Abs Workouts: 3 Moves For Targeting Lower Abs

Before I get into the 3 exercises I wanted to talk to you about, you should know that strength training, cardio and a proper diet is necessary to lose body fat all over. You can not just do sit-ups or crunches and expect the fat over your abs to disappear.

Now that I got THAT outta the way…;

Try these moves to sculpt your lower abs:

1. Hanging Leg Raise – Hang yourself from a pull-up bar or even the monkey bars at a nearby park and lift your knees to your chest. If you are more advanced, try keeping your legs straight and raising them up as high as you can. To make this exercise easier, you can try ab straps. Ab straps help you to concentrate on your abs more and not have to use your arms and back as much. They help you to complete more reps than you could do without using the ab straps. I purchased my ab straps from Bodybuilding.com.

2. Incline Reverse Crunch – Lie flat on an incline bench and place your hands up above your head and hang onto the top of the bench. Keeping your back flat against the bench, exhale while bringing your knees in towards your chest, hold for 2 seconds and then lower your knees back down to your starting position. For a greater challenge, lower your legs as slowly as you can.

3. Barbell Roll-Outs – To start barbell roll outs, you’ll be in a position similar to when you do push ups, except that your hands will be on a barbell and not the floor. To execute this move, simply roll the barbell out until your back and arms are straight. Do not allow your back to arch or you could risk injury. Then roll the barbell back to the starting position. If you are having trouble with these, you could also try a modified version with your knees touching the ground (like a modified push up).

*CAUTION* If you are working your abs, you also need to be sure to workout your back or you could easily injure your back.

Try doing 3 sets of 6 repetitions for each of these exercises. Modify your sets and reps if you need to.