Best Lower Ab Workout - How to Blast the Lower Abs

                

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Finding the best lower ab workout is not always an easy thing to do. It can be frustrating to keep trying to work the lower abs if you feel like you are not doing it right.

In this article, you will learn what it takes to have the best lower ab workout around.

Before we get into 3 exercises, it is important that you understand some basics about training the lower abs.

The first thing that you should understand is that just working the lower abs will not result in losing fat in that area. In order to lose fat in that area, you need to lose fat all over your body. This is how basic fat loss works. If you have a lot of fat to lose, then the best lower ab workout in the world won't do the trick all by itself. The same goes for someone who just has to lose the last few pounds.

The good news is that doing a great lower ab workout safely and effectively will help to strengthen your core, as well as tone those muscles up for when you are in the single digits with body fat percentage =)

Losing fat all over your body requires that you do the right combination of strength training (don't worry you will not get big and bulky), a special type of cardio called interval training, and most important, have a great diet.

Once you have those things under control, your fat loss efforts will be guaranteed.

But you came to this page looking for the best lower ab workout around, so here are a few exercises you can try right now.

Remember that training your abs is different than training other muscles. If you were working your biceps, you might try doing 3 sets of 10 reps for a few different exercises. For your lower abs, you will want to do a special sequence of exercises with little rest in between. This is called abdominal circuit training.

Here are some of the best lower ab exercises to try:

1. Alternating Supine Leg Walks

Start off by laying on your back with your hands under your buttocks. Lift your legs so they are vertical. Contract your abs so your midsection is tense.

Then, lower 1 leg so your foot is a few inches from the ground. Hold there for about 1 second, then return that leg to the starting position. Alternate which leg you lower.

Try a reps and really try to feel the lower abs working.

2. Supine Reverse Crunches

Start off by laying on your back with your hands under your buttocks. Lift your legs so they are vertical, then bend your knees at a 90 degree angle. Contract your abs so your midsection is tense.

Keeping your knees bent at the same angle, slowly lower them until the back of your feet are a few inches above the ground. Then, bring your knees up towards your chest and really squeeze your abs while doing this.

Repeat.

3. Leg Lifts

Start off by laying on your back with your hands under your buttocks. Lift your legs so they are vertical.

Contract your midsection by engaging the upper abs.

Then, lower both legs so that the back of your feet are right above the ground. After holding that position for a few second, return your legs to the vertical position.

Repeat.

All three of those exercises are part of getting the best lower ab workout possible. If you have any lower back problems at all, you should not hesitate to see a doctor for exercise advice. Now you know the basic components of having one of the best lower ab workouts. Remember your safety comes first!

Good luck, and remember to keep learning and stay persistent =)

Tom Gifford is a Certified Personal Trainer by the American Council on Exercise. His website at http://www.TheFatLossZone.com offers a free 47 page ebook titled "How to Fire Up Your Metabolism and Lose Body Fat Permanently". Tom's free newsletter from The Fat Loss Zone is jam packed with tips and techniques guaranteed to get you on the fast track to having a slim and sexy physique.

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Advanced Workouts For Not Only Abs and Core, but Full Body

                

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I received a question today from a Sergeant who was looking for high intensity workouts with some work for abs, core, and full body to take his team of 30+ soldiers to a new level of fitness in preparation for their PT testing.

He basically said that the men had reached a plateau in their training and needed something really high intensity to take them to the next level.

My response is below...Keep in mind that this workout I gave him uses bodyweight-only exercises, however, it is VERY intense and for people looking for advanced fitness levels.

With that said, keep in mind that if you're not yet at an advanced level, you can still use this by simply using the basic format of the workout, and just do less of whatever exercises you struggle with, or choose an easier alternate exercise that's similar.

Here goes...

"Hi J****. To get your soldiers to that next level in their workouts, we're going to keep the intensity super high here and use the whole body. Keep rest periods short, and use full-body multijoint movements as much as possible.

I'll give you a killer workout idea below that not only incorporates abs and entire core, but the entire body as well in an intense fashion. Not sure what (if any) equip you have available, so I'll give you a great workout that's bodyweight based. Here's an example to take your men through:

Start with a 2-3 min warmup of light jogging, jumping jacks, or jump rope.

