Lower Ab Exercises – The Reason You Don’t Have the Lean, Sexy Abs You Want

Quite a few of the people seeking lower ab exercises are doing so for the wrong reason. The most common reason is because they’re beginning to see definition in their upper abs but nothing in their lower abs. This variance is not because of a muscular split, the lower abs and the upper abs are actually part of the same muscle group. The reason for lack of definition is excess fat.

The lower abs are one of the last places you lose fat. Your lower abs are just as muscular as your upper abs. Try placing your hand on your lower abs when doing crunches. You'll notice that they contract at the same time and with the same intensity as your upper abs.

Lower ab exercises are important, but for a different reason. Lower ab exercises involve the legs, which are heavier and extend farther from your core than just curling your upper body from the floor would. This helps you get a better workout for your entire core, as high resistance work builds more muscle. That muscle you build will increase your metabolism as long as you carry it, but alone it is not enough to give you a sexy six pack.

When doing lower ab exercises, there are many choices of type, but there is one constant. You should keep your pelvis tilted up towards you as much as possible. This maximizes the abdominal engagement and minimizes the strain on your back.

The actual motion for lower ab exercises is usually roughly the same, varying mostly by the plane in which it is done. You pull your knees towards your chest, either with legs straight or legs bent. The most intense variation to do is the hanging leg raise, followed in far second by stability ball reverse crunches.

To reveal your abs once you have the muscle you want, you need a mix of good diet and High Intensity Interval Training (HIIT). Note that there are other forms of exercise for fat loss, but HIIT gives you the most bang for your buck.

The diet you choose should focus on natural foods, no chemicals or preservatives. The more lean protein and fibrous vegetables you get in your diet the better. Try to mix up your macronutrients in each meal, but if you’re going to skip one of them, make it carbohydrates. Don’t forget to get a calorie spike day each week to rev your metabolism back up after a diet of restricted calories the other 6 days.

HIIT works better than steady-state cardio because it burns more calories every minute you are doing the exercise. It also continues burning calories for the following two days after your session. It can be completed in 20 minutes per session usually 3-4 times per week. The results you experience will be amazing.