The 15 Best Exercises for Your Lower Abs

These moves are proven to make you go from soft to shredded. 😉😃💛💚💜💗🍖

First, a quick physiology lesson: Your rectus abdominis is really one, long muscle that includes both your "upper" and "lower" abs. So, there are no exercises that explicitly isolate either half individually (even though you may "feel the burn" more so in one area than other). Still, there are things you can do to really make that lower area pop, says Don Saladino, CPT, owner of Drive 495. Number 1, diet is key: remember that training your core muscles alone simply isn’t enough—you need to have discipline in the kitchen, too. Second, switching up your routine by shocking your core with new exercises will help eliminate your love handles and define those elusive sex-lines. Last, work in exercises that attack your rectus abdominis and obliques simultaneously for good measure (that V line is where these two muscles meet). Here are 25 moves to add in to your routine.

Lie on your back, extending one leg, while bringing the opposite knee toward your chest. With your hands behind your head, touch your opposite elbow to the close knee. Twist your body and touch the other elbow to your other knee.

Place sliders underneath each foot. Then get into a plank position with your forearms planted on the floor at shoulder-width, your body raised, and in a straight line. Now, brace your core, and, with your forearms still planted in the floor, begin sliding your whole body forward and back.

Position yourself facing the machine, a few feet away, on both knees. Now grip the rope in front of you and crunch your body in so that your forearms come to your knees and your head meets the floor.

Suspend yourself over the parallel bars at a dip station. Bend your knees slightly and raise your legs in front of you until they’re parallel to the floor.

Lie on the floor and hold onto a bench or the legs of a heavy chair for support. Keep your legs straight and raise them up until they’re vertical. Lower back down, but stop just short of the floor to keep tension on your abs before the next rep.

Hang from a pullup bar with hands slightly wider than shoulder-width and palms facing forward, and then raise your legs straight out in front of you. Bring back down and repeat.

Get into pushup position with your toes on the ball. Bend your hips and roll the ball toward you, lifting your hips upwards. Roll back so your body is straight again and extend your spine, then roll the ball up your legs so your body forms a straight line with arms extended overhead but hands still on the floor. You should look like Superman flying downward. That’s one rep. Pull with your lats to return to the pushup position and begin the next rep.

Place your feet in the foot cradles of the suspension trainer and get into pushup position with your hands on the floor. Drive one knee to your chest while the other leg remains extended. Now drive the opposite leg to your chest while you extend the other back. Continue so it looks like you’re running in place.

Lie on your back on the floor and wrap the band around the arches of your feet. Cross the ends of the band over each other to make an “X” and grasp the ends with opposite hands. Bend your hips and knees so that your knees are near your chest and then crunch your torso off the floor. Extend your legs while you raise your arms overhead—keep your shoulder blades off the floor. That’s one rep.

Lie on your back on the floor holding the ball with both hands behind your head. Extend you legs. Brace your abs and sit all the way up. Raise your legs simultaneously and reach for your toes with the ball. Your body should form a V shape at the top.

Lie on your back on the floor holding the ball with both hands behind your head. Extend you legs. Brace your abs and sit all the way up. Raise your legs simultaneously and reach for your toes with the ball. Your body should form a V shape at the top.

Lie on the floor holding an empty, or lightly loaded, bar over your chest as in the top of a bench press. Your legs should be extended on the floor in front of you. Perform a situp, raising your torso until it’s vertical. Keep the bar over your head, so it drifts back to an overhead press position at the top of the situp.

Get into pushup position. Move your arms and feet apart as wide as possible—your body will make a star shape. Hold the position with your torso straight and abs braced for 30 seconds.

Sit on a bench and squeeze the medicine ball between your feet. Extend and elevate your legs out in front of you and extend your torso so that your body forms a straight line. Hold on to the bench for support. Crunch your torso forward and bring your knees to your chest.