Best Lower Ab Exercises for Women

by Abby Austin

If you are anything like every woman out there, then there’s probably one area on your body you feel you can’t work enough: abs. Your lower abs, to be exact. After all, which woman wants to go around showing off what she thinks is a unflattering belly now that it is bikini season?

However, sometimes it seems that no amount of workout is enough to make the difference. But, there’s a reason for that, and it’s simpler than you thought. The secret to toned core muscles and sculpted V-cut is not only the foods you eat but also the exercises you choose to include in your workout routine.

Why Women Should Invest in Lower Ab Exercises

The truth is that lower abs are one of the most problematic areas for women to train. Why? The female body is designed to produce an awful lot of estrogen which is a hormone that promotes women’s overall health, from menstrual or mood stability to bone density.

But, aside from keeping you healthy, estrogen comes with one significant disadvantage. This hormone naturally clings on fat cells to function, making all the harder for you to lose weight, especially in the lower ab region where our body stores excess fat.

So, investing in vigorous lower ab exercises is a woman’s best shot at training core muscles to perfection. After all, strong abs are the cornerstone of a strong balance center which helps you reduce back pain.

6 Best Lower Ab Exercises for Women

1. Roll Up

Resembling the motions of a regular crunch, roll up is the ideal exercise to target lower ab muscles. However, experts claim that roll up is up to 30% more efficient than crunches. How come? Roll ups feature a wider range of motions than crunches, requiring you to engage more muscle fibers.

How To:

• Lie face up on the floor with your legs straight and your arms reaching overhead.
• Bring your arms forward, lift your head, tilt your chin down and start rolling up to sitting as your hands reach out to your toes.
• Roll back slowly one vertebra at a time and reach your arms overhead once again.
• Repeat ten times for a set.

2. Jack Knife

For those of you who want to jack their abs, this advanced move is the optimal choice. The maneuver not only sculpts your abs but also improves your flexibility. Let’s get started!

How To:

• Lie on your back with the hands outstretched behind your head.
• Meanwhile, extend your legs and remember to keep your feet a little off the ground throughout the exercise. This is the starting position.
• Inhale and as you exhale, squeeze your abs and fold in two as you raise your right arm and left leg to meet above your midriff.
• Inhale as you ease back to the starting position.
• Repeat for ten times on each side.

Pro Tip: During the hand-to-foot step, the upper torso should be off the ground. You can also use a medicine ball for added resistance, but that’s recommended for advanced athletes.

3. Mountain Climber

Plank Jack, army roll, cross body. If you’ve wandered the gym halls long enough, then you are no stranger to the various version of mountain climber workouts. But, even if you don’t, it’s high time you should. Mountain climber exercises are your one-way ticket to sculpted abs by not only strengthening your core but also boosting your metabolism. But, we’ve talked enough. Let’s get down to business!

How To:

• Start in high plank position.
• Keep your spine straight as you lift the right foot and bring your right knee towards your chest, right between your hands.
• Return to starting position.
• Then, pick up the left foot and bring the knee towards the chest and between your hands.
• Alternate as quickly as possible.

4. Heel Tap

Heel tap is another ABS-olutely great exercise for your core muscles. Forcing you to squeeze the abs as you hold your position works miracles on the stubborn belly fat.

How To:

• Lie face up on the floor.
• Extend your arms and place them under your butt, palms facing down.
• Lift your feet in table top position with knees bent at a 45-degree angle.
• Slowly lower the right leg until your right heel grazes the ground.
• Lift the leg back up with some help from your abdominal muscles.
• Repeat the same movement with the left leg.

5. Scissor Kicks

No matter if you are a gym rookie or a workout pro, scissor kicks don’t require you to call forth any special skills. Targeting your abs as well as obliques (upper body side muscles), this exercise rightfully deserves a spot in your workout routine.

How To:

• Lie down with your back against the floor.
• Meanwhile, extend your arms to the sides with palms facing down.
• Slightly bend the knees as you lift your legs up while heels don’t touch the ground. This is the starting position.
• Lift the right leg up to a 45-degree angle while lowering the left leg closer to the ground.
• Switch sides by lifting the left leg up and lowering the right leg toward the ground.
• Alternate as quickly as possible.
• Repeat 10 times for a set.

6. Hanging Leg Raise

Tired of floor ab exercises? Spice things up with hanging leg raises. Even though this workout requires a decent amount of arm strength, you can get the hang of this quite quickly. Hanging leg raises are also perfect for working out multiple muscle groups (legs, shoulders, arms) without straining your lower back and spine.

How To:

• Hang from a chin-up bar with an overhand shoulder-width grip.
• Stretch your legs straight down while your pelvis is rolled slightly backward. This is the starting position.
• Exhale as you lift your legs toward the chest by bending your knees and raising your hips. You’re doing it right if your torso forms a 90-degree angle with your legs.
• Hold the position for a second.
• Return to the starting position as you inhale.
• Repeat ten times for a set.

Final Thoughts

The key to sculpted abs is to realize that every woman’s body is different. So, what works for you may not have the same quick effects on someone else. So, don’t get disappointed if you don’t see immediate results. Dynamic goals such as toned abs take time.

Consistency is also key to achieve such goal. You shouldn’t expect to see results if you include these lower ab exercises once in a blue moon. But, if you remain consistent and figure out what works best for you, you’re halfway to the abs of your dreams.

Abby Austin