Target Your Lower Abs

Add these three moves to your workout for taut six-pack abs.

Even though it’s impossible to spot reduce, certain abs exercises do emphasize different portions of your core. To hone in on your lower rectus abdominis (your six-pack muscle), add these exercises into your program.

Reverse Crunch

How to: Lie on your back and extend your arms at your sides. Bend your knees to 90 degrees (calves parallel to the floor) and curl your hips off the mat to draw your knees towards your chest. Slowly lower. Repeat for two to three sets of 15 reps.

Expert tip: Try to focus on using your core and not your arms to lift your hips.

Seated Knee-In

How to: Sit upright on a mat, with your hands on the floor beside your glutes. (If you are more advanced, cross your arms in front of your chest.) Bend your legs to bring your calves parallel to the ground. Extend your legs and lean rearward, then return to the start. Do two to three sets of 15 to 20 reps.

Expert tip: The closer you lower your legs to the ground, the harder the exercise.

Leg Scissors

How to: Lie faceup on a mat with your hands under your butt. Raise your legs about a foot off the ground, then lift your shoulders to come into a crunch. Keep your shoulders up as you alternate “scissoring” one leg over the other. Continue for 30 seconds, rest, then repeat twice more.

Expert tip: Beginners can keep their head on the mat to make this exercise easier.