REVERSE CRUNCH FOR RIPPED LOWER ABS

A good friend turned me on to this ab exercise last year and I really got into it this prep season. I have always been a fan of hanging leg raises for lower abs but this does target more of the lower area without working the top of the quads as the leg raises do. Don't stop doing hanging leg raises but add this to your lower ab routine.

The reverse crunch is so effective, because it shortens the fibers of the lower region of the abdomen, as it invokes an upward pelvic tilt at the beginning of each lift. Furthermore, this exercise maintains almost constant tension in these muscle fibers throughout the exercise.

How to perform:

1. Lie face up on flat bench. Grab the edge of the bench next to your head with both hands.

2. Flex your knees and hips so that your thighs become perpendicular to the floor.

3. Curl your pelvis towards your head (only a few degrees). Next, lift your pelvis and lower back upward, and move your knees toward your head by lifting the lower back off the bench. Try to concentrate on feeling your lower abdominal fibers contract as you lift your hips and legs upward.

4. Keep your knees flexed and your thighs parallel to the floor as you slowly return your legs and hips to the starting position.

5. As soon as your tailbone hits the bench, start upward for the next rep.

6. Repeat 20-25 reps in a slow and deliberate fashion. This should take about 2 seconds to lift the thighs and 2-3 seconds to come down. Work up to 2-3 sets.

If you can get 3 sets done without too much effort then use a decline bench. Done the same way as the flat bench but the head is at the high end of the decline bench and the feet start at the low end of the bench as this increases the effort needed to move the legs upward.