What exercises target the lower abs (post pregnancy flab)

calroseangelo

I've had 3 children over the past 4 years and now have that lovely poochy, hangy tummy. Am I doomed to have this forever or does anyone know of any exercises I can do to get rid of it? I'd really appreciate it!!

prettygirlhoward

bump I would like to know too

s1lence

Scissor crunches is one I know of.

LSHANDREW

I'm convinced that I will have to have a tummy tuck to remove the skin AFTER I lose the weight.

skywa

high knees.

stayxtrue

I do Bent Knee hip raises and flat bench leg raises... They kill my lower abs!

Here is a video

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/main/popup/name/bent-knee-hip-raise

juliekaiser1988

Finger exercises. By dialing a plastic surgeon.

(I'm just teasing. But I do love my Tummy Tuck!!)

NellaSweet

Bump

knelson422

I think planks work well, go into elbow planks, lower hips and raise hips several times. Then swivel from side to side. Kills me, but... I still have my pooch. I think it is my badge of courage and I need to not let it bug me. A lot of it is skin and scar tissue that won't go away unless I have surgery. Not happenin. Good luck.

prettygirlhoward

I do Bent Knee hip raises and flat bench leg raises... They kill my lower abs!

Here is a video

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/main/popup/name/bent-knee-hip-raise

thanks for posting this!

dia77

bump'

mmillians

Cardio, cardio, cardio! The famous pilates plank, and get a medicine ball for your abs. Sit down, bend your legs and raise them off the floor, so you're kind of balancing on your tailbone. Then, holding the ball in front of you, twist to the right, bounce the ball on the floor and catch it, then twist to the left and do the same thing. Repeat. I had a trainer teach me those, and wow does it whittle down your torso.

calroseangelo

I do a lot of cardio...zumba, mainly...I'm going to start the 30 day shred this coming week. I plan on losing at least 50 pounds and I don't want to lose all of that and then have that pooch get worse. I've thought about getting P90x or Insanity once I've lost a bit more. Would that help?

SergeiKay

IMHO, for your case you would benefit more from a combo of abs workout AND cardio.

I've noticed that i get an effective workout for lower abs by doing knee ups. You can do these at the gym on a station that combines pull-up bar, dip beams, and the back/elbows rest for abs (don't know the proper name), or at home on a couch.

Pretty much any variation that involves moving your hips and legs will target the lower abs more.

So the idea is to build up foundation with abs workout and trim up a bit with cardio, HIITs or usual, up to your preference really.

uglyhobo

You can't target just the lower abs, you have to target the abs as a whole.
When muscles contract, the whole muscle contracts and this is why you can't just target one part of a muscle.
You also can't spot tone to remove fat in one area of the body.
You have to lower your body fat% to remove fat.
Make sure you get 1g/protein per lb bodyweight while eating 500 calories less than maintenance.
This will make sure that the weight you lose will be fat and not lean mass.
You can also fix any lose skin on your stomach by strengthening your core muscles. This includes your abs, obliques, and lower back. Compound lifts are the best at strengthening the core along with any weighted ab-work for 8-12 reps.
Also don't be afraid of lifting. You won't get bulky or "muscle-bound" or turn into the hulk. Don't be afraid of getting hurt because you can always do exercises in a power rack(one literally saved my life today) http://exercise.about.com/od/exerciseworkouts/a/liftingheavy.htm
Lifting is essential for getting that toned look that almost all women want to have.
Just find a routine and focus mostly on compound exercises(ones that use multiple muscles at once) and increase the weight each workout if you complete enough reps.

calroseangelo

IMHO, for your case you would benefit more from a combo of abs workout AND cardio.

I've noticed that i get an effective workout for lower abs by doing knee ups. You can do these at the gym on a station that combines pull-up bar, dip beams, and the back/elbows rest for abs (don't know the proper name), or at home on a couch.

Pretty much any variation that involves moving your hips and legs will target the lower abs more.

So the idea is to build up foundation with abs workout and trim up a bit with cardio, HIITs or usual, up to your preference really.

I don't go to a gym so how could I do something similar at home?

calroseangelo

I do Bent Knee hip raises and flat bench leg raises... They kill my lower abs!

Here is a video

http://www.bodybuilding.com/exercises/main/popup/name/bent-knee-hip-raise

Thank you! That looks like something I need to try!

