[quote=“Dead Wizard”]I agree leg raises are one of the best ab exercises to target the lower abs and I was going to give the same advice. There is one problem though, the exercise that ploor describes above is NOT the leg raise (ploor you are rapidly losing all credibility…). Since he doesn’t describe how you move your legs I can only guess at what exercise this really is (it’s most likely a seated knee-up), but it is certainly NOT leg raises. Think about it, unless you’re REALLY flexiable, how far can you possibly raise your legs, so that it’s high enough to generate enough strain on the abs, while you’re SITTING ON A BENCH?
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I had in mind LYING on the bench. Unfortunately, other people here don’t read minds. I also didn’t go too far into technique because I didn’t know how much people needed/wanted. I can’t read minds either.
The legs should be kept almost perfectly straight throughout the motion (unless your lower abs are too weak at first). Flexibility should not be an issue. If it is, you need to work on flexibility. The reason for this is because there is no reason to bend yourself past 90 degrees. 90 degrees is even too far. You want to do the fullest range of motion possible where there is also constant tension on the abs.
This allows for increased work capacity. The lower abs are the weakest part of the abdominals. They probably will slightly become tired while working upper abs, while fatigue on the upper abs won’t be nearly as noticeable while working the lower abs.
If you were to compare a workout where you worked the upper abs first and then the lower abs to a workout with the reverse order, you will probably find that you can produce the same output with the upper abs with both workouts, while your lower abs capacity will be reduced if you try to work them after the upper abs.