Learn how to sculpt your lower abs with these effective exercises from Jeremy Ethier.

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs: 3 Key Exercises

“When it comes to how to get six pack abs, you cannot neglect your lower abs as they are key to achieving well developed 6 pack abs. But as you probably know by now, getting the lower abs to pop is no easy task. And although nutrition does play a huge role to flatten the lower belly, you can actually develop the lower abs to make them appear more visible and defined. That’s why I’m going to show you 3 of the best exercises for lower abs you can incorporate into your next intense lower ab workout. If you’ve been putting yourself through lower abs workout after workout without any results to show for it, then you need to watch this video (see below).”

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Top Down or Bottom Up?

“Now first off, for those saying that the upper abs and lower abs can’t be selectively targeted, research clearly indicates otherwise. In fact, multiple EMG analyses have concluded that “top down” abs exercises will preferentially target the upper abs whereas “bottom up” abs exercises will preferentially target the lower abs. So, if you want to develop your lower abs most effectively, you need to choose the best bottom up abs exercises to do so.”

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Reverse Crunch

“And one of the best lower abs exercises is the reverse crunch. However, most people just don’t perform it in a way that actually works the lower abs. A mistake I commonly come across is that many people would aimlessly swing their legs up and down. What this does, essentially, is turn the reverse crunch into a hip flexor exercise. If you want reverse crunches to target your lower abs, you need to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt before initiating the movement and then simply focus on curling your pelvis up towards your shoulders. Visualize the lower abs working as you perform each rep while avoiding using momentum. You will then want to progress this lower ab exercise overtime for the best results, which can be done by adding a weighted ball between your knees and/or performing the exercise on a decline.”

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Hanging Leg Raise

“The second exercise that needs to be included in your lower abs workout is the hanging leg raise. As with the reverse crunches, its effectiveness on targeting the lower abs depends on how you perform it. When done incorrectly, it can quickly become a hip flexor dominant movement as well. Once again, you need to maintain a posterior pelvic tilt before starting the movement by contracting your core and pushing your hips forward. Again here you’ll want to simply focus on curling your pelvis up towards your shoulders rather than just swinging your legs up. This helps ensure that you’re targeting the lower abs. These can be done hanging off of a bar and then progressed by adding weight between the feet. Alternatively, these can be made easier by doing these on a Captain’s Chair leg raise or performing them with bent knees at first.”

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Ab Wheel Roll Out

“The final lower abs exercise – also one of the best exercises for lower abs – is the ab wheel roll-out. And of course, its effectiveness depends on proper execution. Before performing this exercise, you want to move into a posterior pelvic tilt by thinking about pulling your belly button into your spine and pushing your hips forward. This will enable you to have a slight flexion to your spine. Not only will you be better able to engage the lower abs, but you’ll also put your lower back in a safer position during the roll-out. Then, as you roll out and back, make sure you don’t cheat by bending your knees on the way back. The hips should not move further back than where they started from each rep.”

“I hope that you were able to see that when it comes to how to get lower abs and a well-defined six pack, you need to not only choose the right exercises, but you need to ensure you’re performing them optimally as well.”

“Doing so, together with the implementation of the right nutrition plan, is going to be the key to dropping your body fat, and developing those much-coveted six-pack abs.”

Video – How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs

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Muscles of the core and abs

The superficial muscles are responsible for the movement of the skin and soft tissue, while the deep muscles are responsible for movements of bones and joints. The core is composed of several groups of deep muscles that connect to each other in layers around an axis known as the spinal column.

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Deep muscles

The deep muscles of the core, including the transverse abdominis, internal and external obliques, perform movements of the spine, hips and legs. The deep muscles rotate your trunk in a corset-like fashion around your spine. They also help to stabilize your pelvis during everyday activities such as lifting objects or standing upright. These muscles are also responsible for bending at the hips (flexion) and knees (extension), moving limbs in opposition to one another such as with arm raises or leg kicks when swimming freestyle.

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Rectus abdominis

The rectus abdominis is the muscle that you can see. It is a long flat muscle that runs vertically down the front of your abdomen, from your chest to pubic bone. Its primary function is flexing the spine and trunk, with secondary functions including bending forward, backward and sideways.

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Internal obliques

The internal obliques are located on the side of your abdomen, and they help you to rotate your spine. They are also responsible for flexion, lateral flexion and rotation of the trunk.

A strong core is important for many sports such as golf or tennis because it helps you maintain good posture when hitting a ball or swinging a club.

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – External obliques

The external obliques are another set of muscles that help to give your body shape. They’re responsible for rotation of the spine and trunk, lateral flexion (side bends), and also assist in breathing. These are some serious multitaskers!

How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs – Muscles of the Pelvis

The muscles of the pelvis are divided into two groups: lateral and medial. The lateral group includes the pubo-rectalis muscle and levator ani muscle, which both help maintain control over bodily waste products. This can be useful for men who want to improve their prostate health or women who are trying to avoid incontinence.

The pubo-rectalis muscle is a thin, flat tendon that connects the front part of your pubic bone to your rectum—that’s why it’s also called the puborectalis muscle. It helps you keep things nice and tight down there by contracting when you need it to do so; this helps prevent fecal matter from leaking out when you cough or sneeze (or laugh).

The levator ani runs between two bones in your pelvis: Your coccyx (tailbone) and sacrum (the triangular bone at the bottom of your spine). It also connects with your pelvic floor muscles via tendons at either side of each leg opening.

These muscles are responsible for movements of the spine, hips and legs.

The muscles of the core and abs are responsible for movements of the spine, hips and legs. They also help with posture, stability and breathing. Core muscles include all of your stomach muscles – your external obliques (the ones you can feel when you suck in), rectus abdominis (the six-pack muscles) and transverse abdominis (underneath them). Abdominal exercises include crunches, sit-ups or planks.

Conclusion – How To Sculpt Your Lower Abs

The core muscles are important because they work with your other muscles to keep your body balanced and in alignment. When you do exercises that strengthen these muscles, you’ll be able to do more activities without pain or strain.

For example, if you have lower back pain from sitting at desks all day long, strengthening these muscles will help alleviate some of that discomfort.