Gulzilly

Here is a workout I have been doing for my pooch. It's gone down as I have been doing this with the 30Day Shred. I do both daily!
I combine both with running every other day.

http://www.fitnessbender.com/2012/03/abs-in-hurry-10-minute-workout-fitness.html

melhayes1115

Cardio seems to be helping me. I have four kids, so I fully understand the belly pooch. Mine is a lot smaller than it use to be, but I don't think it will fully go away (mine, not necessarily yours). My tummy has been toning up quite a bit, however, I have notices when I am doing pushups, planks, or other exercises of that nature, my skin on my belly sags. So, for me, I think a tummy tuck will be the only way I can fully get rid of mine.

shaycat

I think you have a good plan. 30DS is good, you cant really worry about your tummy till you lose the weight.
I do recommend 6 week 6 pack. It is a combo of cardio and abs.
Then after that I do recommend Insanity which I am doing now and P90x which I want to do.
I have had two kids and do not have a pouch anymore :happy:

Allic1971

I lost 10.5 inches from doing the 30DS 2.25 of those inches were off my waist and 2.5 off my hips.

After the 30DS I did ripped but did not like level 2 or 3 too hard on the knees, so bought Killer Buns & Thighs and 6 Week 6 Pack

Awesome workouts and I have lost 2 inches off my waist and 1.25 inches off my hips. in 2 weeks, I do workout 1 of each 3-4 times a week (the fist time I did it I couldn't move the next day even though I have done shred and ripped)

I just bought Kickboxing Fastkick and did it today for the first time, amazing workout, my biggest burn ever, I was still trying to figure out the moves but managed a burn of 402 in 42 minutes. (i know I will be sore tomorrow as theres a lot of high kicks in there)

I think balance is the key, big burn one day, weights another and then toning and good clean food.

Hope that helps and good luck :drinker:
Alli

CharityL85

I did a lot of research on this and it looks as if to get rid of it you have to really target your transverse abs. It involves lots of planks and reverse crunches. I'm desperately trying to get rid of mine too!

sukatx

Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.

AZackery

Tae Bo Insane Abs.

TadaGanIarracht

Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.

I'd find a new doctor. There are many women who have lost the leathery over belly from stretching from pregnancy. It takes time and work but many women have proved it can be done.

ursenia

bump.....

ebaymommy

Are you doomed? It depends really on you.

I only have one child. She's about to be 2. When I first started losing weight I assumed the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I upped my cardio I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't. When I started doing more core work I thought the pouch would decrease. It didn't!

I finally asked my doctor about it (he monitors my weight monthly as part of my cholesterol lowering plan). He took a brief look at my tummy and confirmed it; the only thing that will get rid of this pouch is a tummy tuck. I don't have much fat there, it's mostly skin. He said he could tell because it hangs over like a leather sack.

I seriously considered going through with the surgery, and I decided not to. I'm not knocking anyone who's done it. I've had a nosejob, so I'm certainly not against plastic surgery. It's just not worth it to me. Painful recovery and a scar from hip to hip. No thank you. I'd rather just invest in some good Spanx.

I'd find a new doctor. There are many women who have lost the leathery over belly from stretching from pregnancy. It takes time and work but many women have proved it can be done.

ditto that. I have a tummy pic in my profile page. I've had 2 babies via c/s and i had a quite large and gross (to me) tummy pooch hangover thing. Lots of cardio, lots of core work and strength training and a nice clean diet to lower body fat % has helped me get rid of all but the tiniest bit of it.

Mission2Me

bump

jupityjupe

Here is a workout I have been doing for my pooch. It's gone down as I have been doing this with the 30Day Shred. I do both daily!
I combine both with running every other day.

http://www.fitnessbender.com/2012/03/abs-in-hurry-10-minute-workout-fitness.html

jupityjupe

that was a great video..i will be doing that one in between my jillian michaels workouts

SergeiKay

IMHO, for your case you would benefit more from a combo of abs workout AND cardio.

I've noticed that i get an effective workout for lower abs by doing knee ups. You can do these at the gym on a station that combines pull-up bar, dip beams, and the back/elbows rest for abs (don't know the proper name), or at home on a couch.

Pretty much any variation that involves moving your hips and legs will target the lower abs more.

So the idea is to build up foundation with abs workout and trim up a bit with cardio, HIITs or usual, up to your preference really.

I don't go to a gym so how could I do something similar at home?

http://www.rajarasa.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/Gerakan-Knee-Ups.gif

This is what i had in mind ^^^ A firm couch or a sturdy chair, or even the floor should do the trick.

I agree with ...uglyhobo O.o about no such thing as spot fat removal haha. once again, that's why cardio AND workout would be better in my opinion. workout to build up muscle, cardio to trim up fat over all body, including tummy, which is really tough, because it is usually the last fat to go. STICK TO IT, don't give up, because it takes a lot of time. Watching your caloric intake will help you greatly as well.

HOWEVER, i disagree with uglyhobo that you can't target just the lower abs. oh yes you can, it's not just one bundle of muscle tissues! Sure, the whole core will be involved in any abs exercise you do, but you can put more stress on a region of that massive bundle. i am a living proof lol, i've been stressing my upper portion of abs by numerous crunches and now my upper abs are starting to protrude out of the abs plane while my lower abs a just flat, heh.