3 Lower Ab Targeting Workouts

August 29 2013

3 Lower Ab Targeting Workouts

Are you tried of spending countless hours sweating away in the gym with little-to-no effect in your lower abdominal muscles? Let’s face it, most people want slim down their midsection, creating firmer abs. Of course, this is easier said than done, as the abdominal muscles are one of the most difficult areas to target. You can spend hours on the elliptical or treadmill with little change in your midsection. If this sounds like a familiar scenario, keep reading to learn 3 powerful workouts that effectively target the lower abs.

#1 - Bicycle Crunch

One of my personal favorite lower-ab workouts is the bicycle crunch. It’s an incredibly easy, and fun, workout that targets a range of abdominal muscles. To perform bicycle crunches, lay down with your back on the floor and interlock your hands behind your head. Keep your elbows spread apart and twist your body to the right while you bring your left knee up to meet your right elbow. Lower your body back to the floor and repeat the steps with your left elbow and right knee. Continue doing this until you’ve reached your physical limit.

#2 - Leg Raises

You might be surprised to learn that leg raises are a lower-ab targeting workout. Raising your legs up in the air while laying down on the ground will place a strain on your abdominal muscles, particularly the lower muscle group. It’s super easy and only requires a few minutes. To get the most benefit out of this exercise, raise your legs about 2-3 feet off the ground and hold them for 45 seconds. Rather than bringing them all the way to ground, lower your legs to just a few inches from the ground before raising them back up into the air for another 45 seconds. This will place a serious strain on your lower abdominal muscles, forcing them to work in overdrive to hold the weight of your legs.

#3 - Hanging Leg Raise

Tired of performing the same boring leg raises? If so, you should try mixing them up with hanging leg raises as well. As the name suggests, this workout is performed by raising your leg in a hanging position. If you have access to a pullup bar, you can perform this exercise, Simply grasp them bar using either an overhand or underhand grip and raise both of your legs so your knees are parallel with your stomach. Hold this position for as long as possible before lowering your legs.