lower abs

[SteveB]

hey guys,

i was wondering how you all work your lower abs.... I tried doing those leg raises, but they do nothing to me... I cant even feel it working.... maybe I am doing it wrong.

So yeah if you guys could tell me what you do to work work lower abs that would we cool..


Cheers

[Holyfield]

for lower abs try normal sit ups. Just put your feet under the couch and do about 4 sets of 30

[DGNR8 4:69]

In response to the last guy, when you are doing sit ups your psoas muscles are the primary muscles being engaged and not your abdominal exercises. So sit-ups are a pretty useless exercise if you want to get your abs in shape. Instead, use crunches, because they directly work your abs. Sit-ups can also damage your lower back over time.

for lower abs, use lying leg raises, they do work. Make sure your hands are palm down under your buttocks and your legs are kept off the floor. When you raise them make sure you do it so that you can feel your lower abs straining and not your psoas, after a while you'll definitly feel it. All I do for lower abs is 2 sets of 25 lying leg raises a couple of times a week it seems ok, you may want to do more.

[Fresch]

Hmmmmm, here we go again.

Lower abs is a term that also needs to be better defined. Are we talking just about the lower section of the rectus abdominus, that is, the bit below the navel, or are we including the whole lower part of the obliques as well?

Funny thing is, last time I looked, the abs weren't connected to the legs at all, but the psoas muscles were. So, you can make up your own conclusions about that and leg raises.

The lower abs, in the common term, rotate the pelvic bone backwards. So, does that give you an idea about how to work them? The rectus abdominus can be thought of as a group pf muscles which just happen to, usually, work together. They can be contracted individually, that is, each part of the six pack, and to see someone rolling a coin along the abs by individual contraction is pretty amazing!

Anyway, crunches will work all the rectus, but the top bits will contract preferentially. The lower abs need to be worked by controlling the rolling of the pelvis.

Lie on your back with your knees bent, and flatten your back against the floor - that is a pelvic tilt. Now, try and maintain that position whilst you llift your legs off the floor. Can you do it?

Now, try and straighten your legs a little..how far can you go and still hold your pelvic tilt position? Now pull your legs back towards your chest and really crunch them abs up. Now starighten the legs again as far as you can go and still maintain your lpelvic tilt...

And so the cycle goes. If you are good, you can bring transverse abdominus into the same exercise or routine!

A good source of information is the books and tapes by Paul Chek in the USA.

[Holyfield]

Sit ups worked for me. I gotta 8 pack.

[DGNR8 4:69]

probly messing up ure back too

[Edutk]

Situps get a bad rap. I agree with Holyfield situps are great for the lower abs.

[peterb]

Great point Fresch.
And remember, just like other muscle groups, not everyone can have muscle mag abs. Don't think you're not improving, if your abs are not developing that way.

[soundbomb_85]

Don't reverse crunches target the lower abs pretty well?

[psikooz]

yeah they do

at my gym theres this weighted reverse crunch machine. it works great. a padded bar goes over your thigh and you preform reverse crunches. i find it builds the mass of the lower abs really well.

[Latts]

The bicycle's work pretty good. Ya know lying on ur back moving y9ou legs like ur peddlin a bike. Also try lying flat on a bench and doing reverse crunchs but extending your legs below paralell.

[joehagyHH]

reverse crunches, hanging leg raises, etc. be creative.

[jreynolds_4]

Hang onto the top of a decline bench with your hands wrapped around the foot and/or thigh holders. (Obviously your feet will be down where your head usually is if you were working chest on the decline bench). While holding on, curl your legs and pelvis up doing pretty much a reverse crunch.

I'm sore right at the naval and below for 2-3 days after doing 3 sets of these to failure.

[hooty mcboobs]

Muscles are meant to be worked together, not isolated. So when you do a compound movement like sit-ups which involve the abs, osas, and hip flexors, the abs get stimulated more. Its always best to hit your muscles from many different angles to recruit the most fibers, so doing sit-ups, crunches and hanging knee raises would be a very good work-out.

"Muscles are designed to function best in tandem with other muscles, and with the abs, that means bringing in the hip flexors."

That's from Ironmag, Jan. 2002.

[Fresch]

Originally posted by hooty mcboobs
Muscles are meant to be worked together, not isolated. So when you do a compound movement like sit-ups which involve the abs, osas, and hip flexors, the abs get stimulated more. Its always best to hit your muscles from many different angles to recruit the most fibers, so doing sit-ups, crunches and hanging knee raises would be a very good work-out.

"Muscles are designed to function best in tandem with other muscles, and with the abs, that means bringing in the hip flexors."

That's from Ironmag, Jan. 2002.

