Best Exercise for GIRLS Lower Abs?

catpow2 · July 2012

Two things--the ab wheel that someone else mentioned. It looks like a training wheel for a kid's bike but has a small handle/bar through the middle of the wheel. While kneeling you grab each side of the handle and stretch your body forward onto your stomach. Then pull yourself back to the starting position. Works all your core muscles. If you can do a few sets of these, your abs will be in killer shape.

2nd exercise--prone jack knife. (see New Rules of Weight Lifting for Women). You need an exercise ball. Lay on top of the ball on your stomach and walk your hands forward until you're balanced on the ball just with the front of your calves. You'll basically be in a plank/push up position on top of the ball. You'll have to use your abs to stabilize your body on top of the ball. Then using your abs and lower body bend your knees and crunch toward your arms. Return legs to starting position.

Both of these have worked my abs like no other exercises I've tried. Plank is pretty good too but I think these are harder. I still have some fat to lose on my stomach but my abs are in really good shape.

droogievesch · July 2012

I think that laying on my back with my legs up at 90 degrees and then scissoring them as I bring them down towards the ground and back up again really work my abs. That, and planking (which can be done anywhere without any equipment!)

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand why people get all, "If you want nice abs you have to lose the fat" and such. Well duh! Would people have the same reaction if the OP had asked for the best arm exercises, or the best leg exercises? She mentioned wanting to get rid of the lower belly pudge, but had she lost a lot of BF% there would be somebody naysaying that "How can you expect to have a flat stomach if you've never worked your abs before?"

DopeItUp · July 2012

I think that laying on my back with my legs up at 90 degrees and then scissoring them as I bring them down towards the ground and back up again really work my abs. That, and planking (which can be done anywhere without any equipment!)

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand why people get all, "If you want nice abs you have to lose the fat" and such. Well duh! Would people have the same reaction if the OP had asked for the best arm exercises, or the best leg exercises? She mentioned wanting to get rid of the lower belly pudge, but had she lost a lot of BF% there would be somebody naysaying that "How can you expect to have a flat stomach if you've never worked your abs before?"

No, that would never happen. You can have a nice flat stomach/6pack without ever having done an ab exercise in your life. All it takes is losing fat until you can see the abs. On the flipside, you can do ab exercises 7 days a week and it will never make the slightest difference if you don't get your bodyfat low enough.

Ab isolation exercises are one of the most pointless things you can do unless your intent is purely to increase core strength. You will get tons of ab work in indirectly if you're doing most compound exercises anyway. Waste of time for 90% of people.

Point is, if you want to see your abs, all you have to do is get your bodyfat down. Focus on your diet as a primary concern.

mamamudbug · July 2012

Maybe it's just me, but I don't understand why people get all, "If you want nice abs you have to lose the fat" and such. Well duh! Would people have the same reaction if the OP had asked for the best arm exercises, or the best leg exercises? She mentioned wanting to get rid of the lower belly pudge, but had she lost a lot of BF% there would be somebody naysaying that "How can you expect to have a flat stomach if you've never worked your abs before?"

If she had said biceps, glutes, quads, calves or whatever, she would have still been told she needed to lower bodyfat. You lower bodyfat, you see definition. There are plenty of posts where people have lost a lot of weight using cardio that are encouraged to start lifting weight in order to condition their muscles.

I also agree with the squat suggestion and would like to suggest overhead presses. You can really feel your core engage with those.

chachan · July 2012

Definitely second the ab wheel and leg lift exercises. I will also lay down and put an exercise ball between my ankles, lift legs and arms, pass ball to arms and bring arms and legs down, reverse and repeat.

However, I think people are predisposed to store fat in a certain place, and for me its the lower abs (I have a proportionally short torso). Even when I weighed 108 (at 5'3" and age 22!) I hated that area, even when I was ripped and benched my weight, or when I could run 5 miles in under 40 minutes, it's always there!

Yup. I have pictures of myself in high school, super lean, 5'7' and weighing maybe 120 lbs....covering up my lower pooch in every photo because I was self conscious about it! I have a short torso too and not much a waistline....almost straight down from the ribs. So I think the weight that I have there feels and looks like a lot more to me than it maybe really is....or not.

Still am working on losing...and do it mostly through lifting as that has given me the fastest results.

chachan · July 2012

Getting rid of a gut\fuppa is all about fat loss, not building ab muscles. If you are in a calorie deficit which I imagine you are, you won't really build much ab muscle (or any other) anyway outside of noob gains.

To answer your question, ab wheel, hanging leg raises (hang from a bar, keep legs straight, move ankles to wrist), lying leg raises with ankle weights or holding a dumbbell between your feet

I should not be in a calorie deficit as I have done all the calculations and am eating an average of 1600 cals plus some of my exercise calories. I'm lifting 3 times a week, after 30 minutes or so of cardio, and doing more cardio on other days (usually 2). I've upped the protein a bunch and am losing weight on the scale, but can definitely see muscles buidling (or firming?).
I'll try the leg raises, they hurt like a mother, but I have no idea what an ab wheel is!!

OK. If you want to lose the rest of the gut, you will need to eat at a deficit to lose it, but that is up to you. An ab wheel is literally a wheel with handles on both sides. You can google it. Despite the fact that it sems like one of those gimmicky home ab exercise devices, it is actually good.

Sorry, I misunderstood your post - yes, I am eating to lose. Cutting about 400 cals a day and upped the protein, lowered the carbs. This makes sense...that no matter how strong the abs get you won't see it unless the fat is off of them. I just wish there was a way to target fat loss!!

Nice · July 2012

reverse crunches.. they suck, but you'll definatly feel them

this!! They are great, in a painful awesome way.

chachan · July 2012

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I don't expect a six pack or anything, but am looking forward to a flat gut!

MinMin97 · July 2012

I'm looking for a couple of good exercises to work into my gym routine that focus on the lower abs. I've had two kids and certainly still have a decent bit of weight to lose in the gut, but would like to suck that stuff in as much as possible! I currently always use the Nautilus abdominal at 30/95 and the Cybex Torso at 30/90. Can you share any moves that have helped you successfully reduce your FUPPA? Thanks!

As a matter of fact, I was just thinking about stomach muscles, and just learned that often post-children stomach muscles have a condition called diastasis recti. It can be corrected, but you should do specific exercises to heal the "split" created down the middle of your gut area. Not saying you have this, but just in case you do, you should know that the average abdominal exercises can make this condition worse...thought you would like to know.:)

Check out the post I just made here
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/674886-post-children-stomach-muscles

AReasor · July 2012

I don't do specific exercises, but I started taking a belly dance class. This did amazing things for my core(I've had 2 kids). Also, the muscles you tighten while dancing are the same muscles that make adult time extra fun.

IronSmasher · July 2012

You can use a barbell instead of a wheel, providing the weights can move independently of the shaft.

Nobody's said dragon flags yet. No ab specific exercise beats strict form hanging leg raises.

gxm17 · July 2012

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! I don't expect a six pack or anything, but am looking forward to a flat gut!

You can do it! I had a naturally round belly most of my life and after two kids (and four grandkids) my stomach is the flattest it has ever been.

Best Exercise for GIRLS Lower Abs?

Replies

Categories