Getting that V-cut lower abs is one of the biggest dreams of most of the trainees. It looks cool, and it is a sign of manliness and strength.
However, getting that V-cut is not easy.
Firstly, because that is the place where most of the belly fat is stored; hence, it is hard to get rid of it. That is only possible with a proper diet and cardio that will burn that fat.
The other reason is the inefficiency of the most popular lower abs exercises. Leg raises on the floor, on the pull-up bar, or in a vertical knee raise station (with a power tower or captain’s chair) are the recommended moves that use your legs as the resistance.
However, there are some typical problems with these practices.
Firstly, in most cases, we use the power of the hip flexors instead of the abdominal muscles. So, the flexors do the hard work.
Another possible problem is that people having lower back issues cannot do these exercises without having pain or, even worse, injury.
And finally, hanging knee or leg raises, which are pretty efficient exercises to engage lower abs, cannot be performed by beginners since they do not have enough arm and back strength yet to hold themselves for such a long time or to complete the moves correctly. And, some people cannot perform these drills if they have shoulder problems.
So, what is the best bodyweight exercise for lower abs, which is suitable for everyone, but still sufficient?
The screwdriver ab workout!
This move works both your oblique and the lower part of the rectus abdominis perfectly. It does not engage the hip flexors, suitable for beginners, and people who have lower back or shoulder problems.
Anyway, this not so well-known core exercise is the “idea” of Jeff Cavalier, the fitness expert of athleanx.com. So, you must be sure that it works. (Thanks to Jeff for this great advice.)
Watch the video below to learn the screwdriver exercise and include it in your abs workout routine.
FAQ
Which exercise machine is the best for lower abs?
Besides the screwdriver that requires high-parallel bars, there is 3 equipment I particularly recommend. A pull up bar which lets us do hanging leg raise variations. The ab wheel, which is a tough movement targetting the entire core. And, last but not least, the adjustable ab bench which we can set into a high degree to have increased resistance.
What about weighted lower ab exercises?
Weighted moves are only recommended for advanced-level trainees since they require an existing strong core; otherwise, you can quickly suffer an injury. Various leg raises with ankle weight, V-up, and crunch variations with dumbbell or medicine ball are effective.
You can find various lower ab workouts at home or the gym here.
Do you know other not so well-known exercises to get V-cut abs? Share with us below.