Then, move through these exercises in circuit fashion, one right after the other with only 10 seconds rest between each (repeat the circuit 3-5 times for a killer total body workout):

1. bodyweight squats - 12 reps

2. plyo pushups (clapping) - 10 reps

3. walking lunges up 6 steps and back 6 steps

4. floor mountain climbers for 30 seconds

5. lunge jumps - 6 reps to each side

6. lying leg thrusts (abs) on floor - 12 reps

7. squat jumps - 8 reps

8. side plank hold 30 seconds one side, then 30 sec opposite side

Rest 2 min after each circuit; repeat circuit 3-5x

If that doesn't get them through the plateau and ready for the next PT test, nothing will!

If you want to check out a site that has over 5,000 workouts for every goal imaginable, check this out: Thousands of Workouts

Also, grab a free report on the truth about losing body fat and abs workouts at Ab Workout Secrets, Abdominal Exercises

For you cardio nuts out there, discover a much better way to workout at Better than Cardio Workouts

Ab Workout of Specific Ab Exercises Equals Sexy Abs and Toned Abdominals

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

There are hundreds of muscles in the 'core' of the body - the abs or ab area (abdominal), lower to mid back, upper pelvic region, the obliques and the world famous 'love handles' areas are loaded with muscles of all different sizes, shapes, lengths and angles.

But what is amazing is, these ab muscles are all so close together, some of which are layered - meaning muscle behind muscle. And if all of these ab muscles are worked out properly with the right exercise program and workouts - it is not a question of "Will I be able to get great abs?" but a question of "When will I have my great abs?"

Unlike 97% of abdominal workouts that are in existence, the best ab workout, is designed to provide a training stimulus to every single muscle in the body's abdominal area and core with the right exercises.

The upper, middle and lower abs - the love handles - the obliques - the lower and mid back areas (avoiding these will not only prevent you from ever getting killer abs, but can lead to serious injury - this happens EVERY DAY to people who try to exercise without proper guidance - & it is one the reasons why physical therapists are so busy!)

The best workout does not rely on big expensive machines or silly gadgets.

It does rely on the body itself, its natural movement patterns and how the muscles of the body work in relation to gravity. This means the ideal ab workout can be done anywhere, anytime.

A big mistake many people, even trainers, make is to mimic the abdominal routines of bodybuilders or powerlifters. The problem with that is most people are not bodybuilders or powerlifters - and these people tend to overtrain anyway (I know this because I used to do it myself!). The problems here range from a lot of wasted time to serious, long term injuries.

The proper ab workout must be designed to provide the most effective training stimulus to the ENTIRE midsection and core, in the shortest amount of time (because we are all very busy people, right?), with minimal risk of injury. The problem is, it is extremely rare to find an ab/core workout routine that fits all of these criteria.

Here is a list of what you should focus on when planning your ideal ab workout:

1) A variety of carefully chosen exercises that provide the ENTIRE midsection and core with the proper stimulus to become lean, defined, flat, strong and solid.

2) A certain number of specific exercises responsible for creating the lines which form 'the Six Pack' look AND uncovering that six pack by pushing your metabolism into fat burning mode.

3) Several functional/core moves that create the diagonal muscle ripples along the side ribcage areas.

4) Targeted exercises that zero in on 'the love handles' to slim them down if they hold extra fat, or firm them up if you want more sexy muscle definition in the ab area.

5) Fast ab workouts that can be done anywhere, anytime, in a total of 15 to 25 minutes.

6) Exercises that are appropriate for both men and women.

7) A truly effective ab workout should not kill the person doing it. Many trainers, and fitness enthusiasts, do not understand that the word 'killer' (as in killer ab routine) is used as a figure of speech which actually means 'high quality workout that yields amazing results'. No back injuries, no hernias, and no six days worth of soreness.

8) Seek improvements ranging from cosmetic to enhanced performance in regular daily activities, sports and athletics and of course, love making (sexual performance).

9) An assortment of exercises, combined to create an equal and physiologically necessary, balance on EVERY side of the abs and core to give your body that V-shaped look.

