Best Lower Ab Workouts to Get Your Dream Body
Having well-developed and sculpted abs to look impressive might be your dream body. But then, you realize that you’ve got excess fat covering your abs and are willing to strip it off.
Though you’ve decided to focus on your diet, whose major responsibility is to reveal your abs, you cannot rule out workouts because it’s also responsible for forming that defined muscle called a six-pack.
Having a nice set of abs that will make up your dream body when your muscle groups are lagging might seem impossible. Don’t look at the odds because it is possible with the best workouts.
This post is a step-by-step guide on the best lower ab workout to get your dream body, the correct way to do them, and the essential tips for working out.
Plank Leg Raises
The plank is a great kind of exercise that looks cool. Including leg lifts (i.e., leg raises) boosts the keenness and activates more of your lower body and abdominal muscles.
A strong core comes with better balance, good posture, and a healthier back. You’ll be glad to know that beyond the muscles in your abs, plank leg raises also work out your hamstrings, glutes, shoulders, and quads.
This workout, also called Low Plank With Alternating Leg Lifts, gives an idea of what the exercise looks like, but let’s explain further to show you the core strengthening move and how it targets the obliques and lower abs.
How to Do Plank Leg Raises Correctly
Step 1: Start in the plank position. Instead of weight-bearing through your hands, you will have to place your forearms on the ground, keeping your elbows under your shoulders. Make sure your body, from your head to your heels, especially your hips, shoulders, and ankles are in a straight line.
Step 2: Breath. You might need to breathe, dragging your abdomen and pulling your belly button toward your spine.
Step 3: Do not neglect your abs; keep them engaged and lift one foot slightly off the ground until it’s about hip height. Bend the knee, maybe the right knee, first, but ensure it is flexed for some seconds until you feel the burn. You should lower your right foot back to the ground and repeat with your left leg. It is like drawing your knee up and out to the side like a frog.
Step 4: Keep your legs moving slowly, one after the other. You can do it ten times, rest for the time allotted, and then repeat it three times. It is said to be three sets of 10 reps.
Double Crunches
Double crunch combines the benefits of both regular and reverse crunch. It means if you do a double crunch, you are doing two crunches, which comprise the regular and reverse crunch.
When you do both, it looks like you’re being curled up like a ball. It is the best Lower Ab workout regarding effectiveness and efficiency.
Unlike the regular crunch, where you contract your abs as you lift your shoulders, head, and upper back off the ground, your feet remain flat on the floor. The double standard type of crunch spots the rectus abdominis muscle.
The Rectus abdominis refers to a large flat muscle in the middle of your abdomen that draws from your pubic bone to your sternum. This means doing the double crunch strengthens the rectus abdominis muscle.
On the other hand, a reverse crunch has to do with lifting your bent legs off the ground while keeping your shoulders, head, and upper back on the ground. As you do this, it also works the abdominis rectus muscle from the other end.
You are continuously performing and working more of that muscle when you begin lifting your already bent legs off the ground in a double crunch. You’re topping up or increasing the work that your rectus abdominis is doing.
Besides the rectus abdominis, double crunches also work other immediate muscles, like your hip flexors and obliques, running from your pelvis to your lower ribs. It indeed builds your core and makes it stronger. It also develops your posture and balance. Including double crunch into your workout routine can pay off for a longer period.
How to Do Double Crunches Correctly
Step 1: Lay down and bend your knees and hips about 90 degrees, keeping your shins parallel to the floor, facing up in the air.
Step 2: Place your fingertips at your temples after you must have bent your arms; you can place your fingertips behind your ears with your elbows pointing out.
Step 3: Breathe or inhale, drawing your navel to your spine.
Step 4: Crunch up to lift your shoulder blades and upper back off the floor as you lean forward while simultaneously bringing your knees up to your elbows or towards your chest by squeezing your lower abs.
Step 5: Feel the burn and slowly return to the starting point.
Flutter Kicks
A Flutter Kick is another kind of workout that is, beyond doubt, aimed at the lower abdominal wall. This move is performed by laying on your back and using your core to “flutter” your legs.
You will often witness or watch this type of move performed in Barre, Pilates, and strength training classes.
