A toned core is sexy and important for overall health. The Mayo Clinic has linked belly fat to numerous health risks, including heart disease, metabolic syndrome and high blood pressure. The abdominals consist of the obliques (sides, internal and external), rectus abdominis (the muscles that form the six-pack look) and the transverse abdominals (horizontal muscles connected to the diaphragm). All of the abdominal muscles are linked, so isolating the lower abdominals is not possible, but they can be emphasized with certain exercises.
ACSM Guidelines
The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) recommends a few guidelines for abdominal exercise. Spend less time on abdominal exercises than other exercises by performing only 15 to 20 repetitions of each exercise. Abdominals are endurance muscles and will not build like biceps or quadriceps. Avoid movements that compress the lower back such as back-lying leg raises. Six-pack abs are best achieved by focusing on exercise, lowering total body fat and modifying the diet.
Reverse Crunch
Lie down on a floor mat face up with your arms at your sides and your legs raised at a right angle to the body. Push through the lower abdominal area, raise your hips off the floor, return and repeat 15 to 20 times.
Captain's Chair
The captain's chair (hanging leg raise) is an exercise done with a machine that has padded arm holds, a padded back and sometimes foot pads for the feet. The body is supported by the arms while the knees are raised to the chest and then returned to a standing position without the feet supported. This exercise targets the rectus adominis, hip flexors and obliques.
Bicycle Crunches
Starting position is face up on a mat with your hands behind the base of your neck and your knees bent while keeping your feet flat on the floor. Bring the right knee up toward your head while extending your left leg straight and lifted off the floor. Bending at the waist, try to touch your left elbow to the right knee, and then rotate your legs so the left knee is moving up toward the body and the right leg is extended and raised above the floor. Rotating at the waist, try to touch the right elbow to the left knee. This is a continuous motion back and forth for 15 to 20 repetitions.
Stability Ball Crunch
Crunches work the rectus abdominis, but using the stability ball targets the abdominals more because less activity is generated in the thigh muscles, according to the American Council on Exercise (ACE). The starting position is lying face up with your back centered on the stability ball and your legs bent at the knees with your feet flat on the floor. Place your hands behind your neck at the base of the skull. Lift your head toward the ceiling while tightening the abs, return and repeat.
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