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Key Timestamps:
0:11 Leg lifts DON’T work the lower abs!
0:24 Rectus abdominis (abs) anatomy
0:43 Leg lifts work the hip flexors
1:37 Posterior pelvic tilt (PPT) explanation
2:07 Lower Abs Technique #1
3:14 Muscle moment (what’s wrong with leg lifts)
4:10 Lower Abs Technique #2
4:45 PPT range of motion & The 90 Degree Rule
5:15 Lower Abs Technique #2 Variations
5:45 Region-specific (nonhomogenous) hypertrophy intro
6:35 Lower & upper abs region-specific activation studies
7:15 Lower & upper abs region-specific hypertrophy studies
8:09 Why people think you can’t selectively work the lower abs
8:54 Dr. Gains Total Core Programs intro

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It IS possible to preferentially work the lower region of the abs MORE than the upper region, and in fact you NEED to if you want to develop your lower core, get that nice v-cut abs shape, and prevent lower back pain. But leg-lifts or leg raise exercises are NOT how you do it! Because guess what - the lower abs don’t lift the legs!!

The lowest subsection of rectus abdominis inserts on the ramus of the pelvis, aka the bottom front of the hips. NOT anywhere on the femur or leg bone. So all of the leg lift exercises in the world will NOT directly engage the lower abs or any region of the abs at all. Instead, it’ll work your hip flexors, while your abs simply function as core stabilizers, which works the upper and lower regions of the abs equally.

Now for all of you doubters out there who are saying to yourself, “The abs are all one muscle and it’s impossible to selectively target the upper or lower abs.” You need to get with the times on region-specific hypertrophy, and in a minute I will present all the scientific evidence needed to blow your doubts out of the water. But first, I’m going to show you exactly how to completely shred your lower abs in a way that I guarantee you’ve never felt before. And nobody who actually does what I’m about to show you, will ever again say that you can’t work the lower abs.

Both of the techniques I’ll demonstrate rely on a single principle. The one and only movement that will directly engage your lower abs and work them more than any other muscle is called posterior pelvic tilt (PPT).

If you think of your pelvis as a bowl full of water. Rotating the bottom of your pelvis backwards so that water would fall out of the front is called anterior pelvic tilt. Rotating the bottom of your pelvis forwards so that water would fall out of the back is called posterior pelvic tilt. And remember that the lower abs attach to the bottom front of your pelvis. So when they contract, they rotate the bottom of your pelvis forwards, performing posterior pelvic tilt. PPT then is the ONLY way to preferentially work the lower abs! And here are the two best techniques that exist for doing exactly that.

How is regional activation possible if the rectus femoris fibers run from top to bottom?

Well for one, the tendinous intersections through the abs make it so that each subregion effectively has its own origin and insertion points. Secondly, different regions of the abs are innervated by different nerves, which allows them to be selectively activated. However, even muscles that are innervated by a single nerve, such as the biceps or triceps, STILL display region-specific activation and nonhomogenous hypertrophy. Studies have shown that a plethora of factors including the specific angle of resistance, the type of exercise, the range of motion used and degree of actin & myosin overlap, the type of contraction used (eccentric vs concentric vs isometric), the muscle moment, speed of the contraction and more ALL influence which region of a given muscle fiber is worked the most - down to the individual muscle fascicles.

One study found that the upper and lower abs fatigued at different rates depending on the exercise performed. With the upper abs fatiguing faster with curl up exercises, and the lower abs fatiguing faster with supine leg raises.

Watch the video for the rest!