5 exercises to set your lower abdominals on fire

Fitness goals can range anywhere from completing a 5km fun run to feeling Halle Berry-level confident in a swimsuit before your next holiday; but they just about always include a nod to our abs. 

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And while we all understand our abs are located in the general area of where our impending six-pack will soon live, it’s important to note that within this one section are four separate muscles that make up our abdominals. And arguably the trickiest to target sits just underneath our belly button. 

The rectus abdominis muscle (AKA our lower abs) are responsible for the movement of our torso, which makes it a vital part of our body to keep strong and active.

Because the lower abs can be tricky to target, it means we can actually run the chance of completing abdominal workouts and barely engaging this section at all. Hence why this section is notoriously stubborn to budge when it comes to a quest for a flat tummy.

Fitness and pilates instructor Cassey Ho, founder of the world-famous platform Blogilates, has dedicated a 7-minute workout purely to targeting our lower abdominal area. Cassey herself admits, “as I’m getting older, it becomes harder and harder to control that area”.

Image credit: @kirstygodso

It’ll cost you zero money, you’ll need zero equipment and the best part? You get to lie down the entire time.

Here’s a breakdown of the five belly fat-blasting moves in Cassey’s lower ab workout.

Top tip: Don’t forget to watch out for your hips flexors and lower back, remembering to bend your knees and keep your core activated. If any of the exercises are feeling too strong, Cassey provides gentle modifications throughout her video.

Good luck!

1. Crunched heel taps

Cassey Ho Blogilates

Laying down on your mat and looking up to the ceiling, place both hands behind the nape of the neck with your elbows wide. 

Lift your head, neck and shoulders off the mat.

Bend your knees towards your chest and then back out again, placing your heels back down towards the end of the mat.

Repeat this in and out motion, keeping your pace slow and controlled.

2. Little U’s

Cassey Ho Blogilates

Lift your legs up off the mat and out in front of you, keeping them as straight as possible. If you’re unable to do this, bend them slightly to ease pressure on the neck and back.

Draw little ‘U’-shapes with your legs, keeping your feet together. 

To make this harder, come up on to your elbows (as pictured above) and keep your shoulders away from the ears, with your chest open and bellybutton in.

3. Single leg drop

Cassey Ho Blogilates

Starting again with your hands underneath your tailbone, point your legs to the sky and then drop and lift one leg at a time. Think of it like a scissor motion.

For an easier modification, bend the knees in tabletop position and dip your big toe down towards the mat, also alternating legs.

4. Heel Push Abs

Cassey Ho Blogilates

Keeping your hands underneath your tailbone, lift your head, neck and shoulders off the ground. Then, flex your feet while keeping your legs parallel to the ground and lifted. Bring your knee up towards the hips and back out one at a time, as though you are marching on the spot

5. Reverse Double Leg Lift

Cassey Ho Blogilates

With your hands by your sides and legs stretched out in front of you, lift your legs up, lifting to the sky as your raise your hips off the mat. Keep your neck long and eyes up towards the ceiling during this movement. Make sure to control your legs as your bring them down slowly – this is where you will see the magic happen (or rather, feel the burn).

For an easier modification, bend your knees and create a small lift instead.

Work out along Cassey as she takes you through this free, seven minute work out: 5 Lower Ab Isolation Exercises That Will Make Your Lower Belly Fat Cry

Main image credit: @hannahemmerson