18 Best Lower Abs Exercises (With Workout Routines)

Forget endless crunches that do nothing for your lower abs. Imagine getting that coveted V-cut physique you’ve always wanted.

I have long struggled to show off my lower abs. But after researching and trying, I finally found a way. Here it is.

This is not simply another list of lower ab exercises. I have compiled 18 of the most effective and scientifically backed lower ab exercises that actually deliver results.

Along with lower abs, these exercises help you build strong core muscles, including abs, obliques, glutes, and legs. They also help boost metabolism, which helps you lose weight faster and get shredded abs.

A study found that a strong core can help improve posture, prevent injury, and reduce back pain.

Let’s Dive In!

How Do You Work On Your Lower Abs?

First of all, there is no such thing as upper and lower abs. Additionally, we cannot say how many packs are in the upper or lower part of the abs. The concepts of ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ abs are popular in the fitness world.

To keep things simple, the bottom portion of the rectus abdominis is called the lower abs.

It’s important to remember that there’s no real isolation exercise for the lower abs, and other core muscles engage during this,

Even though some exercises hit the lower abs more than others.

The main jobs of the rectus abdominal are flexion of the torso, which means forward bending (bringing your chest toward your hips), and flexion of the hips, which essentially means bringing your pelvic bone/hips upward. They also contribute during trunk movements, including extension, lateral flexion, and rotation.

So, to target your lower abs, think of movements that bring your thighs closer to your core.

Now that we understand, we must focus on targeting hip flexion and bringing the thighs closer to the core to work the lower abs.

What kinds of exercises would this include? 

• Bicycles,
• Reverse crunches,
• Mountain climber,
• Hanging leg raises are all the best exercises for activating the lower abs area.

18 Best Lower Abs Exercises

Here are 18 excellent lower abs exercises and workouts to build an impressive six-pack.

Luckily, many exercises, such as leg raises, reverse crunches, planks, and V-ups, can be tried at home without special gym equipment.

1. Lying Straight Leg Raise

Lying leg raises are touted as killer lower abs exercises, but they primarily activate the hip flexor muscles (iliopsoas and rectus femoris) more than the abdominal muscles.

But don’t worry; I have a few tweaks to make this exercise more effective for lower abs. Before lifting a leg, tilt your pelvis back like you’re tucking your tailbone under.

It can also help alleviate low back pain since it improves your core’s overall strength and stabilization.

You need no special equipment to do it, just some space where you can lie on your back freely. Add a small cuff weight to your leg to make the straight leg raise more challenging.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie down on the floor/bench and your hands at your sides to stabilize your torso.
2. Keep your lower back pressed against the bench or mat.
3. Raise your legs up toward the ceiling until they are just short of perpendicular to the floor.
4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position.
5. Make sure not to arch your back at any point in the move.

Know More: Most Effective Abs & Oblique Cable Exercises & Workout

2. Incline Hip lift

Hip lift moves are very similar to sit-ups, but in this case, the abdominal muscles lift the lower body and pull it forward to the upper body, not the opposite.

If you have an adjustable sit-up bench, change the bench angle to make the exercise harder or easier. The greater the incline, the greater the difficulty of this exercise.

Beginners should start on a low incline or the floor until they get used to the movement and gain strength.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back on an inclined bench with your legs together.
2. Place your hands beside your head and grip the bench for support.
3. Keep your legs slightly bent and slowly raise your legs and curl your hips off the bench by flexing your hips.
4. Try to hold the contracted position with your legs raised.
5. Inhale as you slowly lower your hips and legs to the starting position. Do not let your heels rest on the floor.

3. Reverse Crunch

The reverse crunch is the best core exercise that primarily hits your lower abs.

During it, your upper body remains on the mat as you contract your abs to draw your legs towards your chest.

It offers many of the same benefits as the traditional crunch. Since your neck and most of your back are on the ground, it is thought to be easier on your lower back.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie face up on the floor with your hands extended at your sides.
2. Bend your knees so your hips and knees form 90-degree angles.
3. Slowly bring your knees toward your chest and slowly lift your hips and glutes off the floor.
4. Slowly lower your legs back to the starting position under control motion.
5. To make this exercise more difficult, perform it on a decline bench with your head on the high end.

