Lower Abdomen

[sujaylahiri]

I am abt 5' 10" 168 lbs 20 years old. I have like a belt in my mid lower abdomen. I have been doing the 8 min abs almost everyday for the last 2 weeks. I also do weight training at the gym.
What else should I do to get rid of the belt and atleast flatten and firm up my upper and lower ab muscles. My upper abs are in much better shape than the lower one.

 

[LeiYunFat]

You have fat covering that area, and doing 10000 sit-ups won't get rid of it. Abs are made in the kitchen. Clean up your diet and do some cardio.

 

[R.Lewis]

Just so you know the rectus abdominis (stomach muscle) is one long muscle.

Read stickys in my sig for how to get started.

 

[nickortego]

upper vs. lower abs

The above posts are correct. You will not see the muscle definintion in your abs if they are covered by a layer of fat. You must get leaner to see the definition.

Whether the lower abs can be activated separately from the upper abdominals is somewhat more controversial. The rectus abdominis is one muscle. Similar to the bicep, the fibers run pretty much linearly from origin to insertion. And you can't really activate the lower bicep separately from the upper bicep. But the rectus abdominis differs from the biceps in a very important way. Whereas the bicep is innervated(stimulated to contract) by only one or 2 nerves, the rectus abdominis is segmentally innervated. Eight different nerves innervate the various segments of the rectus abdominis.

"The rectus abdominis is innervated by eight sources, with a distinct separate innervation below the umbilicus. It can therefore act as a prime mover at one end and a stabilizer at the other. A client can have well conditioned upper abdominals and even show muscle difinition above the belly button, yet display poor tone and a 'pooch' belly below the navel. This is particularly common in females after a caesarean section or a hysterectomy."
-Paul Chek
Functional Anatomy of the Core

Try this exercise to work the "lower abs".
Lying on your back with your knees bent, pick your feet up off the floor. Place your fingertips underneath the curve of your lower back. Push your lower back down into your fingertips and hold the pressure on your finger tips. Maintain the pressure of your lower back pushing onto your fingertips as you push one foot away from your body. Be mindful of not letting the lower back come up off of your finger tips. Alternate legs and remember to breath. The entire rectus abdominis will be working as you do this exercise, but the lower portion will be working harder than it does on a typical crunch for the "upper abs".

 

[theleip]

"The rectus abdominis is innervated by eight sources, with a distinct separate innervation below the umbilicus. It can therefore act as a prime mover at one end and a stabilizer at the other. A client can have well conditioned upper abdominals and even show muscle difinition above the belly button, yet display poor tone and a 'pooch' belly below the navel. This is particularly common in females after a caesarean section or a hysterectomy."
-Paul Chek
Functional Anatomy of the Core

This has to do with core conditioning, not hypertrophy or fat reduction. The "pooch" is merely fat. Only lowering body fat affect that, nothing else. Now if your core stabilization system is working to its full functional ability is a whole other topic. One can argue the that wave readings and temperature levels increase during certain movement patterns but again this has nothing to do with spot training or hypertrophy. Basically if you want to see your lower abs then lose the needed body fat. If you want to strengthen your core then focus on correct conditioning exercises.