Lower abs can be a difficult area to isolate and tone. Truthfully, you can’t actually isolate the lower or upper abdominals (the abs are actually just one panel), as the entire core works together to complete any movements involving your midsection. With that said, you can focus on a range of motion that targets the lower portion more than the upper portion; there are some exercises that are much more effective than others.

Our 15 minute workout video has eight of the best exercises for lower abs, and you will do the entire thing twice through. Many of these are very advanced exercises that require a great deal of baseline core strength – if you need to, search Fitness Blender’s library of free full length workout videos in order to find an abdominal routine that is more suitable for your abilities.

In order to do this routine, you’re going to need a physioball and a suspension trainer system (or a roman chair, or straps).

Exercises in this routine:
Reverse Crunches
Hanging Windmill Crunches
Toe Touch Sit Ups
Physioball Crunches
Hanging Knee Tucks
Jackknife Sit Ups
Physioball Hyperextension Crunches
Knee Tuck Sit Ups

Calories burned in this Lower Ab Workout:
Because this is a challenging, relatively high intensity workout (particularly for a core routine), it burns more calories than most abdominal training plans. We estimate that an individual who does this workout video as instructed will burn between 105 and 150 calories doing this routine. This number depends, of course, on variables such as weight, muscle mass, gender, and more.

If you are trying to tone up this trouble zone with just exercises that target the area, keep in mind that it is impossible to spot reduce fat; cardio, total body strength, and diet are key.

As you’ve probably heard 100 times before, “abs are made in the kitchen”. You’ve heard it 100 times because it’s accurate; it is really hard to get a flat, defined stomach without eating clean and within a calorie range that is not excess.

If you have a body fat percentage that is too high, you are going to need to lower your amount of body fat before you can see those ab muscles start to show. Resistance training is key in lowering the amount of fat that you have on your body, and also in building lean muscle mass. Lean muscle mass has a benefit that is twofold; aside from having more aesthetic appeal, it also burns a higher amount of calories (even at rest) than that fat tissue does.

Along with a healthy diet and resistance training, cardio is also essential to losing the fat that rests on top of your lower abdominals. Moderate intensity cardio is better than no cardio at all, but the best abdominal fat burner is going to be interval training. High intensity interval training in particular has been in the spotlight recently for being able to stoke up the body’s metabolism, even once your workout session is over.