10) Specific exercises, derived from injury rehab programs,which strengthen and tone the deepest layers of the abs & core and most sensitive muscles of the lower back region - to get rid of most common aches and pains and keep you injury free and super-hero strong.

These are the exact principles I follow when training my personal, one-on-one clients AND they are the same principles I follow in my own ab workout program. Structure your own ab workouts according to the principles outlined above, with the proper selection of abdominal exercises for undeniable results.

Joey Atlas, M.S. - Exercise Physiology, is the creator of Abs of Stone - Core of Steel - the internationally distributed Ab Workout and Abdominal Exercise DVD Fitness Program for men and women.

Joey is also the creator of BestFitnessAdvice.com - an interactive, global resource for expert Health Fitness & Nutrition Advice and Coaching.

The Best Way to Get Six Pack Abs

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

What do all of the top models and most movie stars have in common? The answer is six pack abs. A defined midsection is considered the Holy Grail of fitness. If a person has six pack abs, that person is usually considered to be in exceptional shape. I believe it has something to do with the fact that the abdominal area is the last place to lose body fat, so if a man is defined in that area he is probably in great shape overall. The crazy thing is that if you go into most gyms, I would estimate that less than 5% of the trainees actually have six pack abs. The challenge lies from the fact that people have a misunderstanding of what it takes to achieve this awesome look.

Will Working the Core Muscles Give You Six Pack Abs?

These days if you go into any gym, you will see a large focus on "core exercises." Personal trainers have people doing all sorts of crazy exercises on exercise balls which supposedly forces the body to stabilize itself using "core muscles." Focusing on the core muscles supposedly tones the abs to achieve a six pack abs. I see personal trainers devoting close to 1/2 of the client's time focusing on exercises which work the core. The funny thing is that I see people do this week in and week out and none of these people get any closer to getting six pack abs.

Will Performing Tons of Crunches Give You Six Pack Abs?

Another school of thought is to work abs hard every day. There are tons of exercises which focus on the abdominal muscles. Many people use various floor exercises such as crunches or sit-ups. People also use machines in their quest for six pack abs. Some people recommend working the abs every day or every other day. Some tell you to use high reps and no weight or heavy weight like every other muscle. I see tons of people do this week in and week out and guess what...very few of those people have six pack abs!

Learn from Someone Who Has Six Pack Abs.

I have a very defined midsection year round, but it wasn't always that way. I followed the above recommendations and failed to get that six pack look. Believe it or not, a back injury helped me figure out what works best to get six pack abs! Let me elaborate...I sustained a back injury 5 years ago and was unable to perform any crunch movement without pain. I was bummed out, because I had a vacation to Cancun planned 8 months later. I wanted to look great in a swimsuit and have firm six pack abs. I had to give up on working my abs directly for 8 full months! I was convinced that my abs would look flabby. A crazy thing happened...I had amazing six pack abs in time for my vacation and I didn't do one ab exercise for 8 months!

My Approach to Getting Six Pack Abs.

Okay, since that time I haven't worked abs directly at all and my midsection looks better than ever. I am convinced that having six pack abs showing is 95% about your body fat percentage and maybe 5% or less about working the abs. You see, all of us already have a nice six pack...it is just hidden under a layer of fat. I guarantee that if you get your body fat to 10% or lower, you will have amazing six pack abs for the world to see. My recommendation is to drop your ab workout and spend that time on cardio. You want nice abs? Hit the Treadmill or the Elliptical Machine. Seriously, it the only way you will ever see those abs. Rusty Moore is an avid trainer who gives advice to men and women who want a physique that attracts the opposite sex. While most trainers focus on gaining as much muscle mass as possible, Rusty focuses on the lean "sleek model look". For men who want the build of Brad Pitt -or- Matthew Mcconaughey and women who want the build of Jessica Alba -or- Jessica Beil, Visit his Website by Clicking this link... Lean Muscle Fitness

How The Roman Chair Can Give You Great Abs

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

Using a Roman chair is one way to get your abs in six pack shape. Many trainers and fitness experts recommend using this device because it targets ab muscles in a way that regular crunches can't. Using just a Roman chair, an oft neglected piece of equipment in any gym, you can improve your abs.