4. Incline Reverse Crunch

The incline reverse crunch is similar to the traditional reverse crunch except that it is performed on an incline bench.

Since you are working against gravity, it puts more tension on the lower abs and is more difficult than the standard version. To further increase the challenge, use a more inclined position.

Level: Intermediate and Advance

How To Do It

1. Lie on an incline bench, with your head where your feet normally go.
2. Hold on to the leg pads to hold your torso on the bench.
3. Maintain the bend in your knees and hips, and flex your spine from the bottom to lift your hips up off the bench and curl your knees toward your chest.
4. Slowly reverse the motion to return your legs to the start position.
5. Keep the movement slow and controlled.

5. Hanging Knee Raise

Hanging knee raises or hanging knee ups is a compound exercise that strengthens your core by targeting the lower abs, lower back, and hip flexors. Raise your knees as high as possible to maximize muscular effort.

To make it more difficult, straighten your legs (hanging straight leg raise), or hold a dumbbell between your feet.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Grab a bar with an overhead grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width. Your knees should be slightly bent.’
2. Keep your core and glutes tight to keep your back and hips in the correct position.
3. Now, raise your legs by bending your knees on the way up to pull your knees towards your chest while flexing your hip.
4. Take a brief pause in this position, then slowly lower your legs back down to the start position without swinging. Inhale as you go down. 
5. Keep your knees slightly bent as you lower your legs down to maintain tension on the abs.

6. Hanging Straight Leg Raise

A hanging leg raise is an exercise that primarily works the lower abs and hip flexors, and is a great addition to any fitness routine for overall core strength, spine health, and mobility.

In fact, studies have shown that hanging leg raises created the highest challenge to the abdominal wall (>130% MVC (Maximal isometric voluntary contraction) in rectus abdominis, 88% MVC in external oblique).

If you’re a beginner, do the bent knee variation and gradually straighten your legs.

Level: Intermediate and advance

How To Do It

1. Grab a bar with an overhead grip, with the hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Keep your core and glutes tight to keep your back and hips in the correct position.
3. Keep your legs straight, and lift both legs toward your chest using your hips and ab muscles. Exhale as you lift your legs up.
4. Slowly lower your legs back down to the start position without swinging, inhaling as you go down. 

7. V-Up

The V-Up, also known as a jackknife, is a full-body move that works your core, legs, back, and shoulders. The exercise simultaneously works the upper and lower abs muscles.

A V-Up involves sitting on the floor or a mat and positioning the body in the shape of the letter “V.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie down on the floor on your back, arms extended straight back behind your head. Your legs should also be extended.
2. Exhale and bend at your waist while raising your legs and arms to meet in a jackknife movement. Try to hold the contracted position.
3. Lower your arms and legs back to the starting position, inhaling as you do so.
4. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

8. Stability Ball Tuck

Stability Ball Tuck is a core stabilizing exercise that improves balance, strength, and flexibility throughout the hip and abdominal region.

It also targets the stabilizing muscles of the Oblique, hamstring, chest and shoulders.

The exercise requires you to maintain a high plank position while using your legs to roll a stability ball back and forth to your torso.

Level: Intermediate and advance

How To Do It

1. Lie on the floor in a push-up position with your feet resting on an exercise ball.
2. Keep your neck neutral. And do not allow your hips to sag.
3. Tuck your knees in toward your chest while rolling the ball forward.
4. Hold the tucked position briefly, then return to the starting position by extending your legs.

9. Mountain Climber

Mountain climbing is an explosive bodyweight exercise that engages multiple muscle groups simultaneously, helping to improve balance, agility, coordination, strength, flexibility, and blood circulation.

It’s like exercising all of your muscles with one move.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Start in the push-up position with your arms straight and directly beneath your shoulders.
2. Your body should form a straight line from your shoulders to your ankles.
3. Squeeze your abs, lift one foot off the floor and bring your knee up towards your chest while keeping your body in as straight of a line as possible.
4. Return to the starting position and repeat the movement with your opposite leg.

