Lower Ab Workout: Best Ab Exercises for a Strong Core
A strong core creates power in your legs and makes your running more efficient.
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Your legs rely on a strong core to move with efficiency when you run. In fact, when college athletes incorporated an eight-week core training program into their schedule, they improved their running economy, according to a 2019 study published in PLoS One, which is a measure of how fast you can move with a given amount of oxygen. The more economical you are as a runner, the easier running feels. Those who did the three-times-a-week workout also improved their balance and core endurance.
Because a strong core is so important to running, Lindsey Clayton, chief instructor at Barry’s in New York City and cofounder of the Brave Body project, designed this lower ab workout with the best exercises for runners.
The Benefits of Lower Ab Exercises for Runners
One quick anatomy note before we get to those lower ab exercises: There isn’t a specific way to isolate and train your lower abs—that’s actually a common misconception about your core.
“Your core is comprised of the rectus abdominis, which runs down the front of your body and creates that ‘six-pack’ effect; your obliques (side abs); your erector spinae, which runs up your back; and your transverse abdominis (the deep core muscles located under those six-pack muscles),” says Clayton. “When people point to the lower part of their stomach and say their ‘lower abs,’ they’re typically just referring to their rectus abdominis, and you can’t only work the lower part in isolation.”
But practicing these ab exercises can help you achieve the results you desire. That said, there are plenty of core exercises—both creative and classic—that engage your rectus abdominis, including your lower abs, and make you a stronger runner.
“While it’s important to work your whole core for a balanced body, there are certain exercises that utilize the lower part of the rectus abdominis,” Clayton says. “These ‘lower abs’ exercises are great for runners because they often involve driving your knee up towards your core, simulating the motion of running.”
The benefits of working your core (in addition to improving efficiency and economy!) is that it helps to prevent injuries and stabilizes the center of your body, allowing your chest to stay upright, arms to swing back and forth, and legs to move forward with power and speed. Essentially, it helps to limit side-to-side or rotational movement so you have more forward momentum.
How to use this list: Clayton suggests doing each exercise in the lower abs workout below for 30 to 45 seconds before every run as a warmup, doing just one round. “This will fire up your muscles so they’re active when you need them most,” Clayton says. If you want to do them as a workout on their own, go for two or three rounds.
Clayton demonstrates each lower ab exercise so you can learn proper form. You will need a mat and a set of sliders. Two hand towels or paper plates will work, too.
Downward Dog Split to Elbow Knee Hold
Why it works: This is a full-body exercise that mainly targets your deep core muscles. By practicing this exercise in a lower ab workout, you will build a strong core which serves as a base for all runners, says Clayton.
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position.
- Send hips up and back into a downward dog position, pressing hands into the floor.
- Lift right leg straight into air, then drive right knee to touch right elbow and shift weight forward to hands and into a plank position.
- Return to downward dog with both feet and repeat with left leg.
- Continue alternating for 30 seconds, building up to 2 minutes.
Side Plank With Reach-Through
Why it works: Hit your core from every angle in this rotational move, which strengthens your rectus abdominis (top layer of abs), and your transverse abdominis (underlying core muscles), as well as your obliques (sides of your torso).
How to do it:
- Start in a side plank with left forearm on floor, elbow under shoulder, feet, knees, and hips stacked, and hips lifted so body forms one long, straight line.
- Extend right arm up to ceiling. This is the start position.
- Draw right hand down and reach it underneath and behind torso as upper body curls toward floor.
- Return to start position.
- Repeat for 30 seconds.
- Then switch sides.
Slider Plank to Pike
Why it works: To maximize results, avoid letting your back arch or hips pike up while performing this lower ab exercise, Clayton says. Instead, focus on pulling your abs up toward your spine to lift your hips. This is a challenging exercise that really fires up the core.
How to do it:
- On hardwood or tiled floor, place feet on two sliders (or towels) and get into a forearm plank position, elbows under shoulders, core, including glutes engaged.
- Using core, lift hips up to pike, sliding feet forward and pulling belly button in toward spine.
- Slide back to lower hips back to plank position.
- Repeat for 30 seconds working up to 2 minutes.
Slider Bear Plank
Why it works: This move can help runners build the ultimate core because it targets the transverse abdominis, obliques, and rectus abdominis. What’s more, Clayton says, by enhancing this exercise with sliders, runners can really fire up their primary stabilizing muscles and strength their abs.
How to do it:
- On hardwood or tiled floor, place feet on two sliders and assume a high plank position (hands under shoulders, soft bend in elbows, core including glutes engaged).
- Pull feet in toward chest, bending knees until you’re in a bear plank, knees right below hips, but lifted off floor.
- Slowly push feet back to high plank.
- Repeat for 30 seconds, working your way up to 2 minutes. To make it easier, move one leg at a time.
Hollow Hold to Knee Tuck
Why it works: This exercise will challenge a runner’s stability and balance while firing up those deep core and lower ab muscles. Again, avoid arching your back while practicing this move and think about hitting a nice, tall posture at the top.
How to do it:
- Start lying faceup on the mat.
- Lift head, shoulder blades, and feet off floor as you extend arms straight out, down by sides. Neck should be relaxed, not strained. This is hollow hold.
- Next, engage abs to lift chest toward legs as knees bend in toward chest, shins parallel to floor.
- Slowly lower back down to a hollow hold position.
- Repeat for 30 seconds, working your way up to 2 minutes.
Straight Leg Hip Lift
Why it works: This is another exercise that targets your deep core muscles, training you to use your core to lift your hips, says Clayton. You’ll definitely feel this one in your core, especially the lower abs.
How to do it:
- Lie faceup with feet flexed in the air so hips create a 90-degree angle. Extends arms down on mat by sides.
- Use core to pulse legs straight up towards ceiling, lifting butt off floor and pushing weight into hands. Think about stamping the bottom of shoes on the ceiling and avoid using momentum to swing legs forward and up.
- Lower hips back to floor.
- Repeat for 30 seconds, working your way up to 2 minutes.
Diagonal Mountain Climber
Why it works: Practicing this move will help you strengthen more than those lower abs—it will also help improve running power, efficiency, and posture.
How to do it:
- Start in a high plank position with hands under shoulders, soft bend in elbows, and core and glutes engaged.
- Draw right knee to left elbow.
- Return to high plank position.
- Draw left knee to right elbow.
- Return to plank position.
- Continue alternating. Increase speed for more cardio.
- Repeat for 30 seconds, working your way up to 2 minutes.
All images: Julia Hembree Smith
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