The best exercise for your lower abs revealed...
Some fitness experts will tell you there are distinct "upper
and lower" abdominals, which need to be exercised differently.
Others say that rectus abdominis (the six-pack look is the result
of bands of connective tissue that "cut" into rectus abdominis)
is just one muscle, and doing separate exercises for the upper and
lower abs is a waste of time.
So, who's right?
Some studies do appear to show that certain exercises are more
effective for the lower abs than others.
Scientists from the University of Nebraska Medical Center, for
example, used electromyography (known simply as EMG) to measure
abdominal muscle activity during various exercises, including the
trunk
curl, reverse
curl, v-sit,
and twist
curl (these animated demonstrations aren't exactly the
same as the exercises used in the study, but they're close enough)
[2].
• Of the exercises tested, the reverse curl led to the greatest
amount of activity in the lower abdominals.
• The trunk curl, reverse curl, twist curl, and v-sit all
resulted in similar amounts of upper abdominal activity.
This study suggests that you can put greater emphasis on
the upper or lower abdominals depending on the exercise you do.
But it certainly doesn't show that you can work the lower and upper
rectus abdominis separately.
More interesting still, Professor Stuart McGill, an expert in spine
function at the University of Waterloo in Canada, points out that
a distinct upper and lower rectus abdominis does not exist in most
people [1].
"There’s a muscle
called pyramidalius, which is a lower muscle that overlays the
bottom beads of rectus, but only in some people - it's an optional
muscle," says McGill.
In other words, those using EMG who claim there is an upper and
lower rectus abdominis might simply be monitoring pyramidalius.
Personally, I don't think it's necessary to make any special attempt
to "isolate" the lower abs.
I usually train my abs twice a week, using a variety of different
exercises. In one workout, for example, I might do cable woodchops,
hanging leg raises and standing cable crunches. In the next workout,
I'll use a few different exercises, such as barbell rollouts or
swiss ball reverse curls.
I also believe that all the talk about the "upper" and
"lower" abs ignores what is probably the most important
part of getting your abs to show.
"The truth is, getting six-pack 'killer' abs has almost nothing
to do with training," writes Tom Venuto, author of Burn
The Fat Feed The Muscle. "It has everything to do with
low body fat."
If you've seen pictures of Tom, you'll know he has some of the
best abs in the business.
"Some people might argue that I was just blessed with good
genetics in the ab department, which may be true," says Tom.
"But based on my experience with others who have less favorable
genetics, I still believe that developing the abdominal muscles
is easy. The hardest part is getting your body fat low enough for
your abs to show."
About The Author
 Christian Finn holds a master's degree in exercise science, is a certified personal trainer and has been featured on BBC TV and radio, as well as in Men's Health, Men's Fitness, Muscle & Fitness, Fit Pro, Zest and other popular fitness magazines.
If you're stuck
in a rut with your current exercise and diet plan... fed up with
only losing a pound here and there... or still skinny after months
(or even years) of trying to build muscle and gain weight... click here now for instant access to his step-by-step muscle-building and fat-burning workout routines.
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References
1. Lehman, G.J., & McGill, S.M. (2001). Quantification of
the differences in electromyographic activity magnitude between
the upper and lower portions of the rectus abdominis muscle during
selected trunk exercises. Physical
Therapy, 81, 1096-1101
2. Willett, G.M., Hyde, J.E., Uhrlaub, M.B., Wendel, C.L., &
Karst, G.M. (2001). Relative activity of abdominal muscles during
commonly prescribed strengthening exercises. Journal
of Strength and Conditioning Research, 15, 480–485
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