Those who put in their core work know it is difficult to target the lower abs. These muscles, the rectus abdominus, connect at your pelvis and span your entire midsection. Excess belly fat can accumulate here, leading people to think they can get flat, washboard abs if they specifically target this area. Smart RunningBySix readers know that this isn’t true; you lose fat by maintaining a calorie deficit. That being said, it is still an important muscle to target for overall core strength.
Thank you to Shape magazine for the exercises and images!
1. Static Tabletop Hold
Fans of Olivia Amato’s Peloton core classes will recognise this move. Lie on your back with your knees at a 90 degree angle. Place your hands on your thighs and push your hands into your thighs and your thighs back into your hands. Focus on applying pressure with your hands and engaging your abs on your exhales.
2. Single-Leg Stretch with Resistance
My Pilates fans, this one’s for you. Like the static tabletop hold, the challenge in this exercise comes from the resistance you provide with your hands. Lie on your back and pull both knees to your chest. Raise your head, neck, and shoulders off the ground. Extend one leg, place your hands on the near thigh, and apply pressure. Hold for a few seconds, then switch legs.
3. Door Hinge
This exercise is like a combination of a v-up and a sprinter sit-up. Sit on a mat with your knees bent and lie back on your forearms. Keep the 90-degree angle bend in your knees and slowly lower them from perpendicular to about 45 degrees. Bring the knees back up to perpendicular. That’s one rep.
To make it harder, you can trace a U-shape with your toes rather than going straight up and down. You can also extend your legs to make a longer lever.
4. Hover L-Sit
Throw on your slipperiest socks and set up on your favorite wood floor for this one (or grab a slider). Sit with your legs extended in front of you, arms at your side. Placing your palms on the ground, press yourself up so you’re bottom is hovering. Using your abs, draw your heels in without bending your knees. Exhale as you bring your legs back out in front of you. That’s one rep.
5. Criss-Cross Reverse Crunch
Sounds complicated but I promise you’ll get the hang of it faster than you can say six-pack. Lie on your back with your hands at your sides. Raise your legs up so they are perpendicular to the ground, crossing one ankle over the other. Bring your legs over your head to about a 45 degree angle (think of trying to point your soles to where the wall meets the ceiling). Lifting your hips and back, try to “stamp” your soles into that space where the wall meets the ceiling. Bring your hips down and legs back to starting position.
6. Inchworm Elbow Plank
Beware, you might look a little silly doing this one. Start in a forearm plank. Begin walking your feet towards your hands until you are in a pike position. Slowly inch your feet back out until you are back in the plank. That’s one rep.
7. Slow-mo Mountain Climber Twist
Start in a high plank (on your hands rather than forearms). Start by bringing one knee towards your chest and then across your body, almost like you are trying to touch your knee to the opposite hip. Bring your leg back into a plank position. Repeat on the other side.
8. Frog Press
All frogs, no princes. Lie on your back with your head and neck raised off the ground and arms stretched out alongside your body. Bring your legs close to your chest, feet together, and knees apart. As you exhale, straighten your legs so they are about 45 degrees off the ground. Inhale and bring your legs back into the frog position.
I didn’t include rep numbers so you can build your own workout. Core work is so important to building overall strength, improving mobility, and preventing injury. So crunch to it!
Running By Six 