Roman chairs are a very effective way to work your abs. The American Council on Exercise found that out of 13 different ab exercises, the Roman chair ranked in the top two. It works both the obliques and the rectus abdominus (which runs down the middle of your stomach). Here are two great exercises to try:

• Bent Knee Raises: position yourself with your back against the back pad and your arms on the arm rests. Step off the platform so that your arms are supporting your weight (this is the basic position that other exercises are based off.) Lift your legs (either with bent knees or straighter legs) keeping your back against the pad. Slowly lower them back to the original position and repeat.
• Figure 4 Leg Lift: Once you're in the basic position, put your left leg over your right knee, forming a figure 4. You'll want to slightly bend your right leg to reduce the pressure on your back. Switch legs for each set.
• Basic Obliques: From the basic position, lift your bent knees while twisting from the waist to the side. You can either focus on one side or alternate between them during each set.

For each exercise, try to do two to four sets with between ten and twenty repetitions for each set. Exhale as you lift your legs in order to get the best contraction. You'll want to try to do the exercises three to five times a week, either after warming up or at the end of your workout. Beginners may need to work up to this amount, so do what you can and aim for doing more each time.

Once you've got these two more basic moves down, you can move on to more advanced exercises. Ask a trainer or search online to find other exercises for your abs using the Roman chair. Pay close attention to your form to get the best workout.

A Roman chair can get you six pack abs if you combine the exercises with good eating habits. While it won't work miracles if you're not motivated or relying solely on the ab exercises, you can transform your body with some hard work and healthy habits.

My Chair Pro is the premier destination for information about chairs. We cover everything from tattoo chairs to the strangely comfortable kneeling chair.

Six Pack Abs - We All Have Them - We Need To Know It

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

Six pack abs - they are desired by so many. I train clients who say they wish they could have six pack abs. First thing I tell them, is fine, be aware you HAVE a six pack and all you need to do is train the muscles like any other muscle and also burn off the excess fat to show them off. Its funny how that little 'mental change' can affect a lot of people once they realize that the end result is 'there' it just needs a little work and touch up (sometimes more than a little, but seriously, its not like you can't do it is it?)

So once we are on track and aware that the end result is waiting we just use different tools to reveal the sculpture.

I believe in three main things with six pack ab training. A sensible diet - Good, varied and stimulating training - and a positive mental picture of yourself and what you are doing. (this last one is possibly, for me, the most important - I want all my clients and customers to feel good about themselves regardless, all achievement begins in the mind - what the mind perceives your body can achieve.)

So we cut through the mental baggage, set our goals and get going. You can wait a thousand days thinking 'I'll do it tomorrow' - chances are you'll keep waiting. So we begin with a focused outlook knowing results WILL be a given. Because we believe they will.

I have seen many people transform their bodies and any particular area or body part with a positive mental image and desire.

When all is said and done, I tell my clients to stop thinking six pack abs are unobtainable and get the right mindset, understand they are just going to be working and improving what they already have and that sooner or later they will get the results their determination and hard work deserves.

We all have six pack abs. We just need to know it and get going.

Tristan Lewis is a Certified Fitness Professional, Personal Trainer and Author of the most informative book on abdominal training on the internet. He has travelled the world training clients and has spent 15 years in over 15 Countries in the research of his book. His AbMetrics - The Global Almanac of Proven Abdominal Training was researched thoroughly and provides many new and exciting proven abdominal exercises as well as a structuring of the 'classics' that work. Get the book now.
http://www.fastsixpackabs.com
http://fastsixpackabs.blogspot.com/

Super Eating for Super Abs

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

Hopefully by now you are beginning to realize that abdominal exercises alone will never give you a rock-hard, six-pack stomach. No matter how many exercises or reps, no matter how creative your training program, the real key to that all illusive six-pack lies with your diet. Everyone has the potential to build a great midsection but until that layer of fat covering the abdominal muscles is eliminated, your abs will remain on the missing list.

