Upper Abs, Lower Abs, Total Core Strength: Why This Move Works!
When it comes to building a strong core, it’s not just about how many crunches you can do. It’s about learning to engage, stabilize, and control your muscles through movement.
At SURGE, we love exercises that challenge your muscles in multiple ways, and this core move does exactly that! By combining an upper-body crunch with a challenging leg position, you’re asking your abdominal muscles to work together to build strength, stability, and control.
Let’s break down what’s happening and why this move is so effective!
Upper Abs: Creating the Crunch
As you lift your head and shoulders off the floor, your rectus abdominis (the muscle responsible for that six-pack appearance) contracts to bring your rib cage toward your pelvis.
This spinal flexion movement places an emphasis on the upper portion of your abdominal muscles.
The key: Think about lifting through your chest and curling your rib cage toward your hips rather than pulling your head forward.
Keep your neck relaxed and let your abs do the work!
Lower Abs: Stabilizing and Controlling the Legs
While your upper abs are working to lift your shoulders, your lower abdominal region has another important job: helping stabilize your pelvis and control your leg position.
Holding your legs elevated or extended creates a longer lever, increasing the demand on your core.
Your hip flexors help support and position your legs, while your abdominal muscles work to prevent your pelvis from tipping forward and your lower back from arching excessively.
The key: Focus on keeping your pelvis stable and your core braced. If you feel your lower back arching or losing contact with the floor, shorten your leg extension or raise your legs slightly to reduce the challenge.
Deep Core: The Stabilizing Powerhouse
There’s even more happening beneath the surface!
Your transverse abdominis, obliques, and other stabilizing muscles help maintain control of your trunk throughout the exercise.
These muscles play an important role in supporting your spine, maintaining posture, and transferring strength between your upper and lower body.
And that’s what makes core training so valuable. We’re not just training muscles to look strong. We’re training them to function together!
Are Upper and Lower Abs Actually Separate Muscles?
Here’s a little fitness science!
Although we often refer to our “upper abs” and “lower abs,” they’re actually regions of the same muscle: the rectus abdominis.
This muscle runs vertically along the front of your abdomen, connecting your rib cage to your pelvis.
While we can’t completely isolate the upper or lower abs, we can use different movements to emphasize different functions and regions.
Crunching movements emphasize spinal flexion, bringing the rib cage toward the pelvis.
Leg extension and lowering movements challenge the abdominal muscles to stabilize the pelvis and resist excessive arching of the lower back.
Combining both creates a challenging exercise that demands strength and coordination throughout your core.
4 Tips to Get the Most Out of This Move
1. Choose control over speed. Slow, intentional movements keep the focus on muscular engagement rather than momentum.
2. Keep your lower back supported. Maintain a stable pelvis and avoid excessive arching. Modify your leg position if needed.
3. Relax your neck. Your abs should be responsible for lifting your shoulders, not your neck muscles.
4. Don’t forget to breathe! Exhale as you curl your shoulders upward and maintain controlled breathing as you hold the position.
Stronger Abs. Stronger Everything.
A strong core does so much more than help you achieve defined abs.
Your core supports nearly every movement you make, from lifting weights and running to carrying groceries, maintaining balance, and moving confidently through everyday life.
At SURGE, we believe in training for more than just the workout. We train to build functional strength that carries over into everything we do.
So the next time you’re feeling that familiar abdominal burn, remember: You’re not just working your abs. You’re building a stronger, more stable, more capable body!
Train smart. Move strong. Train for LIFE! 💛
Find more workouts and ways to strengthen your core at SURGE FIT.
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