It’s also effective to strengthen your core and work your lower abs, hip flexors, glutes, and quads but in the process, make sure to keep your lower back against the floor.
How to Do Flutter Kicks Correctly
Step 1: Laying on your back, extend your legs 45 degrees with your arms alongside your body (i.e., straight along the floor) and your palms facing down. Raise your head, shoulders, and neck slowly off the ground.
Step 2: Lift your legs straight so your feet are about 6 inches off the floor and glued together with your toes pointed.
Step 3: Slowly lower your right leg while lifting your left leg a few inches or a little higher.
Step 4: Slowly invert course, lifting your right leg slightly and lowering your left leg slightly.
Step 4: Continue doing this movement, alternating between legs for up to 1 minute.
Step 5: You can rest and repeat 1-2 times.
Mountain climbers
The Mountain Climbers workout is a great option to strengthen the core and improve cardiovascular endurance. A mountain climber is one of the best and essential exercises to add to your abs workout to get a stronger core and even have a perfect six-pack.
It not only helps develop cardiovascular endurance and strengthen the core, but it also trains the quadriceps and works other areas of the body such as the arms, shoulders, and chest, not to mention the heart benefits and calorie burning of being a cardiovascular exercise.
At first glance, the exercise, which is based on the movements of a mountain climber, would seem very simple. Though it is very easy to fall into bad practices that lead to doing it incorrectly, it can be performed anywhere, either at home or in the gym. Since it’s not a race but a slow and controlled movement, your shoulders and hips level should be kept by bracing your core.
How to Do Mountain Climbers Correctly
Step 1: Be in a high plank position with your hands under your shoulders, evenly distributing your weight.
Step 2: Your hands should be width apart, keeping your back flat, your abs contracted, and your head aligned.
Step 3: Flex your right knee and move it toward your chest as far as possible. Then change your leg, bringing out the right knee and moving the left forward.
Step 4: Continue this movement by keeping your hips down and moving your knees as far and as fast as possible for up to 1 minute.
Step 5: Breath during the exercise. Inhale and exhale with each leg changing, then rest for some time and repeat 1-2 times.
Tips for Working Out
1. Know Your Goals (What You Look Like Vs. Building Strength)
Jared Kaplan, the founder of Studio 26, tells SELF that “A clear plan is your secret weapon — knowing what you’re doing and why is only half the battle.”
It’s as simple as knowing your goals. It means you should be clear on what you want or are trying to achieve. Figure out exactly how you want your body to look.
You can figure it all out by listing it on paper. Write down what you look like and what you need to work on. Do you want to eliminate belly fat and grow lower abs or six packs?
State the kinds of workouts you will get yourself involved in. The best Lower abs workouts to get your dream body have been explained above; you might want to begin with any of them.
Time duration is important. Your daily workouts don’t have to be long; they can be short and intensive as far as it is consistent. You’ll also need to know how long it will take to achieve that dream body you’ve always wanted. Is it going to be 8 or 12 weeks?
Once you reach your goals, you will feel a fantastic sense of achievement and be motivated to do more.
2. Have a Reasonable Timeline
As good as keeping a log book, it is best to beat it regularly because it will help improve your gym result. The body is a lazy machine, and unless you push and force it to adapt to the form of stress, it has no reason to get better.
You are not making progress if you work out weekly and do not see any changes. You need to get in there and break records.
3. Don’t Be Afraid to Keep Trying if You Have Setbacks
You can persevere and achieve your goals if you try again. It is normal for you to face setbacks; at some point, everyone faces them, but it is important not to give up.
To try again and overcome setbacks, you might have to revisit your goals and ensure the set standards are not too overwhelming. You can as well share your goals to keep you accountable.
Most importantly, be inspired by watching others and renew your determination. Don’t stop pushing a healthy lifestyle.
Conclusion
You have to keep in mind that you will not reap the benefits of these workouts if you don’t do the exercise properly. Now, you don’t have to freak out. You only need to follow these guidelines correctly.
Of course, it wouldn’t be easy initially, but you have to be consistent. Getting your dream body is the goal, and the best Lower abs to get it has been provided. Go for it.