Six for six! What we are about to tell you may come as a shock but one of the best ways to develop a rock hard, fat-free midsection is to eat more. Now by more we don’t necessarily mean more calories but more meals per day. Instead of the traditional skipping breakfast, small lunch, and huge supper that most people follow, try eating six small meals spaced about two hours a part. To fully understand why this works we need a short lesson in human evolution.

Blame your ancestors When our ancestors were roaming the plains of Africa millions of years ago, being fat free was not a goal. I fact such a state would be detrimental to their health. Let’s face it; obtaining food was literally a life a death struggle. In many cases our ape ancestors went days, sometimes weeks without any real solid food. To insure survival our ancestors developed storage mechanism so get them through these periods of famine. When food was plentiful, the body would store some of it as fat for future use. The problem unfortunately is that we still have these storage mechanisms, and worse, they start kicking in after only a couple of hours without eating. Eating only one or two meals a day, including skipping breakfast is the best way to turn on these fat storage mechanisms.

Turn on the abs by turning off the fat storage If developing a six-pack is your goal, then you must keep the body’s fat storing properties turned off. The best way to accomplish this is by eating every couple of hours. When the body detects nutrients in the digestive system every couple of hours it “knows” that there is plenty of food available and won’t store it as fat for future use. But if you go three or four hours or more without eating, the body assumes it’s entering a period of famine and will start releasing all these storage hormones. Then when you do finally put food in your body more of it will be stored as fat than if you were eating smaller but more frequent meals.

The typical day So what should the typical day look like with regards to eating? Start out with a healthy breakfast. Some fruit, cereal, and egg white omelet, would be perfect. About mid-morning have a snack of fruit, low-fat muffin, or protein drink. For lunch a tuna fish sandwich using whole wheat bread or a chicken breast. Mid afternoon is another healthy snack. Again fruit, protein drink, or muffin. Supper will consist of meat, chicken, or fish, and some vegetables – raw or steamed. Your last snack can be another piece of fruit, cereal, or if you like them, egg whites.

If you follow the previous eating tips with a sensible weight training and cardio program, you’ll soon be the proud owner of a six-pack that’s rock hard and fat free. So what are you waiting for!

Bob Howard expert on bodybuilding and steroids. Are you looking for more of his Super Eating for Super Abs articles? abs-information.com

Strong, Sexy Abs - Why Don't I See Them?

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

One of the most sought after results that people want from their workouts today are a nicely defined six-pack. A six-pack, if you don’t already know by now, is what people call the abdominal muscles, which, when in perfect shape will show 6 clear sections when a person’s midsection has a low bodyfat count.

I’ve always believed that a nicely defined six-pack is the ultimate ‘accessory’ when you’re at the beach and that women like to touch lean abdominal muscles… but let’s not go there now. You can be big, muscular, and intimidating, but highly visible abdominal muscles command attention and demand respect.

Everyday, we see people in the gym who will do crunch upon crunch in their quest for perfect abs. Before I proceed further, let me first say this - ALL HUMANS naturally have abdominal muscles (and I bet they look pretty good too!). The problem is, you’ll never see them as long as they’ve covered in fat, which almost always is the case. You may not have love handles or a flabby stomach, but chances are likely that you’re still carrying a certain amount of bodyfat covering your abs if you are still unable to see your abs clearly.

All the crunches in the world will never bring those abs out since it only burns a few calories and works very little overall muscle. Though crunches are one of the best exercises to strengthen and build up the abdominals – too widespread is the message out there today that it takes you hundreds of crunches everyday until your face turns blue if you wish to even see a hint of your abs. This piece of advice fails to take into account that the reason you don’t see your abs are simply because of excess fat, and not weak muscles! Doing all the crunches till the cows come home would strengthen the abdominals muscles but still not address the problem of the layer of fat over your abs.

The Solution?
It’s pretty simple, actually. You need to get rid of the fat covering your abs. Burn fat and also strengthen your abdominal muscles so that they look good when they are revealed. This, can only be done with a weight loss plan, and exercises that target your abdominals. There is NO other way, and that’s as simple as I can say it.

So, think twice before you decide to hog the abs machines at your gym for a full 20 minutes. Not only will you piss ME off if I was waiting for my turn, but most of your efforts could be diverted into doing something else more productive.

