are lower abs real?

[tikitariki]

i know it's all one big sheet, but how can this be so if people think doing lower ab exercises are solving their problem? is it really just providing extra abdominal work to make them think it's being worked? i'm interested in these lower ab workouts, but i lack the equipment (or i assume i do). i'm not even sure if i'm really lacking a lower ab, i think it's just my fat placement, where it gets me a little tiny belly and i think it's my lower abs lacking, but really the little belly just cuts the consistency of my abdominals.

edit: hopefully this makes sense now lol

1) abs are one large muscle
2) if this is true how do people target the lower portion?
3) this makes me question if lower abs exist
4) but if they do ... what are some exercises i can do? i have a squat rack, bench, and barbell+plates.
5) i think my lower abs are lacking, but actually i think it might just be genetic fat placement that's covering this lower area of my belly

[SCskinnymuscle]

lmao WUT???

[liqvvid]

Abs work as one if you put your fingers on one side of the abs and do a crunch you can feel all of them work if you cant your not doing a crunch correctly so basically most of those lower ab excersises are just working the hip flexors and ruining peoples posture alignment however the best "lower ab exercise" would be the reverse crunch since you are actually making an effort to contract the abs the opposite way of the crunch therby not tightening the hip flexors and may even fix your posture if you have a anterior pelvic tilt

[user5145]

Does this help? The whole middle strip is made up of the Rectus Abdominus. According to Wikipedia, it is 2 parallel muscles separated by connective tissue. As you can see, the top 6 are the obvious 6-pack abs, and the bottom part of the muscle does not really separate into 2 additional lower abs.

[IceMan13]

People tend to think that abs are separated, but its really all just one big muscle, connected, working together. Abs=diet+low BF and some good genetics, atleast if you want an 8pack.

[user5145]

Like here, that's obviously about as low of a body fat as you can get, and you can easily see the major 6 separated sections. The bottom part is just as is.

I guess some people have genetics so that it appears as if there are 8 separations, or an 8-pack, but they're are really 6.

[-themask-]

People tend to think that abs are separated, but its really all just one big muscle, connected, working together. Abs=diet+low BF and some good genetics, atleast if you want an 8pack.

i know they are one big muscle, but can you target certain parts of them?

i mean, when i do heavy leg raises it absolutely kills my lower abs, i feel all the pain on the lower part(ya my upper gets worked too but not nearly as much) then when i do weight crunches i feel it on my upper abs more

whys that?

[Push]

no you cant target different sections

[NEDM]

no you cant target different sections

That's ****ing stupid, of course you can. It's like the bicep, you can target certain parts of it through different exercises.

[636 HunteR]

That's ****ing stupid, of course you can. It's like the bicep, you can target certain parts of it through different exercises.

No.

[Push]

That's ****ing stupid, of course you can. It's like the bicep, you can target certain parts of it through different exercises.

ummm no on both counts there mate

[-Undertow-]

ummm no on both counts there mate

Um yes you can, at least with biceps.

[Push]

Um yes you can, at least with biceps.

okay tell me how i can target diff parts of my bicep

[-Undertow-]

wide grip works inner bicep. Narrow grip(preacher curls) works outer bicep and peak. Read in Arnold's bodybuilding encyclopedia.

[636 HunteR]

Um yes you can, at least with biceps.

You're either misunderstanding this or you have been told wrong.


You cannot specifically hit any section of a muscle. You cannot do an exercise that hits the top part of the abdominals more than the middle and lower. You are either going to hit the WHOLE muscle lightly, moderately, or heavily.


Tell ya what....Il give you reps ff you can find dignified sources that says otherwise.

[Push]

You're either misunderstanding this or you have been told wrong.


You cannot specifically hit any section of a muscle. You cannot do an exercise that hits the top part of the abdominals more than the middle and lower. You are either going to hit the WHOLE muscle lightly, moderately, or heavily.


Tell ya what....Il give you reps ff you can find dignified sources that says otherwise.

yeah what hunter said, good luck haha

[-Undertow-]

read post #14

[IceMan13]

i know they are one big muscle, but can you target certain parts of them?

i mean, when i do heavy leg raises it absolutely kills my lower abs, i feel all the pain on the lower part(ya my upper gets worked too but not nearly as much) then when i do weight crunches i feel it on my upper abs more

whys that?

Regardless of what exercise you're doing for abs, youre still hitting all parts of your abs -they're all connected. Few years ago I was same height but weighed 135 if I was lucky, with BF sub 8%. I did barely any ab exercises, maybe crunches, and I had an 6 pack. Had no idea what obliques were, etc. See my point?

[Push]

read post #14

dignified sources mate, arnie as good as he is/was, had some whack thoughts, this whole working diff parts of a muscle being one of them

[DaTruth1]

okay tell me how i can target diff parts of my bicep

The Biceps Brachii is two seperate heads. Hence biceps. There is the long head, and the short head. Incline DB curls, for example, stress the long head more than the short head. Preacher Curls target the short head more.

[-Undertow-]

dignified sources mate, arnie as good as he is/was, had some whack thoughts, this whole working diff parts of a muscle being one of them

eh...I personaly can feel the extra load on my outer biceps doing preacher curls.

[-Undertow-]

The Biceps Brachii is two seperate heads. Hence biceps. There is the long head, and the short head. Incline DB curls, for example, stress the long head more than the short head. Preacher Curls target the short head more.

couldn't have said it better

[Push]

you can target the biceps brachi or the biceps brachialis but you cant hit diff heads more or less imo, if 1 contracts they both contract, and a muscle cant have parts contracting and parts not.

[-Undertow-]

you can target the biceps brachi or the biceps brachialis but you cant hit diff heads more or less imo, if 1 contracts they both contract, and a muscle cant have parts contracting and parts not.

you cant isolate them but you can target one head more than the other.

[beckhamisgod]

The Biceps Brachii is two seperate heads. Hence biceps. There is the long head, and the short head. Incline DB curls, for example, stress the long head more than the short head. Preacher Curls target the short head more.

finally some1 knows what they r talkin about! im doin a sport and exercise science degree at university in england. yes the rectus abdominis is all 1 muscle, every ab exercise will work the whole muscle! however, u can put emphysis on certain parts of it! i.e, leg raises will work the whole muscle yet put emphysis on the lower section of the ab muscle! cruches the upper! its the same with pretty much every muscle in the body! (obviously the stomach is made up of transverse abdominis and obliques aswell as rectus abdominis)

simple, no?

and dnt say im wrong

[tikitariki]

finally some1 knows what they r talkin about! im doin a sport and exercise science degree at university in england. yes the rectus abdominis is all 1 muscle, every ab exercise will work the whole muscle! however, u can put emphysis on certain parts of it! i.e, leg raises will work the whole muscle yet put emphysis on the lower section of the ab muscle! cruches the upper! its the same with pretty much every muscle in the body! (obviously the stomach is made up of transverse abdominis and obliques aswell as rectus abdominis)

simple, no?

and dnt say im wrong

interesting! http://www.exrx.net/WeightTraining/M...#anchor7441959

so what is a real lower ab exercise thougH?

[beckhamisgod]

gd article. just proves what i sed really, and bringing in the hip flexors, which without these we wud not b able to do sit ups, leg raises etc! cool stuff

like i sed, there is no real lower ab exercise. u cannont work only half a muscle! lol. just puts emphysis on different parts of it. just do torso movement, crunches, then leg movement, leg raises, the whole muscle will b worked with every exercise!

[zennode]

http://xercisefactor.com/view_video....647a73e1482372

Hanging leg raises.

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/m...10/ai_12695243

Interesting article on lower abdominal muscles.