Traditional core exercises, like crunches or bicycle, are great for sculpting your upper abdominals and obliques. But they barely touch those pesky lower abs, making toning this trouble spot quite a challenge for most of us.
If you want to really flatten and sculpt your belly, you have to make sure you’re hitting every last inch of those hidden muscles. We asked fitness expert and certified personal trainer Kira Stokes (who has a six-pack most can only dream of) to show us some of her favorite moves for chiseling the lower abs.
The key? Put your legs and your brain into it. “Anytime you move your legs, you’re working your lower abdomen,” Stokes says, since they’re connected to the hip flexors. Unfortunately, most of us feel these exercises mainly in the hip flexor, which can take away from working the abs, not to mention be pretty uncomfortable. “The low abdomen takes so much mental focus,” she says. Putting your brain into the muscle group is key, by constantly focusing on your lower abs and making sure you feel them engaged in every move.
Before you go any further, you’ll want to make sure you’ve got a classic plank position down pat, since many of these moves are based off it. To plank perfectly, Stokes instructs: prop yourself up on your feet and forearms, shoulders rolling down your back, squeezing the butt cheeks, drawing the navel in strongly. Be careful not to arch your back—your whole torso should stay in a straight line. Got it? Time to whip your tummy into bikini-body shape.
Plank Row
Get into a plank position with a glider under each foot. If you don’t have gliders, you can use paper plates or towels, Stokes says. Hold the plank, press down on the gliders, and slide legs out behind you, maintaining the plank position. Your arms will extend as you slide your body back. Then, pull your body back into the starting position. Keep a straight plank pose the entire time. Make sure you’re pushing and pulling as far as you can, getting as much range as possible. Do 10-15 forward and backs (counting forward and back as one) or for 30 seconds.
“Think of cleaning the floor and wanting to get it done as fast as possible,” Stokes says. The key is to really press down on the gliders to create friction between the glider and the floor—that’s what really gets your core engaged. If you just let them fly, you’ll only be working your hip flexors. This move works your entire rectus abdominus, Stokes notes, so you’re getting both a stretch and building strength, which is rare for core workouts.
Bear
Get into an extended arm plank, propped up on your hands with hands directly beneath your shoulders, feet hip-width apart. Press down on the gliders and slowly pull the knees in so they come about 4 inches in front of your hips. Then, push back to starting plank position, keeping the core tight the entire time, drawing the navel in. Do for 30-45 seconds, or 10-15 reps. You should be moving very slowly to get the most out of each move, Stokes says.