Josh Stone, also known as DM, is the author behind the site http://www.dailymuscle.com which offers the author's personal views on real-life fitness, bodybuilding, sports nutrition, cardio, fat loss, training information, and on all things that surrounds fitness.

Learn the Truth About Weight Loss and Getting Great Abs

                

>>  Be Sure That You Will Never Get Six Pack Abs Unless You Know These Strategies <<

 

Debunking The Ab Myth

Ab training has been done to death but it's time to take another look. Why? Because people are still training their abs wrong so all that ab training information must not be doing the job.

1 - No Spot Reducing - Endless crunches will not melt away the fat from your midsection. It just doesn't work that way. And despite the "burn" of high rep ab exercises, you barely burn any calories while doing those endless crunches.

Your fat burning time is best spent elsewhere on more effective training. You also don't work the ab muscle intensely enough to develop it.

So endless high rep crunches fail on both counts - poor muscle building and poor fat burning. Two thumbs down as the cliche goes.

2 - The Abs are a Muscle and should be trained as such. You don't need high reps and lots of sets to work your abs. This just leads to overtraining.

Now, abs are a more endurance oriented muscle so slightly higher reps may be more effective. However, you should keep the reps at 20 or lower and work on increasing the resistance.

Yes, you should be increasing the weights on ab exercises, just like your other exercises. The stronger your abs, the better they will look when the fat is stripped away.

Ever see a really thin guy with a flat stomach but no abs? The abs haven't been trained and aren't developed enough to stand out even when the fat is stripped away.

3 - Don't train the abs - What the heck do I mean by this? Well, your abs get a lot of indirect work from other exercises so you really won't need more than a couple of hard sets of weighted crunches to work your abs.

Your abs are a factor in exercises such as squats, deadlifts, seated or standing presses, dumbbell pullovers, pulldowns, etc. Don't believe me?

Next time you work out, do a few hard sets of standing stiff armed pulldowns on the lat machine and tell me your abs aren't sore the next day. I did them yesterday and my abs are more sore than my back today.

If you want to develop a flat stomach with your abs visible, you need to treat your abs like a muscle and train that way. And you need to strip away the fat with a proper training and nutrition program designed around total fat loss, not trying to spot reduce through endless crunches.

Is there anything out there in the fitness world suffering from more misinformation that how to get abs?

The number of ab machines constantly coming to market is mind boggling. Especially considering that they aren't needed and won't give you the results that you want.

Let's set the record straight on ab training right now and give you the real information you need so you can say no to the next infomercial ab machine and yes to actual abs.

1 - Training your abs consistently will eventually give you the flat stomach or six-pack that you want.

No. It's not gonna happen if your abs are covered by a layer of body fat and doing endless sets of ab exercises is not the way to rid yourself of that excess body fat.

2 - Train your abs everyday for best results.

Again, no. Your abs are a muscle, just like your chest, lats, arms and so on. You should train your abs just like these other muscles, with progressive resistance and high intensity - then allow them to rest and recover. Never train your abs more than 3 days a week.

3 - You need to do hundreds or reps and feel the burn to get great abs.

Yep, again the answer is no. The abs a muscle just like I mentioned above. To get six pack abs you need to strip off the fat, but you also need to build the abs to get them to really pop out.

If the muscle isn't developed, you'll just have a flat stomach but no abs. The name of the game is progressive resistance for sets of 8 - 20 reps, just like your other muscles.

4 - Train the abs with lots of sets and high reps to burn off stomach fat.

You guessed it. This is also false. Spot reduction just isn't going to happen as much as we'd all like it to. You can't burn fat on your stomach by doing endless crunches.

You need to put together a proper weight lifting program, nutrition plan, and cardio in order to rid your stomach of that stubborn layer of fat and bring yout your abs.

Gregg Gillies

Gregg Gillies is a speaker, consultant, fat loss expert, trainer and author. He teaches fitness via his articles, books and courses at his web site http://www.buildleanmuscle.com . He is the author of two books: Complete information on his books, along with lots of free articles are available at his site. And while there, don't forget to sign up for his free newsletter, "Fit Physique".