Lower Abdominal Exercise
The lower abdominals may be the single most popular subject among fitness enthusiasts today. This is due to the fact that having flat, tight, lower abdominals is a highly desired look, but a very difficult look for most people to achieve. Many fitness professionals insist that there is no such thing as “lower abdominals”, While others propose that exercises like crunches work the upper abs more and exercises such as leg raises or reverse crunches work the lower abs more. Before continuing, first keep in mind that no abdominal exercise can “spot reduce” lower abdominal fat. Many people feel a need to perform special “lower ab” exercises, not realizing that the real reason they can’t see their lower abs has nothing to do with their choice of abdominal exercise, and everything to do with an excess of fat and possibly digestive problems. Because of genetics and hormones like estrogen – the lower abdominal region is simply one of the first places most people store body fat. Therefore the same is true in reverse – lower ab fat is the last place to come off. Removal of lower abdominal body fat is a separate issue than lower versus upper abdominal muscle recruitment and body fat problems can only be addressed by creating a caloric deficit and addressing lifestyle factors. This requires proper nutrition, not a special lower ab exercise. Second, it’s true that you cannot isolate the upper and lower abdominals from one another. Both upper and lower abdominals are activated during the performance of any lower abdominal exercise. The rectus abdominis is one long muscle, not two separate muscles. However, the nerve innervation of the upper and lower portions is different.