There are many different kinds of lower abdominal workouts that you can employ to sculpt your abs and to add some variety to your workout. In this article I will show some effective advanced lower abdominal exercises that you can use an add to your repertoire.

Crunch with plate

This is pretty self-explanatory. You perform a normal crunch, only with a weighted plate behind your head. Increase the weight to increase the difficulty of this exercise. Hold each rep for two seconds.

Janda Sit Up

First, get into a regular sit up position. Now hold your hands out like you’re gripping the handles on a bike. Then perform a sit up. While it sounds easy reading it, it is a much more challenging type of sit up than you might think.

Clamshell

For this exercise you’re going to need a ball. Lie flat on your back and place the ball between your knees with your feet slightly elevated off the ground. Place your hands behind your head. Now simultaneously lift your head slightly while bringing your knees toward your head.

Decline Crunch

Lay on a bench that is declined. Place your feet securely on the rollers. Adjust the decline on the bench to find the right resistance for your crunches. Not only does this work the lower abdominal area, but actually works the entire abdominal wall. For best results, hold each repetition for two seconds and slowly return to the starting position.

Swiss Ball Reach

This one requires you have a large Swiss Ball, like they use for Pilates. If you do not have one of these, then you can use a chair. Start by laying on a flat surface and place your feet on the ball. While keeping your arms straight, reach forward with your hands trying to come as close to touching the tips of your feet as possible. When you reach the farthest you can reach, hold it for two seconds, returning slowly to your starting position.

Swiss Ball Crunch

This time you will lay with your back on the Swiss Ball. Place your feet about shoulder width apart. While leaning back, slowly take a step forward with the right foot and then the left. Keep your shoulders and hips on the ball. Your hands should be behind your head. Now simply begin contracting your abs or curling the shoulders toward the hips.