Lower abs

[budec]

Looking at my abs, I got a 'decent' 6 pack... but it would be pushing it to call it an 8 pack. The 2 ab 'packs/cans' under my ribs are HUGE, they sit out further than my ribs.. the 2 'cans' under it are decent, and the 2 cans under that are defined, but not really huge.
The last 2 cans (right around my bellybutton) are see-able if I suck and flex and I can feel them, but they are really small.
Last training cycle (non-hst) I did weighted crunchs/weighted situps and this weird crunch machine at the gym... I would kill my abs every time I worked them, but for the life of me I couldn't get the bastard 7th/8th 'cans' to come out and play like muscles above them.
What good exercise could I do to work the lower parts of my abs more? I love weigths, so please don't suggest any of those prissy pilates or arobics junk... j/k-ing
my body fat is around 8-15% (I can't measure bf % worth nothing), but even if I did lose fat the lower abs would still be small.

 

[Younglifter14]

hagning leg raises and lying leg raises are good. But a dumbell between your foot if you wanna make them weighed as well.

 

[imported_guyben]

From what I know the reason those 2 lower 'cubes' are not as defined usually is because of their anatomical position, around the bellybutton.
There is no such thing as "lower abs". Only one big muscle called 'Rectus Abdominis'. To my knowledge it's impossible to work a specific part of the abs, as it is impossible to work a certain part of your tricep.
Sorry to discourage you...but I've got the same problem myself .

 

[Singleton]

Pilates is great for abs. Sounds like girly stuff, but you'll probably be surprised how hard it can be.

 

[Arvo Paperi]

Quote[/b] (guyben @ Sep. 24 2003,8:18)]From what I know the reason those 2 lower 'cubes' are not as defined usually is because of their anatomical position, around the bellybutton.
There is no such thing as "lower abs". Only one big muscle called 'Rectus Abdominis'. To my knowledge it's impossible to work a specific part of the abs, as it is impossible to work a certain part of your tricep.
Sorry to discourage you...but I've got the same problem myself .

Gray's Anatomy, 35th edition, 1973: "In this regard it should be emphasized that in some actions, only one region of a muscle may be active, and the remainder quiescent" (page 492). About the triceps: "the medial head is active in all forms of extension. The actions of the lateral and long heads, however, are minimal, except when the forearm is acting against resistance".

See also
this article.

From my and many others' experience I would say that those leg raises work for lower abs.

However, they never will be as defined and cut as the upper abs. Just see the pictures of high-level bodybuilders and notice that the lower part of abs is just one long piece of meat. Additionally, there is often more fat over the lower part than over the upper part.

 

[Kate]

Rectus Abdominis extends from the pubic symphysis in the front of the pelvic girdle to the ribs and the xiphoid process of the sternum. Muscle fibers for this muscle (as for any skeletal muscle) run from end to end, from one attachment to the other.

Yes you can feel more fatigue at one of the end of the muscle if more activity is taking place at one end (reverse crunches or leg lifts) than the other. Fatigue is not the primary stimulus for hypertrophy. Mechanical load is what we're looking for here. Can you change the load on part of a guitar string depending on where you strike it? I doubt that the difference would be statistically significant.

Working the lower attachment of RA is good for variety, core strength and flexibility in ones lumbar spine. The two best exercises for lower abs??? Putting down the fork and moving away from the table.

Kate

 

[Nethernik]

Quote[/b] (Arvo Paperi @ Oct. 11 2003,5:59)]

From my and many others' experience I would say that those leg raises work for lower abs.

Leg raise is a bad exercise for the rectus abdominis, the only thing you can do is lower your body fat to 6-7% and use the HST principles.
Also see this study published by the NSCA.

Electromyographic Comparison of the Upper and Lower Rectus Abdominis During Abdominal Exercises
Kathryn M. Clark, Laurence E. Holt, and Joy Sinyard

The School of Health and Human Performance, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada B3H 3J5

ABSTRACT

The objective of this pilot study was to determine the effect of 6 different abdominal exercises on the electrical activity of the upper rectus abdominis (URA) and lower rectus abdominis (LRA). Eight healthy, adult volunteers completed 6 random abdominal exercises: curl up, Sissel ball curl up, Ab Trainer curl up, leg lowering, Sissel ball roll out, and reverse curl up. Action potentials were recorded and analyzed from the URA and the LRA using surface electromyography (EMG) during a 2-second concentric contraction. The average normalized data were compared between the URA and the LRA in order to determine the behavior of the different muscle sites and between exercises in order to determine which exercises elicited the highest EMG activity. There were no significant differences (p > 0.05) between the EMG activity of the URA and LRA during any exercise. There were no significant interactions between subject and muscle site or between exercise and muscle site. Significant differences were found among the 6 exercises performed, and due to the interaction between subject and exercise performed. Both the URA and the LRA recorded significantly higher mean amplitudes during the Sissel ball curl up than during all other exercises. In addition, the curl up, Sissel ball curl up, and Ab Trainer curl up had significantly higher normalized EMG activity in both muscle sites than the reverse curl up, the leg lowering exercise, and the Sissel ball roll out. The curl up and the Ab Trainer curl up exercises were not significantly different in terms of their normalized EMG activities for both the URA and the LRA.