What are the best ways to sculpt the lower abdominal muscles? Our guide gives you the 6 top moves to create a taut lower abdomen, and 7 things to avoid.
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Flat and taut: this is how we wish our belly to be. It doesn’t have to be a six pack, but that stubborn little layer of bacon coating the transverse abdominal muscle should finally disappear! This is best done with targeted exercises for the lower abdominal muscles.
For the ‘lifebuoy’ to disappear, the first thing we need to do is strengthen the abdominal muscles. Specifically, this means: sculpt the lower abdominal muscles. The good news is that the targeted exercises for the lower abdomen also train the upper abs!
In order to melt the love handles, in addition to the abdominal or lower abdomen training, we should also regularly practice endurance sports. And of course, nutrition also plays a role: less fast food and sweets; but more low-calorie foods such as fruits and vegetables support the flat stomach mission.
Tip: Regardless of whether you want to lose weight, build muscle or eat a healthy diet: With goFit with gofeminin you can create your own individual nutrition plan * for every goal .
6 exercises to sculpt the lower abdominal muscles
Are you ready? Then discover 6 simple but effective exercises for the lower abs! All you need is a comfortable exercise mat. By the way: If you are really motivated, you will find even more abdominal exercises in our complete special about abdominal muscle training !
1. Leg slider
This is how it works:
lay on your back, tightly tighten your stomach. Extend your legs straight up, the soles of your feet facing the ceiling. Now slowly push your hips upwards using the strength of your abdominal muscles.
3 sets of 15 repetitions
Variant: It gets a little harder when the head and shoulders are raised a few centimeters during the exercise.
2. Forward push
This is how it works:
lay on your back, put your feet at a distance from your bottom Tighten your belly. Now slowly detach your upper body a few centimeters from the floor with your arms straight out. Cross your arms quickly three times at the highest point. Then lower your upper body again, but do not lay it completely on the floor.
3 sets with 15 repetitions
Variant: It gets harder when you take a barbell in each hand.
3. Plank / board position
This is how it works:
Get into the push-up position, the legs are about hip-wide open, the forearms are supported, the elbows are under the shoulders. Tighten your belly. Make sure that the body stays straight and the butt does not slide up. Hold this position for 20 seconds.
3 sets of 20 seconds each.
Variant: If you want something heavier, you can alternately lift one leg.
4. Holding exercise
Here’s how it works:
Sit upright, bend your upper body slightly with your arms outstretched. Release your legs at an angle from the floor so that your calves are parallel to the floor. Push the legs forward a little and hold this position for 15 seconds. The lower the upper body is bent, the more strenuous the exercise becomes.
3 sets of 15 seconds each
: The exercise can also be done with your legs straight.
5. Sit-ups
This is how it works:
Lay on your back, your feet are set up a little distance from your bottom. Place your hands lightly on the back of your head. Tighten your belly and slowly lift your upper body a few centimeters off the floor. Hold for a moment at the highest point, then lower your upper body again, but do not lay down on the floor.
3 sets of 20 repetitions
Variant: If you like, box with your arms forward or take a barbell between your hands. This makes the exercise difficult.
6. Folding knife
This is how it works:
Sit up straight, tightly tighten your stomach and bend your upper body backwards with your arms straight. Raise your legs straight and now bring your upper body and legs back and forth to each other.
3 sets of 10 repetitions
Variant: If you like, take a barbell in each hand, which makes the exercise more difficult.
Important note at the end: An active lifestyle with a balanced diet and lots of exercise is still the best way to stay fit and to achieve or maintain a healthy weight.
Mistakes to avoid when doing abdominal exercises
1. Doing exercises incorrectly
So that the abdominal muscles are optimally trained and you do not suffer any postural damage or injuries, you should always make sure to do the exercises correctly. The best thing to do is to have a trainer show you and ask him to watch you perform.
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What is often done wrong: The head is raised too much during crunches and sit-ups used to sculpt the lower abdominal muscles. It should actually line up with your back. And: Always tense your stomach and make sure that you do the exercise with the strength of the abdominal muscles and not with momentum.
2. High repetition rate
The more repetitions, the better? Unfortunately, this is not true. Your abs need a bit of work. A short, intensive workout is often better than a long repetition.
3. Forget breaks
Muscles do not develop during training, but afterwards. It is therefore important that you give your abdominal muscles time to regenerate and grow. Always take a day or two off between abdominal training. On these days you can do something for legs and buttocks.
4. Always the same training
You don’t need a large repertoire of exercises, but you should alternate your workout from time to time and try out new exercises. But what is even more important: step up. Do more repetitions or difficult exercises with weights.
5. Neglect oblique abdominal muscles
The stomach does not only consist of straight, but also of oblique muscles. However, they are often forgotten. So that this no longer happens to you, you should, for example, modify the crunch and perform it diagonally or train the side support.
6. Forget your back muscles
A lot of people make this mistake when training their abdominal muscles: They do exercises for the stomach like crazy and do not strengthen the lower back at the same time. To avoid postural damage, you should definitely train them. Just like arms, legs and buttocks – it is always better to train the body as a whole and not just individual problem areas.
7. Only strength, no endurance
Strength training is great for building muscle. But in order for the muscles to appear, you also have to get rid of the fat. This works best with endurance training. It really works up a sweat three times a week and really powers up when you go jogging, zumba or spinning.
