Free Lower Ab Workout

An effective, free lower ab workout can be just what you need to tighten up that midsection for summer. Here are five exercises that make for a free lower ab workout that will leave you good and sore for sure!

A Reality Check

Before we dive into the specifics of the workout, let's quickly review the basics. When you talk about lower abs, you generally refer to the bottom portion of the rectus abdominis muscle (the sixpack). It connects the pelvis to the ribcage, creating a fairly long, continuous muscle.

This presents a problem for targeted training in that the muscle is a simple creation that can only do one thing, contract and in a fairly straightforward manner. You can shift some emphasis onto the lower portion of the muscle, but you'll never get anywhere near the kind of surgical precision you can achieve when training the biceps or shoulders, for example. The good news is, targeting the abs regularly does pay off. You can maximize the workout by making a conscious effort to give the lower abs a tad more of a squeeze.

An Effective Free Lower Ab Workout

Now, let's look at five exercises that will get the job done nicely done.

Cable crunches

Kneel in front of a cable machine with a thick rope attached to the upper pulley. Grab the rope and tuck your hands close to your body right in front of the shoulders. Consciously use your abs to decrease the distance between your ribcage and your pelvis as you crunch. When you can't contract the abs anymore, squeeze for a second and return to the top. It's easy to let emphasis slip to the hip flexors if your only concern is getting your forehead to the floor, so keep your eyes on the prize.

Bent-knee hip raise

Lie on your back with your arms down and slightly out from your body, so that you have good balance. Knees should be bent at about a 90-degree angle and your feet hover a few inches off the floor. To exercise, slowly contract your abs so that your knees are pulled up to the chest in a nice arc. Hold and squeeze for a second before slowly descending to the starting position.

Air bike

Lie down on a mat with your hands by your ears and your knees pointing up and lower legs about parallel to the floor. Remember not to tug at the neck. Start by doing a slow-motion pedaling movement with your feet. Now lift your right shoulder and twist your torso so that your right elbow makes contact with your left knee at its "peak", then return and switch so that the left elbow meets the right knee at that peak and so on.

Rollerball

Put your toes on the ground and your hands on a small exercise ball right under your chest. Concentrate on your lower abs as you slowly jackknife your body upwards while rolling the ball down towards your feet. Gravity and balance will tell you when it's time to return to the starting position. At that point, roll the ball up as far as it'll go before commencing the next rep.

Captain's Chair

How to use this piece of equipment tends to become self-evident once you get on it. Hop up and let your elbows hold your weight with your back pressed against the back and your legs hang straight down. Pull your knees up towards your chest. In fact, it's best if you don't keep your legs straight, but instead focus on the knees. Good luck!

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