Exercises for the lower abdomen are really exercises that target the rectus abdominus muscle. The top and bottom halves of the rectus abdominus can be divided into upper and lower sections for abdominal exercises only in the sense that you can emphasize either part. The lower abs get emphasized when the hips lift toward the shoulders or when you work your rectus abdominus (six-pack muscle) through a full range of motion.
Weighted Hand To Leg Ab Crunches
The weighted hand to leg ab crunches uses the lower abs to bring one leg and hip off the floor as you reach toward the arm on the same side. The upper abs get worked too as the shoulder and arm rise up to meet the leg. Although only one shoulder and hip lift, you are not only working the rectus abdominus on that side. The muscle works as a unit. Even so, do the same number of crunches on each side. Hold a dumbbell in each hand to make this a weighted exercise. Lie on your back with your arms and legs straight, palms facing the ceiling. Then, raise your right arm and leg straight up and toward each other. Lift your right shoulder and hip a few inches from the floor. Lower both limbs to the ground again to complete one rep.
Lying Reverse Abdominal Crunches
The lying reverse abdominal crunch is a popular lower ab exercise because most of your focus is on bringing the lower part of your body off the floor, which you are more likely to feel in the area of your abdomen below the belly button than above it. You also raise your head and shoulders off the ground to meet your legs, but you do not need to lift them as high as you would during a regular floor crunch. To perform a lying reverse abdominal crunch, lie face up and place your hands under your lower back. Begin with your legs straight. Then, bend your knees and pull them into your chest. Pull your hips off the floor and tuck your tailbone as you lift your legs. Also, bring your head toward your knees at the same time. Return everything to the floor to complete one lying reverse abdominal crunch.
Pilates Roll-Up
The Pilates roll-up exercise works the rectus abdominus 30 percent more than a regular floor crunch, according to researchers at Auburn University in Montgomery, Alabama. Taking your body up not just 30 to 45 degrees from the floor like a crunch does, but instead rolling completely off the floor and bending over your legs engages the entire length of the rectus abdominus through the furthest possibly range of motion on the floor. To do the Pilates roll-up, begin on your back with your arms outstretched above your head and the legs straight so that your entire body touches the floor. Next, squeeze your abs and use them to pull your upper body off the floor, beginning with your head and arms and then proceeding done the back one vertebrae at a time. Bend forward from the waist and reach your arms toward your feet. Reverse the movement slowly all the way back to the floor.
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