverse crunch it's another Surefire way of setting your lower abs on fire the reverse crunch exercise is an awesome move to train your rectus abdominis hard it's also very versatile allowing you to incorporate these or this for higher intensity exercise when done consistently and with correct form reverse crunches help strengthen the core
and a strong core is vital to our balance and good posture here's how you do them step one lying your back on a mat with your knees bent at 90° and your feet flat on the floor keep your arms near your sides with your palms down step two exhaling embracing your core lift your feet off the ground and raise your thighs until they're vertical throughout the movement your knees should stay bent at 90° step three tuck your knees towards your face as far as you can comfortably go without lifting your midback from the mat at
this point your hips and lower back should lift off the ground step four hold for a moment and then slowly lower your feet back towards the floor until they reach the ground now if you think reverse crunches are superior then wait till you hear what a dead bug can do and how it makes your core muscles feel but more on that in a little bit number four side plank all right admit it you're a huge fan of plank ing too personally I love doing planks but I'm particularly fond of side planks just for the insane
core activation this variation not only works the transverse abdominis those are the Deep core muscles that wrap around you like a corset but also the obliques which are the muscles on the side of your midsection step one start on your side with your feet together bend your elbow and one forearm directly below your shoulder step two contract your core and raise your hips until your body is in a straight line from your head to your feet step three hold the position without letting your hips drop for 20 to 30 seconds then repeat on the other
side if it's too easy just hold it for 1 minute another exercise that's perfect for defining your lower abs leverages the movement of bringing your legs upwards towards the midsection and it's none other than the number five dead buug this popular ab exercise is an effective way to strengthen and sculpt ab muscles not only does it Target the major abdominal muscles but it also hits the back muscles too on a personal note the dead bug has had a huge part in alleviating my own lower back pain and looking at the data this doesn't seem too
far-fetched according to a 2019 column researchers noted that many Studies have found the benefits of course stability training on injury prevention for the lower back in particular and they suggested that the dead bug exercise is a strong choice for this so with that being said here's how you do it step one lie flat on the mat with your knees bent and your feet flat on the floor about a foot away from your hips rest your arms alongside your body step two allow your shoulders and your lower back to fall heavy to the floor draw your
shoulders down away from your ears step three to get into the starting position lift your hands so that your elbows are above your shoulders with your fists facing in toward each other step four now lift your legs so that your knees are directly over your hips step five exhale and slowly lower your right arm and left leg until they're just above the floor step six finally bring them back up to the starting position and repeat on the opposite side making your lower abs visible is a good Fitness goal but you shouldn't just stop there there's
still a whole new world to discover to get that Ultimate Dream body which I'll be talking about more in a little while number six hollow hold do you want to challenge your six-pack obliques and deep stabilizers all at once look no further than the hollow hold exercise it's a super simple yet serious Core workout that helps you build strength and stabilization in your abs and back muscles here's how you do it step one start lying down on your back drive your lower back into the floor by flexing your abs removing any space between yourself and
the floor step two lift your feet about 2 in off the floor continue squeezing your abs to drive your lower back into the ground step three lift your shoulder blades off the floor and extend your arms back behind you contract your abs to hold your rib cage in step four hold this position continuing to squeeze your abs and glutes now if I had to pick a favorite among these exercises I'd have to pick the medicine ball jack knife I person personally love the immediate burn to my body whenever I perform it this piece of gym
equipment may be one of the best power tools for sculpting your abs thanks to the soft unstable surface of a Swiss ball it forces your core to work extra hard and helps enhance your balance and coordination and when combin with a jack knife well it's an awesome way of training your whole midsection here's how you do them step one get into a push-up position with hands on the ground shoulder width apart and shins resting on a Swiss ball step two brace your core and form a straight line from your shoulders to your feet you know
like the plank position step four finally roll the ball back to the starting position as I promised earlier here are some nutrition tips to bear in mind to help you get the results you want everyone has abdominal muscles however to make them more noticeable you must first lose that layer of fat that covers them which explains the importance of diet number one eat lots of protein supplying your body with enough protein should be your top priority nutrition wise for starters protein helps you keep Fuller for longer secondly it helps stabilize blood sugar levels which is
crucial because energy crashes lead to stronger and more frequent cravings for high sugar foods more importantly this macronutrient contains the essential amino acids that are crucial in repairing muscle tears and building new muscle tissues if you've been exercising a lot aim for 1.2 G to 1.6 g of protein per kilogram of your body weight number two keep yourself hydrated drink at least 2 lers of water per day when you're dehydrated and feel thirsty it can be easily misinterpreted as hunger drinking water before meals can help reduce your calorie consumption based on this 2016 study participants
who drank 2 cups of water before a meal ate almost 600 fewer calories than those who didn't drink any water three refrain from skipping meals are you the kind of person to skip meals to save yourself from eating more calories listen I'm telling you it's a bad habit meal skipping has been shown to increase total energy in take when you skip a meal you're just more likely to eat more food at the next meal so instead of doing that have a protein Rich dish or snack to keep your blood sugar levels balanced and your energy
sustained the thing is even after learning the secret to making your lower abs appear more prominent it's important to ensure that the rest of your body gets the same treatment otherwise your body physique won't look quite right and everything you need to do to make that happen is in this next video right here so don't forget to watch it next
