7 Lower Ab Exercises That Hit the Bottom of Your Six-Pack

Uncovering the coveted six-pack takes a lot of work in the gym and the kitchen, but getting those last little "packs" to show up is the hardest part for many people. Body fat likes to hang around on the lower abdomen and it's also a bit harder to target, which is why so many people go hunting for a lower abs workout.

You can target your lower abs with exercises, but a stubborn lower belly typically has much more to do with body fat distribution than weak muscles. Regardless, these exercises will build a stronger, more controlled core from the bottom up, so grab a mat and let's go.

Are Lower Abs a Real Thing?

Your six-pack muscle (the rectus abdominis) is one long strip that runs from your lower ribs to your pelvic bone. There are separate nerve branches feeding different sections of it, but it's one strip of muscle, so there's no true "lower abs" as a separate thing you can isolate. Some research shows whatever part (lower or upper) is closest to the moving load does more of the job, but others don't find much of a difference.

When people say "lower abs," they usually mean the muscle below the belly button or having better control over their pelvis, or (let's be honest) the little pooch hanging out above their jeans.

Who Should Do a Lower Abs Workout

If you want a stronger core for lifting or if your lower back arches off the floor when you do leg raises (a sign you aren't controlling your pelvis), then you should consider targeting this part of your abs.

If lower belly fat is your main concern, it's worth repeating that you can't shrink belly fat with ab exercises alone because you can't burn fat from a specific spot. You'll lose fat from a calorie deficit created by your diet with some help from cardio and strength training. Keep doing your ab work, but don't expect it to magically help you shed belly fat.

How to Work Out Lower Abs

When you crunch, the motions should start at your ribcage, but when you're working from the lower abs up, like with reverse crunches, start at your pelvis so your lower abs do more of the work.

Tuck Your Tailbone

Before you start a rep, flatten your lower back toward the floor a bit (it doesn't have to be pressed completely flat, just not arched) by tilting your pelvis backward to create a posterior pelvic tilt. This helps increase muscle activation in your abs while doing moves like leg raises and also makes the lowering phase harder on your abs.

Read More: How to Properly Brace When Lifting

Keep Your Hip Flexors in Their Lane

Your hip flexors connect your lower spine and pelvis to your thighs. When you do moves like reverse crunches and hanging knee raises, your hip flexors like to be super helpful, but you don't want that when you're trying to target your abs. If you feel the front of your hips or lower back working overtime when you do these moves, use a shorter range of motion and slow down your reps.

Add Load Over Time

Many people think ab exercises are done with ever increasing reps using bodyweight alone, but you need to treat these muscles like any other and add load over time. Loading your abs will recruit more muscle fibers, so if you're easily able to do 15 reps, try adding load (like holding a dumbbell between your feet) or slowing down the lowering phase or both.

Read More: The Best 20 Minute Kettlebell Core Workout

The Best Lower Ab Exercises

We're completely skipping the classic sit ups and side crunches here. Sit-ups use a lot of hip flexor help and we don't want that. Most of these exercises are done on the floor, so you'll want a comfy yoga mat to protect your tailbone.

Reverse Crunch

Reverse crunches hit your lower abs harder than most ab moves, as long as you lift with your abs and avoid swinging them.

• Lie on your back with your knees bent at 90 degrees.
• Tilt your pelvis back, curl your hips off the floor to bring your knees toward your chest.
• Lower slowly.

Dead Bug

The dead bug is one of the best deep core exercises because it works your transverse abdominis harder than many other popular core moves. The TVA is the deep, corset-like muscle wrapped around your midsection.

• Lie on your back with your arms reaching up and your knees bent over your hips.
• Keep your lower back pressed down as you slowly lower your opposite arm and leg.
• Switch sides.

Scissor Kicks

• Lie flat with your hands under your hips and both legs hovering a few inches off the floor.
• Raise one leg as you lower the other and keep switching.
• If your back starts to arch, lift both legs higher.

Leg Lowers

• Point both legs straight up with your pelvis tucked.
• Slowly lower them only as far as you can while your lower back stays on the floor.
• Bring your legs back up.

Mountain Climbers

The mountain climbers exercise makes your core hold your body steady while your legs move, and it gets your heart rate up as a bonus.

• Get into a high plank position.
• Drive one knee toward your chest, then switch.

Hanging Knee Raise

Hanging knee raises light up your abs more than almost any other ab exercise, and your grip and lats get some work too. You’ll need a pull-up bar. Curl your pelvis up at the top so your abs do the lifting, since your hip flexors are more than happy to raise your legs on their own.

• Hang from a pull-up bar with your hands about shoulder-width apart and your legs straight.
• Brace your core and draw your knees up toward your chest, curling your pelvis up at the top.
• Lower slowly without swinging.
• Once that gets easy, keep your legs straight for hanging leg raises.

Ab Rollout

The ab wheel makes your core fight to keep your lower back from sagging as you roll out. Ab rollers are one of the best moves for working both your upper and lower abs while keeping hip flexor and lower back activity low, which is exactly what we’re after here. 

• Kneel on your mat holding the ab wheel with both hands under your shoulders.
• Tuck your pelvis slightly and slowly roll forward as far as you can without your lower back arching.
• Use your abs to pull the wheel back toward your knees.
• Move to standing rollouts once you can do 10 to 15 clean reps from your knees.

The At-Home Lower Abs Workout

Ab workouts at home are easy to do because they require so little space or equipment. Do these in order without much rest until you get to the final exercise, then take 60-90 seconds and start again. Aim for three rounds 2-3 times per week.

• Dead bug: 8 per side
• Reverse crunch: 10 to 15 reps
• Leg lowers: 8 to 10 reps
• Scissor kicks: 20 total
• Mountain climbers: 30 seconds

Pro Tip: Beginners can do two rounds with bent knees on the leg lowers and scissor kicks. When you can easily do three rounds, hold a dumbbell between your feet for reverse crunches or a kettlebell over your chest during dead bugs.

Read More: 9 Exercises for Strong Abs

Takeaway

Your lower abs are the bottom section of one long muscle, but you can target it with moves that start at the bottom with a tucked pelvis. Go slow when you're doing these exercises to make the most of gravity and the eccentric phase, and prevents you from using your hip flexors too much, which will help you build more muscle. Add load overtime when you're ready. Remember to lock in your nutrition because no matter how many lower ab exercises you do, if you don't lose the bodyfat covering them, you won't see them (if that's your goal).

FAQs

How often should you do a lower abs workout?

Two to three times a week will be enough for most people. Your abs need time to recover, so leave at least 24 hours between ab workouts.

Why can't I see my lower abs?

Belly fat is notoriously stubborn on the lower part of the abdomen, so it's harder to see your abs in that area, even if you have a strong core. To reveal them, focus on your diet and training, but keep in mind that genetics play a big role in how and where you store body fat.

What is the best lower ab exercise?

The reverse crunch is one of the best lower ab exercises because it puts a lot of the work on the lower part of your rectus abdominus. Hanging knee raises and ab wheel rollouts are also very effective.