How to work the lower abs?

The training of the lower abdominals generates great controversy, because it is a muscular area that tends to accumulate more fat than other regions of the body, so that people are forced to intensify the movements and focus them on that area. However, there are those who get better results by training the entire rectus abdominis.

Having a flat abdomen, in which well-defined muscles stand out, is surely the dream of many people. Achieving this ideal of beauty and health is not an easy task, but it is not impossible either. It simply requires physical and mental effort to start with an abdominal routine for beginners, which will gradually intensify as your muscles gain resistance.

Similarly, you should change your eating and resting habits, trying to incorporate some vegetables, fruits, and proteins into your daily intake. In this way, you will provide the body with an important load of essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals, which will compensate for the caloric and energy loss during exercise. 

Also, keep in mind that you will be releasing toxins through sweating, so you should not neglect hydration and it is important to drink at least eight glasses of water a day. Thus, the exercises to tone the abdomen will take effect more quickly.

The important thing when working the lower abdominals is to maintain a minimum frequency of three times a week, performing an intense abdominal circuit with varied movements, both on a mat and suspended from a bar. Likewise, you can complement the routine by using elastic bands, gym balls of different sizes, small dumbbells and even some gym machines.

Remember that the work of the abdominals begins to take effect from the first day, although we do not notice it. The lower abdominal exercises will give progressive results, since it is a muscle line that tends to accumulate more fat, so you cannot expect to show off an abdomen marked with the well-known “chocolate board” in a week.  

In fact, at first you might notice your belly a little more bulging, as the muscles become inflamed and swollen from exercise, but do not be discouraged and continue with your exercise routine for the lower abdomen.

About the lower abs

To talk about lower abdominals and how to develop them, the first thing anyone should know is how the rectus abdominis or paired muscle is made up, arranged on both sides of the anterior abdomen, right in the midline.

If we are a bit more precise, we can say that this important muscle group is divided into internal and external obliques, also known as the minor and major obliques. Also, there is the anterior transversus and the anterior rectus.

Regarding the activation of this group of muscles, it is possible to focus the exercise on a section of the abdomen, due to its condition of individual bellies. In fact, there are those who perform torsion and rotation movements of the trunk, in order to strengthen the upper section, while the mobilization of both the legs and the pelvis allows the lower region to work.

In this sense, the upper area of ​​the abdomen is strengthened more quickly, because it has a lower percentage of fatty tissue. Therefore, the exercises focused on this section offer faster results, compared to the lower abdomen, which is covered by more adipose tissue.

However, some professionals in the world of fitness agree when commenting that the muscles of the lower abdomen benefit from the accelerated and intense movements offered by other movements, which are not precisely aimed at that section of the abdomen. For this reason, it is recommended to work all the parts of the rectus abdominis together and not in isolation.

3 exercises to tone the lower abs

There are many exercises aimed at toning the lower abs, but not all of them are suitable for the same people. In this sense, the ideal is to make sure you do not have any type of ailment at the lumbar, back or spine level. 

Remember that if the posture is not taken care of in the abdominal exercises, we could direct the tension in these areas towards the spine, especially when we are on the ground. Here are three of the most effective crunches for toning your lower abdomen.

leg raises

If you don’t know how to do lower abs, this exercise is a good way to start your routine. You just have to place a mat on the floor and lie on it in an upright position. Thus, you can proceed to gently raise your legs and then lower them. It is a consecutive movement, which you must repeat at least 25 times for each round.

To raise the intensity level of the exercise, you can place a ball or a small dumbbell between your legs. Likewise, another variant of the exercise is to do it subject to an abdominal bar.

abdominal crunch

This is an exercise that is traditionally performed on a mat. The person should lie down and bend their legs at an approximate 45° angle, while their hands are positioned just behind their ears.

Next, you should gently raise your chest and lower it again, but with a slow rhythm, and then move your lower back away from the support surface. Also, if you go to a gym, you can perform the abdominal crunch on a machine, which suggests an increase in intensity. Whatever the case, you’ll need to perform 25 reps for each round, just like leg raises.

Mountain Climbers

With the mountain climbers you can burn calories and strengthen the lower abdominal area quickly. You just have to adopt a push-up position as if you were doing a plank, that is, the palms of your hands resting on the mat, your legs stretched out and your back straight. 

In this way, you can start the exercise by lifting the left foot, whose knee will be quickly raised and directed to the chest. Immediately, the leg will return to its initial position, allowing the movement to be repeated with the right leg.

The objective of the exercise is to alternate the movements and progressively increase the speed in each round, performing 50 repetitions. Also, this is one of the gym abdominal exercises, because it can be done with pulleys.

These are just some of the best abdominal exercises that you can do from the comfort of your home or in a gym, to the rhythm of your favorite musical mixes, which you can prepare with the help of the Roland Dj 202 controller.