3 Tips to Make Your Lower Abs POP ( + 5 Awesome Exercises!)

Abs. Everyone wants 'em, but it isn't easy to get 'em. Especially when it comes to lower abs.

Why?

Hormonally, this is where both men AND women tend to store their fat. The fat is really stubborn to lose in this particular area and you've got to work really hard to get your fat percentage (all over) down.

Then, when you lose the fat, that is only half the story. The second part to making your abs POP, is building the muscle. I have just finished phase one as I am one year postpartum (below). I am now beginning to work on growing these abdominal muscles to make them SHOW.

Basically, you've got to burn that layer of fat that is covering your hidden six-pack and there are only 3 ways to do so:

1. Eat clean. Eating a clean diet is super important here. When you fuel your body with the right foods, amazing things begin to happen: you jiggle a little bit less, the number on the scale might budge, and your clothes may begin to fit just a little bit better. Aim for lean proteins, healthy fats, complex carbs, fruits, and veggies. Boost your metabolism by eating 5-6 meals a day so that you are eating something somewhat often to prevent your body from slowing itself down because it thinks it could be a while before your next meal. If you are hungry before bedtime-that's fine. Eat a lean protein snack. Keep smart snacks stocked in your fridge or pantry such as protein powder, cottage cheese, fruit, and nut butters.
2. Hiit it. Hiit will take your metabolism from below zero to rocketing sky high in a short time period-and it will boost your fatloss even quicker than you can say "bye, bye fat!" Ok, not THAT quick, but quicker than any other type of exercise out there. You want to add HIIT to your daily workout routine to burn that fatty layer that we discussed earlier that's been hiding those abs. Try one of our regular hiit workouts that we post daily to get your heart pumping!
3. Strength train your whole core-not just targeting the lower abs. In addition to HIIT, you NEED strength training. Without it, you might only obtain flat abs with not much definition. If you really want to make those muscles POP, build and grow those muscles.

Here are 5 great moves to train your core while still focusing on those lower abdominal muscles:

Reverse Crunches  

1. Lie down on the floor with your legs fully extended and arms to the side of your torso with the palms on the floor.
2. Move your legs up so that your thighs are perpendicular to the floor and feet are together and parallel to the floor.
3. Move your legs towards the torso as you roll your pelvis backwards and you raise your hips off the floor.
4. Hold the contraction for a second and move your legs back to the starting position while exhaling.
5. Repeat.

1. Hang from a chin-up bar with both arms extended at arms length in top of you using either a wide grip or a medium grip. The legs should be straight down with the pelvis rolled slightly backwards. This will be your starting position.
2. Raise your legs until the torso makes a 90-degree angle with the legs. Exhale as you perform this movement and hold the contraction for a second or so.
3. Go back slowly to the starting position and repeat.

1. Start seated with your knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Lean back just far enough so your feet can float off the ground.
2. Begin to straighten your legs together so that your body forms a V shape, keeping your arms extended and parallel to the ground.
3. Balance on your tailbone and sit bones, chest lifted, and gaze

1.  Lie flat on the ground with a stability ball in between your ankles.
2. While crunching your upper abs and bracing the center of your abs, slowly squeeze the ball with your ankles.
3. Raise the ball upwards towards the ceiling.
4. Return to start. This is one rep.

1. Stand on the chair and grip handholds to stabilize your upper body.
2. Press your back against the pad and keep the shoulders relaxed.
3. Bend the knees and contract the abs to lift the knees to hip level.
4. Try not to arch the back or swing the legs up.
5. Slowly lower back down and repeat