Well-known traditional core exercises like sit-ups or cycling are great for sculpting your upper abs, but they barely touch those pesky lower abdominal muscles, making toning this problem on the spot quite a challenge for anyone for most of us.
So if you really want to flatten your belly, you need to make sure you’re pushing every last inch of those hidden muscles, which is why we asked fitness expert and certified personal trainer, Kira Stokes, to show us some of her favorite moves for even out the lower belly.
According to her, the key to success for the lower abdomen is the legs and the brain, because whenever the legs move, the lower abdomen is used, and they are associated with the hip flexors.
He says that, unfortunately, most of us feel these exercises primarily in the hip flexor, which can take the work out of the abdominal muscles, not to mention quite unpleasant because the lower abdomen requires a lot of mental focus.
Therefore, it is crucial to place the brain in the muscle group, with a constant focus on the lower abdominal muscles and therefore making sure that you feel them contracted in each movement.
Also before moving on, you need to make sure you know the classic plank position because many of these moves are based on it, so you need to know a perfect plank position.
And now, we begin. All you have to do is follow these 8 exercises, recommended exactly by Kira Stokes (who has a six-pack most can only dream of).
PLANK ROW
- Get into a plank position, on your hands and, under them, a dumbbell or kettlebell.
- Now raise the weight of one of the arms to the top and then lower slowly.
- Do the same with the other arm.
- Try to perform between 10 and 15 repetitions with each arm.
WALK ON ALL FOURS
- Get on all fours, palms flat on the floor.
- Now move forward walking on your hands and feet.
- When you reach a certain point (the end of your room, for example), return to the starting position also on all fours and backward.
- Do this exercise for 1 minute.
MOUNTAIN CLIMBER
- For this exercise, you have to get into a plank position.
- Continue to bring your left knee to your chest, then bring it back to the starting position and then do the same thing but with your right knee to your chest, replicating the look of a climbing motion.
- Count up to 30 movements between the two legs.
ARMY CRAWL
- Get into a classic plank position (supporting your forearms on the floor).
- Move forward using the support of your forearms.
- Return to the starting position by “dragging” backward. This is a repeat.
- Perform between 5 and 10 repetitions.
C-CURVE
- Sit on a mat or the floor and support the soles of your feet.
- Grasp your upper inner thighs, below your knees, with your hands and lean back.
- Go back to the starting position. This is a repeat.
- Perform between 5 and 10 repetitions.
SIT-UPS WITH ELEVATED LEGS
- Lie on your back on the floor and raise both legs.
- Put your hands behind your head and do an abdominal flexion.
- Go back to the starting position. This is a repeat.
- Perform between 10 and 15 repetitions.
X-FACTOR
- Lie on your back on the floor, extend your arms above your head and open your legs. The idea is that on the floor your body forms an X.
- Get up to touch your left foot with your right hand.
- Go back to the starting position.
- Do the same but with the opposite arm and foot.
- Go back to the starting position. This is a repeat.
- Do 10-15 reps on each side.
SIX PACK SCISSOR
- Lie on your back on the floor. Put your arms by your sides, with your palms facing the ground.
- Raise your legs a few inches, keeping them straight.
- Move your right leg to the left and vice versa, crossing your feet. That’s a repeat.
- Perform between 10 and 15 repetitions
