Lower ab exercises

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Lower ab exercises

Hi. I am a 43 year old female. I have been doing the low Glycemic Index diet and exercising very regularly(5 days a week doing classes at the rec. center, two classes on Monday; mostly flex and strength classes and a few cardio classes) for the past 7 months. I have lost 46 pounds and went from size 20 jeans to size 14. My problem is my lower ab section. All the exercises I have seen for this area hurt my lower back even when I do what the instructors say to protect the lower back. Do you have any good exercise for this area?

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Lower ab exercises

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the lower ab exercises that really work
by: Monica

Hey awesome job dropping that many sizes. Means you're doing all the right things!!

Thanks for asking this question. Working the lower abs without hurting the low back is a problem that many women have.

Most fitness experts or personal trainers will tell you to do planks, ball pikes, bench leg raises, hanging knee raises or hanging leg raises but if your low back is weak and your hip flexors and upper abs are tight (most people who have desk jobs have this problem) then these exercises will do nothing other than cause pain and make the problem worst.

A better solution is multi-directional lower ab exercises that work every inch of your torso including lower back, plus ab exercises that also lengthen the tight hip flexors and upper abs. When you get length into these two areas and strengthen your low back your abs respond much faster.

The great thing about this type of ab work is that it's way more fun than boring crunches, leg raises and even roman chair knee raises.

My favorite ab moves are the single leg rocking bridge from Shiva Rea: Creative Core & Lower Body. I also love turkish getups with medicine ball. These are awesome for core strength and really work the deep lower abs.

My other favorite is the pilates sidekick series where you come into a side plank and then swing the top leg back and forth using the low abs and low back to stabilize. This exercise will get you rock hard lower abs if you do it properly.

Watch free videos of all these killer lower ab exercises then grab one of the suggested dvd's to get started. I guarantee you will have way more fun and actually get much better results from this type of ab work.

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lower abs
by: Anonymous

some lower ab exercises make my stomach fatter or they seem to do that is this true, can some ab exercises make your stomach thicker?

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hey anonymous
by: monica

I totally agree that some lower ab exercises can make your abs look bigger but the primary reason for this is not because you are increasing muscle mass to the area.

It has to do with bad posture and lack of flexibility work for the abs. Most people never bother stretching the abs but these days everybody could use massive amount of flexiblity work in this area because we sit so much and our abs are tight and weak.

Ab stretches alone could make your stomach look a lot flatter.

Check out the Fatloss Yoga Workout

All these exercises are important but there are 3 that will help you get flat abs.

wide leg up dog
downward dog
triangle with block

Do these after every cardio or ab workout and your posture will start to improve and you will notice that your abs are flatter within days.

I do them nightly and my clients do these at least twice a week.

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Ab Workouts - Core & Yoga
by: Jeri

How often should ab/core workouts be done? I've heard twice a week is enough but for how long...10, 20, or 30 minutes?

I usually do core workouts (plank style & stability ball moves) during my "rest" periods in between my strength training sets but not sure it's enough (about 10-15 minutes worth).

However, I do yoga moves (downward dog, triangle, etc) before & after my cardio workouts about 4 times a week. In addition, I'll fit in a session or two of ashtanga yoga (20-40 minutes) during the week.

In addition, is it okay to do yoga the day after my strength training day if I did some core workouts already? I just want to make sure I don't "overdo" my core workouts & allow my body to rest. Mahalo (Thank you)

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Reccomendations
by: Melinda

My respect to you. Losing so many pounds is a big achievement!
I also have a problem with my lower back - it hurts every time I do tummy exercises or other looking like these. And unfortunately you can do nothing about it, just to put something soft (a towel or a blanket) underneath your lower back and hips - it helps. But what really hurts is your bones and this is a serious problem. I mean not a problem with your health, but with continuing doing tough ab exercises. Cause think about it carefully: a skeleton is the foundation of our body and muscles are just an addition to it. So what is more important to you: healthy bones without pain or nice appearance at first glance? So what I would recommend is to reduce your ab exercise activity. Sorry.

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ditto on workout your abs less tip
by: Monica

Hey Melinda

That is a great tip. You don't get flat abs by working them all the time especially if you have pain. That is an indication that your core or low back or hips are dysfunctional and you will not get results unless you address those dysfunctions.

The best strategy for flat lower abs or flat abs in general is high intensity cardio intervals, tabata protocol interval training, bodyweight intervals or hybrid exercises that blast tons of fat.

Belly fat is a fat issue not a muscle issue so training the abs more can often make the problem worst especially if you have pain due to injuries or dysfunctions.

I never directly train my abs but I do include core focused total body exercises in my daily workouts. I got flat abs due to a carb cycling diet and and intense fat burning intervals!

If you want ripped abs then that's a whole other blog post!

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Lower ab exercises

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