Lower Ab Exercise – My One Favorite

All right, the topic of the best lower ab exercise is one of huge contention because we have been conditioned in the past to think that you need to focus on the particular muscle group that you want to add definition to. I don’t believe this is necessarily the case.

All of the information that I have been reading lately seems to support a varied workout using multi-joint routines, thus working all of the large muscles groups including your core. By utilizing multi-joint movements, good nutrition, and lowering your overall body fat, including belly fat, your abs will develop.

From time to time I must admit that I fall back into the old conventional conditioning of isolation training. This type of training however I have to say is incredibly boring. Nonetheless, I will tell you not just one of my favorites but 3, each with a brief description.

Hanging single-knee raises- what you do is, hang from a bar with your hands slightly wider than your shoulders. Then slowly, oh so slowly, raise one knee up to your chest. Hold it there for a moment and again very slowly lower it back down. Repeat the movement with the other leg. Start with 10 repetitions with each leg.

Bent-leg crunches- oh we’re having a good time now. To do these you lie on your back with your knees bent, your feet flat on the ground, and your hands behind your head. At the same time you raise your head and shoulders, bring your right knee back and up toward your chest. Pause then slowly lower down into the starting position and repeat using the other leg. These movements should be slow and controlled. Start out with 3 sets of 10 alternating reps with each leg.

Weighted leg raises- boy oh boy are these fun. Lie on your back on a flat bench with your hands underneath your booty. Now with your legs extended out and a light dumbbell between your feet, raise your legs slowly until they are 90 degrees to the floor. Pause at the top and then slowly lower your legs to the starting position. Caution, this can hurt if you drop the dumbbell while in the raised position so make sure the weight isn’t too heavy to start with. It might be best to try the movement without a weight the first time. Try to do 2 sets of 8 reps.

As I stated before the best lower ab exercise is a topic of contention and the multi-joint method seems to be the most inline method for the way our bodies are designed to work. Not to mention that full-body workout routines are just more varied and a lot more fun.

By: Ross Gray

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If you want to do a bit more reading up on the best lower ab exercise and the science behind it, a fun place to start is EasyFitnessandNutrition.info at the top of the site there is a detailed report that you can download too and no, there is not a fee for the report it is free.