10. Hanging Windshield Wiper

The hanging windshield wiper gets its name from the posture adopted, which resembles the window wipers of a car, as you perform each rep.

The goal is to rotate the torso from one side to the other while maintaining a horizontal position. Doing the windshield wiper movement helps build lower abs and oblique.

Level: Intermediate and advanced

How To Do It

1. Grab a bar with an overhead grip, with the hands slightly wider than shoulder-width.
2. Lift your legs towards the bar. Keep your arms and legs straight. Your legs are perpendicular to your torso.
3. Now, rotate your legs to one side.
4. Slowly rotate your legs to the other side.
5. Keep your legs as straight as possible.
6. You can make the move easier by bending your knees.

Know More: Best Abs Workout That You Can Do at Gym

11. Seated Knee Up

If you want to build six-pack abs or increase your core strength, seated knee tucks are for you.

For most effective execution, keep the trunk stable and bring the knees as close to the chest as possible.

Add a small weight or medicine ball between your knees to increase the challenge and intensify the contraction.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Grab the bench behind you as you sit on the edge, legs hanging down and knees slightly bent.
2. Lean back slightly so your torso makes a 45- to 60-degree angle with the bench.
3. Keep your knees together as you raise them toward your chest.
4. Hold the top position for a second for maximum contraction.
5. Lower your legs back down until your heels almost touch the floor.

12. Barbell Rollout

The barbell rollout is one of the best exercises for training lower abs with a barbell instead of an ab roller.

It is best performed with a barbell with rotating collars and is considered more difficult than other ab roller variations.

Many lifters may not be able to perform a single rep at first, but once they can perform these for reps, they’ll be rewarded with a seriously strong core.

Level: Intermediate and Advance

How To Do It

1. Kneel on the floor in front of a loaded barbell and grab the barbell with an overhand, shoulder-width group.
2. Your arms should be straight and your torso fairly upright in the start position.
3. Allow the bar to roll forward as far as possible until your torso and upper legs are parallel to the floor, and hover just a couple of inches above it.
4. Then reverse the motion to pull the bar back toward your knees until your body is upright again.
5. Move within a comfortable range of motion. You should not strain your lower back.

13. Bicycle Crunch

 The bicycle crunch is a great abs exercise to add to your home workout.

• To make the exercise easier, you can make the angle between your legs smaller.
• To make the exercise harder, you can make the angle between your legs bigger.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back with your legs straight.
2. Keep your neck straight and your back pressed against the floor.
3. Put your hands behind your head and raise your feet and upper back off the floor.
4. Slowly start raising your knees at about a 45-degree angle.
5. Go through a bicycle pedaling motion with your legs, as you touch your elbow to the opposite knee, twisting it back and forth,

14. Dead Bug

The dead bug exercise is popular for building core strength and stabilization.

This move also helps prevent and relieve low back pain by strengthening the lower back and abs.

Level: Beginner

How To Do It

1. Lie down with your face towards the ceiling and your arms and legs extended.
2. Slowly extend your right leg out straight, and simultaneously drop your left arm overhead.
3. Keep both a few inches from the ground.
4. Squeeze your butt and keep your core engaged the entire time, lower back pressed into the floor.
5. Bring your arm and leg back to the starting position.
6. Repeat on the other side, extending your left leg and your right arm.

15. Flutter kick

Flutter kicks target the lower abdominal wall plus the hip flexors.

This simple yet effective workout can be completed in just a few minutes, but provides lasting benefits for core strength and stability. 

Although the traditional flutter kick can be done without equipment, you may want to enhance the exercise by wearing ankle weights.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie down on your back with your arms by your sides.
2. Raise your legs so that your feet are about 6 inches from the floor.
3. Lower your right leg a few inches while lifting your left one a few inches.
4. Slowly reverse course, lifting your right leg a few inches and lowering your left leg a few inches.
5. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

16. Scissor Kicks

It is great for targeting both the lower abs and the obliques. The criss-cross motion will also give you a good stretch in your hip flexors and hamstrings.

