lower abs--female help needed!

[Acetylene]

So, I used to have very strong abdominal muscles and a nice smooth belly. But, this past 6 months have been birth-control hell, and all the bloating and misery have taken a toll on my lower abdominal muscles. My upper abs remain pleasing, at least to my eye, so I don't need to work on those.

Are there any ladies who know what exercise I can do to specifically target my abs below my waist to combat this problem?

[shred_head]

While I'm not a lady, I know that leg lifts (hanging or lying) along with reverse situps (which are pretty close to leg lifts) do both work the lower abdominals. You'll probably feel the 'burn' in your entire abdominal area but the lower abs are what are really getting worked here.

[fluster]

Yep, leg lifts are the way to go. Of course diet always plays a big part as well and I find that the lower abs are the first to "disappear".

[typette]

I have the same problem. Now can you describe these leg lifts? Am I lifting straight legs off the floor from horizontal up to vertical, or do I have my legs up and try lift my hips off the floor? I'm not that familiar with the lingo yet. Thanks!

[Carno]

Well, there are two ways to do leg lifts that I know of:

1. Lay on your back and hold your legs six inches above the ground. Then, while keeping your legs straight, move your feet up and down, opposite from each other (one going up, one going down). Lift you feet about a foot from your starting position.

2. Lay on your back and hold your legs straight up- perpendicular to the rest of your body. Push your legs straight up, until your butt comes off the ground. Slowly roll back down to the starting position.

Number 1 is the most common, but number 2 is really good also. Also, it may help if you put your hands on the ground under your butt.

[mokle]

If you're looking for definition, lose fat.

Simple as that. Eat right and do some cardio.

[shred_head]

Lay on your back and lift your feet from the ground just a few inches. Liftyour legs up toward your chest/stomach as far as you can while flexing your stomach muscles, you don't have to keep your legs totally straight since you probably won't be able to anyways. When they get close to your chest lift your hips up just a little, hold for a second or two, then move them back to the starting position and repeat. Do this in a slow and controlled motion, never letting your legs just fall through the air.

[Biscuit Buns]

You mentioned birth control which immediately brought to mind "water retention" and "fat." No, not calling you fat. You've probably still got the muscle under there unless you've changed your activies quite a bit. BC can cause any number of problems (being hormones, obviously) and one of MY biggest problems was water retention. Make sure you're drinking plenty of water. Also, if fat has started accumulating there (again, another lovely hormone issue), the only way to really take care of it is to drop your overall body fat.

BC is a giant pain in the ass.

[Acetylene]

Yeah it is. It's a pain in other places too :P

I don't need to lose any weight, I've weighed exactly the same since I was 12 and am near the bottom of the healthy weight range for my height anyway. The problem is that when I have my period, I get bloated around my lower abdomen; and, this winter, I was on depo-provera which caused me to have my period for 3 months straight. OUCH. My poor muscles couldn't compete and got a bit streched-out. I'm back on the pill and things are back to normal so I'm trying to repair the damage now.

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone, especially the nice detailed instructions, Shred and Carn. I'll let you know how it goes.

Out of curiosity, how often should I do this? Most people say you shouldn't exercise a muscle every day, but when I take days off from whatever exercise I'm doing, I tend to forget to start up again and skip too many days. Is it ok to exercise every day, just so I stay in the habit?

[mokle]

The problem is you can't spot reduce fat, and working out your ab makes them stronger, not more visible.

You need o drop your overall body fat %. I didn't say lose weight. Weight and fat are different. You need to lose fat if you want more definition.

You'd get much better results on an elliptical machine every day than doing those ridiculous leg raises every day.

[shred_head]

Originally Posted by mokle

The problem is you can't spot reduce fat, and working out your ab makes them stronger, not more visible.

You need o drop your overall body fat %. I didn't say lose weight. Weight and fat are different. You need to lose fat if you want more definition.

You'd get much better results on an elliptical machine every day than doing those ridiculous leg raises every day.

This is totally correct if you're looking to burn calories and lose fat in order for your abs to be seen with good definition. However, if your abs have lost their strength and are in need of repair then ab exercises are the way to go, especially if you don't have any abs to be seen even with a low body fat percentage.

Originally Posted by Acetylene

Out of curiosity, how often should I do this? Most people say you shouldn't exercise a muscle every day, but when I take days off from whatever exercise I'm doing, I tend to forget to start up again and skip too many days. Is it ok to exercise every day, just so I stay in the habit?

Most people are right, you shouldn't exercise the same muscle every day. Stressing the muscle every day will actually have a negative impact, reducing any gains you might make. I'd normally say not to exercise them but just once a week, however, you could do them two to three times a week if that will help you remember.

[mokle]

Yes, quite true. Judging by her original post though, it sounded more like the B.C. pills had made her bloat, and perhaps add fat to her ab area. She did mention she had strong abs, and I don't think 6 months is enough to drastically reduce those muscles

At any rate, good luck Acetylene