Lower Ab Workout: 19 Key Exercises for Your Core

Peruse any fitness mag or website, and you’ll see lots of six packs. Not the kind you find in your fridge — the chiseled ab type.

No matter how many crunches and planks some of us do, that six pack remains hidden in the back of the fridge (which means behind a layer of fat). If that’s your goal and it’s not happening, it may be due to the way you’re training.

“In order to lose weight and show muscle definition, you need to train the whole body,” says Amanda Butler, a certified trainer based in NYC. “[You need] to expend calories — and pair that with a well-balanced diet.”

“It is important to train the core because that is your center for balance,” Butler says. “Plus, a strong core can help reduce back pain.”

To eliminate the guesswork in hitting those specific muscles, we asked Butler to share the most effective lower ab exercises. Just don’t blame us if it hurts to laugh the day after this routine.