Looking to tone your lower stomach? Try this core muscle workout
This ab workout will help you target lower belly fat and increase definition in the core
Lower belly fat can feel like a very stubborn area of the body to work out. If you have tried countless crunches and long minutes of your day planking and aren't getting the results it might be time to change things up a bit.
No matter what your favored form of workout is, whether that is resistance training with a best kettlebell or getting stuck into some cardio it is always a good idea to include a variety of exercises in your training. So you might like to use these best workouts for abs in your next core burning session.
And if you are keen to specifically work on your lower stomach area right now then finding out the exercises that target this specific area is a step in the right direction.
Thankfully Kayla Itsines, personal trainer and co-founder of the female fitness training app Sweat, has shared an ab workout designed especially for targeting your lower stomach.
The workout requires no equipment at all but you will want to make sure your back and bum area has some padding under it (a best yoga mat will do) since you will complete all exercises for this workout on the floor.
Watch Itsines perform the six-move core strengthening workout below.
WATCH KAYLA ITSINES'S 6-MOVE LOWER STOMACH WORKOUT
A post shared by KAYLA ITSINES (@kayla_itsines)
A photo posted by on
All exercises rely on you engaging your core to ensure you are effectively hitting the lower end of your stomach as you complete each move.
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One Instagram user asked in the comments how many times you should repeat the routine to which Itsines replied saying 3-5. This was followed by a flames emoji which is a friendly warning that this workout will cause your core to burn.
Lower ab workout exercises
- Straight Leg Raise - 15 reps
- Flutters - 30 reps
- X Moutain Climber - 20 reps
- Hip Lift - 15 reps
- Bent Leg Raise - 20 reps
- Scissors - 30 reps
Although this workout is designed especially for the lower stomach area it is there for building essential strength in your core and won't naturally blast away fat that you may have there.
Everybody's bodies are different and Itsines highlighted this in the caption for this post. She said that women frequently ask her how to target their lower stomachs. Itsines wrote, "It's really important to realise that as women, our hormones can cause fluctuation around our lower stomach... and that's absolutely not something to be negative about. It's such a common thing for women to be conscious of."
She finished, "And I just want to normalise that having a FLAT stomach 24/7 of the time, or ever for that matter is NOT realistic for everyone."
Religiously completing ab workouts won't build a wash-board stomach and eight pack for everyone. But core strengthening workouts like the one above will increase definition in the lower stomach area.
And if you want to put your stomach muscles to the test, pick up a best ab roller to finish off your next ab burning session.
Jessica is an experienced fitness writer with a passion for running. Her career in journalism began in local news and she holds a Masters in journalism. Jessica has previously written for Runners World, penning news and features on fitness, sportswear and nutrition.
When she isn't writing up news and features for Fit&Well covering topics ranging from muscle building, to yoga, to female health and so on, she will be outdoors somewhere, testing out the latest fitness equipment and accessories to help others find top products for their own fitness journeys. Her testing pairs up nicely with her love for running. She recently branched out to running 10Ks and is trying to improve her time before moving on to larger races. Jessica also enjoys building on her strength in the gym and is a believer in health and wellness beginning in the kitchen. She shares all of this on her running Instagram account @jessrunshere which she uses for accountability and for connecting with like-minded fitness lovers.
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