Sorry, but in this case, the abs should be able to work independently of the psoas. Sit-ups and other such exercises lead to a situation where they cannot be activated in isolation from one another. Maximal contraction can occur without any hip flexor activity, and so it should be able to! The abs need to be able to contract to balance hip EXTENSION forces, where no active psoas activity is involved. Indeed, the abs are paired with the gluteal muscles. So, how does your theory fit in there?



Who made that quote in Ironmag??

[c_punk]

Originally posted by hooty mcboobs
Muscles are meant to be worked together, not isolated.

yeah, that's the foundation of bodybuilding.........

[cramron]

its funny how people say not to do sit-ups but when i do them i get a serious burn in my lower abs and MY LOWER ABS ARE SORE AS HELL the next day

[Tom]

Originally posted by Fresch
Hmmmmm, here we go again.

Lower abs is a term that also needs to be better defined. Are we talking just about the lower section of the rectus abdominus, that is, the bit below the navel, or are we including the whole lower part of the obliques as well?

Why the heck do you try to sound all smart? I mean if someone is asking how other people work out their lower abs, what do most people think of when this is said. Yea thats right, just their abs. I think if he also meant the obliques too he would have specified it. Come on now, don't be stupid.

[Fresch]

"Why the heck do you try to sound all smart? I mean if someone is asking how other people work out their lower abs, what do most people think of when this is said. Yea thats right, just their abs. I think if he also meant the obliques too he would have specified it. Come on now, don't be stupid." Quote from above.



Well, unfortunately that is not the case. The obliques are often included in the term "lower abs"..it depends on who's talking as to whether they mean them or not! As I am not a mind reader, I don't know! So, I was mentioning that the matter needs to be better defined.

As you said, most people think it, but not all people!

[darkpassenger]

Try holding your thighs at a 90 degree angle from your torso and your lower legs parallel to the floor. Try doing your crunches 2 seconds up, hold and squeeze for 2 secs, then lower for three. IF YOU KEEP YOUR KNEES TOGETHER YOU WILL FEEL IT IN YOUR LOWER ABS (as well as the rest). This works for everyone i have talked to. Try it for yourself, hold your knees apart for a set then together for a set and you will see the diference.

[JOSEF RAKICH]

- Hanging leg raises
- Reverse crunches

Use weight if you can.

[Wegzyzz]

anybody do V-Ups?
kinda like a situp and a legraise in one but it works out upper&lower abs at the same time. Takes time to get used to and is quite effective even with little resistance added. (ex. between 5-15lbs)

[Reptile]

Holy crap! This thread has been resurrected from 2001!!!

[gethotabs]

This post is surely old but my suggestion are for those who are reading this with the same dilemma . I have some good lower abs exercises you could try. I would suggest you perform the curls, crunches, bicycles, knee to chest stretch exercises. Start with 5-10 repetitions for each exercise and perform these 2-3 times per week. If you do this together with a low fat diet you'll see the abs that you wanted.

[mja33]

hey guys,

i was wondering how you all work your lower abs.... I tried doing those leg raises, but they do nothing to me... I cant even feel it working.... maybe I am doing it wrong.

So yeah if you guys could tell me what you do to work work lower abs that would we cool..


Cheers

Leg raises, decline situps/crunches with either a medicine ball....straight up planks work all abs the best.....bicycle crunches [not really what there called]

[StevenOfSteel]

Hanging leg raises with a DB, Hanging leg raises at a pie/4 radian(for you math bros), and weighted crunches.

[DarkBoss123]

These will get you your beloved six packs.
Bicycle Crunches, Situps, (all the way till your stomach touches your legs) and Crunches.
Remember even if you do these exercises you WILL NOT get a six pack!







UNLESS YOU REDUCE YOUR BODYFAT PERCENTAGE BY DOING CARDIO. IN ORDER TO ACHEIVE A SIX PACK YOU MUST HAVE LITTLE BODYFAT AROUND YOUR STOMACH. IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO BURN STOMACH FAT BY DOING AB EXERCISES. IF YOU ARE BULKING IT WILL BE EXTREMELY HARD FOR YOU TO ACHEIVE A SIX PACK SINCE YOU ARE EATING A LOT!

[HeGirA]

Diet!!!

[Megafast13]

To target your abs you definitely want to do crunches.

Sit Ups are great though if you are doing them on a soft surface. Gym Floors, or even carpet can be very bad on the back. And others will complain about where you place your hands when doing them...Crossed on the Chest, Behind head, out forward, etc.

For my abs I like to do Leg lifts while holding a bar above my head. And I also like to do Crunch Machines at my gym. Just mess around with different excercises and see what gives you the most burn.

[nyerik08]

Yeah I'm having a little trouble with my lower abs too while the top is looking great. Anybody have any helpful videos or pictorials that can looked at?