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie down (or lean) with your hands on the floor
2. Use your abs to lift your legs slightly off the floor and then scissor kick one leg up and one leg down.
3. Alternate your legs for 30 seconds.
4. Repeat for 30-60 seconds.

17. Dragon Fly

The Dragonfly is an advanced core exercise that effectively targets the lower abs, among other muscle groups.

However, it requires significant core strength and stability, so it’s important to master foundational exercises like leg raises and knee tucks before attempting it

Level: Intermediate and Advanced

How To Do It

1. Lie on your back with your head near the edge.
2. Grip the bench firmly with your hands on either side of your head.
3. Activate your entire torso as you lift your hips and shift your weight to your shoulders.
4. Drive your legs up, similar to the movement you’d use to do a reverse crunch, until they’re almost vertical.
5. Keep your core tight and body straight, and try not to bend at your hips.
6. Slowly lower your legs to create a straight line from shoulders to hips and toes.

18. Hollow Hold

A hollow body hold is an isometric exercise where you hold the trunk flex in a static position. 

Aside from being a highly effective exercise, this move requires very little space and no equipment. 

Level: Beginner and Intermediate

How To Do It

1. Lie down on your back and stretch your arms above your head so that your biceps are next to your ears.
2. Lift your feet, legs, shoulders, and arms off the floor and press your lower back into the ground.
3. The only place you should touch the floor is your lumbar spine.
4. Hold the pose for a few seconds.

FAQs

What exercise is best for lower abs?

Here are the best exercises for lower abs to build impressive six-pack abs and a stronger core.

• Lying Straight Leg Raise
• Hip Lift
• Reverse Crunch
• Hanging Knee Raise
• V-Up
• Stability Ball Tuck
• Mountain Climber
• Seated Knee Up
• Bicycle Crunch
• Dead Bug

How do I get my lower abs to show?

Healthy eating is the best way to lose fat around the lower belly. Cardio and strength training can speed up the fat-burning process, helping you reveal your lower abs faster.

Are lower abs harder to get?

Yes, lower abs are more difficult to achieve than upper abs. This is because the upper abs are the first area of the abdomen to reveal themselves when you enter into a calorie deficit, so they will show up before the lower abs.

How do I target my lower 2 abs?

Here are the best exercises for targeting the lower two abs sections, building impressive six-pack abs and a stronger core.

• Hip Lift
• Scissor kick
• Flutter kicks
• Slider knee tuck
• Reverse Crunch
• Hanging Leg Raise

Can I do lower abs exercises everyday?

No, you shouldn’t train your lower abs every day. Your abs need rest, and training them daily won’t give them enough recovery time.

Most beginners will notice an improvement in their abdominal muscles after training them directly two to three days per week. Since many strength movements involve the core and abdominal muscles.

Conclusion

For anyone who is interested in building abdominal muscles and gaining strength, these lower abs exercises are highly recommended.

It not only allows for targeted lower abs muscle development, but also provides overall abs muscle development. It is easy to do and requires no more scientific details.

You should start to see improvements in the strength and appearance of your lower abs if you continue to practice these exercises.

Thanks for reading, enjoy your workout!

Stay Fit, Life a Happy and Healthy Life

References

• Abdominal fat and what to do about it. (2019). health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/abdominal-fat-and-what-to-do-about-it
• Butler A. (2019). Personal interview.
• Hsu SL, et al. (2018). Effects of core strength training on core stability. jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpts/30/8/30_jpts-2018-146/_article
• Core exercise workout: 12 tips for exercising safely and effectively. (2016). health.harvard.edu/staying-healthy/core-exercise-workout-12-tips-for-exercising-safely-and-effectively
• Grgic J, et al. (2018). Effect of resistance training frequency on gains in muscular strength: A systematic review and meta-analysis. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29470825/

Manish Kumar

Manish is a NASM-certified fitness and nutrition coach with over 10 years of experience in weight lifting and fat loss fitness coaching. He specializes in gym-based training and has a lot of knowledge about exercise, lifting technique, biomechanics, and more.

Through “Fit Life Regime,” he generously shares the insights he’s gained over a decade in the field. His goal is to equip others with the knowledge to start their own fitness journey.