10 Lower Ab Exercises for a Stronger Core

It’s important to maintain a strong core, as it strengthens your lower back, improves your posture, and helps stabilize your entire body. Nearly all body movements originate from the core, so strengthening these muscles will increase your range of motion, as well as protect you from injury while performing everyday tasks. 

Of course, some people long for flat, washboard abs for aesthetic reasons, but find it difficult to reach their six-pack goals. Standard crunches alone aren’t enough to achieve total definition, so it’s crucial to mix up your routine.

The lower abdominal area, commonly called the “lower-abs,” is an area that some people try to target with exercise. But the “lower abs” are not a muscle group, so you can’t necessarily isolate this area during a workout. The lower abdominal area is really just the lower end of the rectus abdominis, a muscular sheath that runs from the bottom of the rib cage to the pubic symphysis. When you work the rectus abdominis, you work the entire muscle, not just the lower end or the upper end.

But you can still challenge yourself by working the rectus abdominis (and the other three abdominal muscles: the internal and external obliques and the deep transverse abdominis) in different ways. This can include exercises that involve the legs and hip flexors. When you do these exercises, you might feel the lower part of the abdominal area become more active.

Get started with these 10 exercises that target the area while strengthening your entire core.