When was the last time you did a lower-abs workout that left you feeling the burn long after you were finished? Welp, the 13 moves below are designed to do just that. All you need is a resistance band and about 20 minutes to create some major muscle magic.
Technically speaking, your lower abs are actually the bottom portion of your rectus abdominis, which runs down the entire front of your core—they’re often referred to as your six-pack. And while all sorts of popular abs exercises work ’em, some moves are better than others at really lighting your lower abs up—like the ones here.
Not only is it suuuper satisfying to build strength in this area of your bod, but doing so goes a long way toward upping your overall fitness and improving your posture. Also, weak lower abs often lead to overarching and pain in your low back, so training yours is a prereq to avoiding aches and pains in this area.
Use these moves to DIY your own lower abs workout and you’ll have a stronger core, from top to bottom, in no time. Let’s go!
Time: 20–25 minutes
Equipment: resistance bandsGood for: core, abs, lower abs
Instructions: Choose five to six exercises from the list below. Perform each for 45 seconds to one minute, then rest for 15 seconds before continuing onto the next. Once you’ve finished all exercises, rest for 30 to 60 seconds, then repeat the entire circuit again from the top for three to four total rounds.
1. Deadbug
How to: Start lying back with arms extended over chest, legs raised and bent at 90 degrees (knees above hips and shins parallel to floor). Keep low back pressed to the floor, brace core, then slowly and simultaneously extend and lower left leg and right arm to hover just above mat. Pause, then return to start and repeat on the opposite side. That’s one rep. Continue for 45 seconds, then rest for 15 seconds and move onto your next exercise. After you’ve completed all five or six exercises, rest for 30 to 60 seconds and repeat for three to four rounds total.
Pro tip:Only extend arms and legs as far as you can without arching lower back.