Some Tips for Doing Lower Ab Exercises

It is important to perform lower ab exercises correctly as many will cheat by incorporating other muscles into the exercise (like hip flexors and lower back muscles). Working on your lower abs will require more focus, concentration and control that a lot of other exercises. Another trap people can fall into is to trying to do exercise that are too advanced for their current ability or abdominal strength

1. You are working your lower abs so you should feel it there.
   If you don't feel your lower abs working or feel other muscles working more than your lower abs chances are you are not quite doing it correctly. Stop the doing the exercise, check your form and attempt the exercise again with control and focus. As a side note when your lower abs muscles start to tire it will become difficult to feel them working. If this happens, listen to your body and rest. There is no point going on if all you are going to be doing is working muscles you aren't targeting.
   
   
2. Pain in you lower back is a bad thing.
   Super hardcore people will tell you that pain is your friend. In this case it big indicator that either your lower abdominals don't have the strength to do the exercise you're attempting or that maybe you aren't doing it correctly (see the coming points). It goes with out saying that if you feel pain in your lower back - STOP.
   
   
   
   
3. Exercises need to be done slowly and with control .
   Performing exercises quickly is far from the best thing you can do for your lower abs. It increases your momentum (or swinging motion), lowers the level of control you have over your muscles, reduces the actual effectiveness of the exercise and incorporates muscles into the exercise that shouldn't be.
   
   
4. Quality over quantity.
   It is not about doing 1000 reps while performing the most difficult ab exercise invented ... it IS about getting the correct muscles to do the work and avoiding using muscles that allow you to cheat or do the exercise easier. Slow, controlled exercise = reward of great abs.
   
   
   
   
5. Abs are endurance muscles like marathon runners - not sprinters.
   The lower abs are mainly a postural and stabilizing muscle group. To keep you upright (or any other angle other than lying down) they stay active at low a intensity for extended periods ... and so they should be trained the same way. If you can get out a low number of quality reps on a particular exercise then you should be aiming to do more reps next time or choose an easier exercise instead of looking to step up to a more difficult exercise. Crawl before you walk.
   
   
6. Breathe already.
   Most ab exercises will have you contracting your abs at some stage through the exercise. It is likely that you will want to hold your breath, why I don't know, it is just a reaction that most of us have to the effort (or intial burn). It is important to breathe through the exercise. Inhale while your muscles are relaxing / lengthening / stretching out and exhale when you're crunch/ contracting / shortening / tightening.