Lower Ab Pooch Belly Leg Raises

The pooch belly is the bulge in the lower ab area that happens to many people... even in people with low bodyfat AND people who train the area directly.

This can be a really tough area to flatten out, if you don't know exactly how to go about doing it. Electric ab belts aren't going to do it... sorry to burst your bubble. Those things won't even hold up your pants.

Here's how to get rid of your pooch belly...

It's a very simple, very easy exercise that involves very little actual movement, strangely enough. The key is in WHERE and HOW the movement takes place. You have to feel the right muscles working in order to get the desired effect out of this one.

I have to give credit to former Mr. Olympia Larry Scott for this one...and my dad for telling me about it. The first time I tried it I could really feel it targeting the exact area and in the exact manner that I knew would get the job done and flatten out the lower ab "pooch" area (yeah, I can't believe I'm using that word either but you have to admit, when I say, you know exactly what I'm talking about.

What this exercise is going to do is tighten up the muscles underneath the pooch area, pulling them back into better alignment and basically teaching the body how to keep that area flat.

Naturally, if you're got a big, fat gut, you won't really notice a big difference by doing this. It's not going to burn any appreciable fat by itself, so you have to do it context of an overall fat-reduction program, if you really want to notice the best results with it.

If you're already fairly lean and you still have that pooch belly, this is the perfect exercise to help get rid of it.

I'll show you the exercise and tell you how to work it into your overall training schedule below.

Lie flat on your back with your arms out to the sides and flat on the floor for balance. Your hips should be bent 90 degrees and your knees bent 90 degrees, with your left foot crossed over your right foot to "lock in" the lower abs (cross at the ankles).

You'll notice when your hips are 90 degrees, your lower back is not flat on the floor, due to it's natural arch. THAT is the key thing to think about.

The movement itself is simply flattening out the lower back and bringing your knees towards your chest by focusing on tightening the extreme lower abdominal area. There is very little resistance in this exercise and you don't NEED significant resistance...just repeat this movement doing about one rep per second.

You'll repeat this for 10 reps with your left leg higher then switch and put your right foot over top to keep it even. Do this for 100 total reps, switching the feet every 10 reps.

Be sure to watch the video to get an idea of exactly how the movement is done (it's tough to really see in still pictures).

The key to remember here is you're not trying to do a full leg raise...just bring your hips to 90 degrees and then bring your lower back flat on the floor then repeat. Focus on using the extreme lower ab area to make this movement happen...not the hip flexors. It might take a bit of practice, but the results are worth it.

You'll need to do this exercise regularly...and that means pretty much every day as a habit...to really see the difference, but it WILL happen. The good thing is, this exercise is VERY easy and won't impact your recovery in any way, shape or form. You can do it in the privacy of your own home (just make sure you're on a solid surface when you do it - no water beds).

Give this one a few weeks of regular use and you should see that pooch belly flattening out nicely.

To tighten up your side abs I would recommend the Human Flag Starter Version.

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