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10 Best Lower Ab Workouts for a Strong Core, According to Personal Trainers

FYI: These exercises are perfect for beginners.

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The muscles in your abdominal cavity include the obliques (external and internal), traverse abdominis, and rectus abdominis. While there isn't a lower ab muscle per se, working your entire core is important for creating stability throughout the body. Many ab workouts will have the upper parts of your abdominals — as well as the obliques — on fire, but there are certainly core exercises that involve the lower portion of the abdominals (as well as the glutes and hips).

Fitness experts from the Good Housekeeping Institute chatted with celebrity personal trainers Dannah Bollig and Don-A-Matrix, both known for their killer core workouts, to bring you the best lower ab workouts for a strong core. You can start by picking three movements and performing them in a tabata style routine, where you work for 20 seconds and rest for 10 seconds. Try completing this four to eight times through, then rest for a whole minute before moving on to the next exercise.

Celebrity personal trainer and BODYARMOR ambassador Don-A-Matrix is known for sculpting physiques of the Kardashians and professional athletes. He says that if you're not seeing results with your ab workouts right away, just be patient. "Stay with it. Results don’t happen overnight and there are going to be times when you want to give-up, but it’s important to keep going. We all feel that way – celebrities, athletes, etc. – it’s just a matter of getting up and getting through it because you know that you’ll feel better and accomplished afterwards once you do start to see those results." Before you start any exercise regimen, be sure to consult your physician or healthcare practitioner.

1

Jackknife Sit-Up

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Don-A-Matrix loves this low-impact yet challenging exercise for strengthening abdominal muscles.

How to: Lie flat on the floor with your arms and legs extended. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, contract your abs, raising your arms and legs together to bring your body in a V-shaped position. Hold for 3 seconds and then lower back down.

2

Scissor Kicks / Flutter Kicks

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This classic but hardcore move is what Don-A-Matrix sprinkles into every celebrity ab workout routine.

How to: Lie on your back with your legs extended out in front of you. Place your arms by your sides, palms down. You can also alternatively bend your elbows so your upper body is resting off the ground. Engage your core by pressing your lower back into the mat. Lift both legs off the ground about 6 to 12 inches from the the floor or about a 45-degree angle. With your core tight and neck relaxed, lower one leg toward the floor as you lift the other leg up. This is the start of the “scissoring” motion.

3

Forearm Plank

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Don-A-Matrix likes this classic move that can be a bit more challenging than the traditional straight arm plank since it recruits a few more essential core muscles.

How to: Place forearms on the floor with elbows aligned below shoulders and arms parallel to your body at about shoulder width. Ground toes into the floor and squeeze glutes to stabilize your body. Your legs should be working, too; be careful not to lock or hyperextend your knees. You can either hold the move, or step your feet out one at a time for a greater challenge.

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4

Alternating Straight-Leg Jackknife

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By alternating this movement on either side, you engage a variety of core stabilizing muscles including the obliques.

How to: Lie flat on the floor with your arms and legs extended. Take a deep breath and as you exhale, contract your abs and simultaneously raise your right leg up to the ceiling and your opposite left arm to touch your right foot. Lower back down slowly, and repeat on the other side so that your opposite hand touches the opposite foot.

5

Bear Plank Walkouts

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A traditional plank works practically every muscle in the body, but the bear plank takes things a step further and requires a ton of stability and strength.

How to: Start on all fours with your back flat, wrists directly under your shoulders, and knees bent resting on the floor. Engage your core and lift your knees, allowing them to hover a few inches off the ground. Step back into a traditional plank with your legs straight, and then step back into the bear plank position.

6

90/90 Reverse Crunch

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Dannah Bollig, a certified personal trainer, former division one athlete and the creator of The DE Method, is a fan of this non-traditional crunch variation.

How to: Lying flat on your back with your arms resting to your side or behind your head, raise your feet off the ground so that your hips and knees are at 90 degrees. Hold the 90-degree position and slowly lower your feet down until your heels touch the ground, then raise back up to the starting position.

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7

Alternating Leg Drops

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Bollig loves adding this move to her ab workout circuits. Just be sure to keep your lower back flat on the ground while your leg lowers up and down.

How to: Lying flat on your back with your arms resting by your side, raise your feet straight into the air so there is one long line from your heels and your booty. While keeping your left leg in position, slowly lower your right leg so your heel touches the floor. Raise back up to the starting position and repeat with other the leg.

8

Leg Raise Pulses

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All you need is a workout mat or non-slip rug for this simple move that targets the entire rectus abdominis.

How to: Lay flat on your back with your hands by your sides. Raise your legs straight up towards the ceiling so that your body makes an L shape. Use your lower abdominals to lift your legs straight up towards the ceiling, lifting your booty off the ground. Lower back down slow and controlled, and repeat.

9

Plank with Feet on Swiss Ball

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A Swiss ball is a fantastic piece of workout equipment for your home gym that can take your ab workouts to the next level by adding a balance challenge to practically any movement.

How to: Start in a high plank position with your wrists just below your shoulders and feet and shins on the Swiss ball. Your body should be in one long plane. Pull your knees into the body, performing a crunch as the ball rolls in, and then return back to plank position.

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10

Swiss Ball Stability Bridge

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Not only does this move strengthen your glutes and hamstrings, but it's also a fantastic move for engaging the lower abdominals.

How to: Start lying down on the floor and place your feet up on the ball, arms resting alongside your body. Bring the ball closer to your body and come up into a bridge. Your heels should be gently pushing into the ball. From this position, keep your glutes elevated and straighten your legs, then bring them back into the bridge position. Lower your booty back down to the ground for a moment, then repeat.

Headshot of Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., NASM-CPT
Stefani Sassos, M.S., R.D.N., C.D.N., NASM-CPT
Nutrition Lab Director

Stefani (she/her) is a registered dietitian, a NASM-certified personal trainer and the director of the Good Housekeeping Institute Nutrition Lab, where she handles all nutrition-related content, testing and evaluation. She holds a bachelor’s degree in nutritional sciences from Pennsylvania State University and a master’s degree in clinical nutrition from NYU. She is also Good Housekeeping’s on-staff fitness and exercise expert. Stefani is dedicated to providing readers with evidence-based content to encourage informed food choices and healthy living. She is an avid CrossFitter and a passionate home cook who loves spending time with her big fit Greek family.

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