It’s core day, again. Last week we shared five moves for the upper muscles; today we glide through the midsection with a routine for the lower abs.
Working this area is a crucial part of ab day. It tightens and strengthens the muscles, ultimately resulting in a ripped stomach and loss of belly fat. So the next time you’re in the gym, head to the exercise bench. Or if you prefer to exercise at home, there are many articles that will help you.
Make sure you have some dumbbells easily accessible so you can further engage your core in the following exercises.
Routine:
- leg raises
- extended push-ups
- Hip Raised Shovels
- Seated dumbbell push-ups
- hip raises
The movements
1. Leg raises
How to do it: To start this exercise, you will need to flatten your back and tailbone against the floor. Maintain the posterior rotation of the pelvis to be able to use the abdominals to the fullest. Lower your legs by holding on to a bench above your head or by placing your hands under your buttocks and lift them to return to the starting position. To modify this exercise, you can lower one leg at a time and switch legs when you return to the starting position.
2. Extended push-ups
How to do it: This exercise is great for your lower core as it allows your legs to extend beyond horizontal, thus increasing the challenge of keeping your hips rotated back. This is where the engagement of the lower abs is maximized.
Sit on the edge of a bench, box, or couch and start with your legs tucked in toward your chest and your hands behind you for support. Bring your navel in toward your spine and extend your legs down, away from your body, with your heels on the ground. Keep your core engaged as you bring your legs back to the starting position. To modify this exercise, you can also extend one leg at a time and switch it at the top.
3. Paddles with hip lift
How: Taking into account the posterior rotation of the pelvis, we are going to add a little spice to the extended flexion. Lying flat, lower your toes toward the ground and perform a leg raise to bring your toes back onto your hips.
When your toes are above your hips, re-engage your abs and drive your heels up toward the sky using your lower abs. Slowly and with control, lower your hips back to the ground and repeat the exercise. To modify this move, simply lower one leg to the ground and bring your legs into a tuck position to come up toward your chest instead of the straight leg extension toward the sky.
4. Seated dumbbell push-ups
How to do it: To further challenge your lower abs, we’re going to add a 5 pound dumbbell to your extended legs in this move. Continue to keep your hips neutral by keeping your core engaged and not letting your belly button roll forward (indicating relaxation of the abs).
Hold the weight between your feet and support your upper body by holding on to a bench or chair. Push your legs out and shift your weight away from your body, but don’t let the weight drop uncontrollably. Bring your legs back in and extend them again while continuing to keep your hips and ribs neutral and controlled. To modify this exercise, simply remove the dumbbell from the exercise.
5. Hip raises
How to do it: This exercise is one of my favorites and it’s more challenging on the way down than you might think. Lie down and hold on to the edges of the bench as you raise your legs above your hips. Drive your heels toward the ceiling using your core to lift your hips off the bench. Lower your hips back to the bench with control and try not to swing your legs forward or back over your head or away from your hips on this exercise. To modify, bend your legs as you slam your heels into the ground and cross over to curl toward your chest as you lift your hips off the ground, then slowly lower back to the start.
We recommend that you watch the video on next page for an optimal follow-up of the routine.
