Why Are My Abs Uneven – How To Fix Uneven Abs

A pack of ripped abs are pretty much the main goal for anyone who follows any fitness or bodybuilding program. A nice six pack is not only a goal for bodybuilders and sportsmen, but a dream of all the men out there. Not to mention that it is the first thing that people notice when you take off your shirt on a beach.

But, what happens if your abs are uneven? And how to fix uneven abs? Don’t worry. In most cases, the problem can be solved with just a little bit of effort. In just a few cases, it cannot be solved without an involvement of radical measures.

Unequal abs could actually mean several things. Your abs could be staggered due to the genetics, or it can be due to the uneven abs development.

Let’s see what can be the cause of the problem and how to fix uneven abs.

Your Abs Were Not Developed In Balance From Top To Bottom

If the “uneven abs” issue is because of the imbalanced development amidst your upper abs and your lower abs, then this is something you can control.

This issue is pretty much always a problem of body-fat dispersal.

Although abdominal training counts among one of the most important parts of gaining a ripped six-pack set, a much more important aspect is the lowest possible percentage of your body fat.

Evolution made the lower abdominal wall of our bodies most suitable for storing the fat. This is the reason why the fat on our lower abs seems so hard to burn.

So, if your abs are uneven from the top to the bottom, in most cases it’s because of extra body fat stored on lower abs than on the upper ones. This is the reason why your upper stomach half seems more ripped than the bottom part.

The simplest solution is concentrating on lowering the percentage of your total body fat.

For the best results, most of the men will strive to accomplish the level of somewhere between 8 to 10% of overall body fat. As the percentage of your body fat drops, the lower abs will seem to be more and more balanced and defined.

Hera is some of the most effective methods for body fat elimination:

• Cardiovascular exercise;
• Exercise with aerobics and weights (increase the intensity gradually as you are losing the fat);
• Cut back on bad fats and carbohydrates;
• HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training);
• Drink a lot of water (about one gallon per day);
• Cut alcohol (alcohol is adding empty calories and lowers testosterone level, and testosterone helps you to burn fat);
• Use supplements for burning the fat.

However, if the issue is, in fact, the final result of the so-called imbalanced development, the solution is just concentrating on the slightly weaker areas for a short time period.

You will need to understand which exercise targets which area of your abdomen.

Most of the people in the gym are doing crunches. However, crunches are targeting your upper abs and not so much your lower ones. So, if you are doing many crunches and your body fat percentage is low enough for your six pack to be visible, your upper abs may appear bigger than your lower abs.

In this case, we recommend doing some lower abdomen exercises in order to make your lower abs pop more and fix your uneven abs.

A key thing we would like you to remember is upper abs – bring shoulders to the hips, Lower abs – bring hips to the shoulders.

We recommend leg raises for the lower abs exercise. Lift your legs from the ground and bring your hips in the direction of your shoulders, then come down and repeat.

Here are some of the exercises that are targeting specifically lower or upper abdominal muscles:

Lower abs:

Hanging leg raises:

• Hang from a bar with a wide grip. Point your legs straight down towards the floor;
• Raise your legs to make a 90-degree angle between your legs and torso;
• Go back to the starting position;
• Repeat.

Hanging knee raises:

• Hang from a pull-ups bar with your knees together;
• Flex your hips and knees and pull the legs up. Go above 90 degrees. Try to avoid swinging;
• Go back to the starting position;
• Repeat.

Reverse crunches:

• Lie on the floor and extend your legs. Put your arms on both sides of you, like wings;
• Lift your feet off the ground by bending your knees and pointing them towards the ceiling. Create a 90-degree angle with your legs while keeping the feet together;
• Move your knees toward the face by rolling the pelvis backward;
• Go back to the starting position;
• Repeat.

Upper abs:

Swiss ball crunches:

• Lay on the ball with your back arched over the ball. Keep your feet firmly on the ground. Put your arms on both sides of your head;
• Crunch the shoulders toward the hips as you use your core to maintain control over your lower back;
• Lower yourself over the ball;
• Repeat.

Wide-leg cross sit ups:

• Lie on your back and spread your legs;
• Do a sit-up while simultaneously bringing one arm up and touching your opposite toe;
• Go back to the starting position;
• Repeat with an opposite arm.

Bicycle crunches:

• Lie on the floor with your legs extended and your arms behind your head;
• Raise your legs a bit and keep your feet together;
• Touch your left elbow to your right knee while straightening your left leg and keeping it above the floor;
• Repeat with and opposite elbow and knee and keep pedaling.

Your Abs Were Not Developed In Balance From Side To Side

Now this kind of a problem is slightly more intricate and it can turn out to be the result of a vast array of problems.

Uneven abs from side to side could be because of the incorrect form. In this case, one side is taking on more weight than the other side.

If this is the case, the simplest solution for the problem is to make sure that you are executing each of your exercises properly and try not to allow your stronger part to make up for your weaker side.

This may be a bit hard when one side of your abdomen is more developed, but it is not impossible and it can be accomplished with just a little bit more concentration.

Second reason for this kind of imbalanced development could be because of the structural problems in the body.

The structural issue could be natural or it can be relater to the issues developed over some period of time caused by injuries or poor posture.

The best thing to do if the issue’s caused by a natural issue is to execute the unilateral workout. By doing so, each side is working independently. This strategy prevents one side to compensate for the other side.

Single-leg knee raises are some of the examples of these kinds of exercises.

On the other hand, if the issue is caused by a poor posture or by an injury, then the issue is much more complex. The best thing to do in this case consult the professional in this field – a chiropractor.

Correction of this kind of structural problems is way beyond our scope because it can be the result of many different possible issues.

Uneven Abs Due To Genetics

When it comes to a body structure, some people in this world are blessed with good genes. Some, however, were not as lucky.

No matter how much they exercise, their abdominals are still uneven. They still may look good, but their abs will never line up.

If you are stuck with staggered stomach muscles, various exercises and techniques can just make them become larger or smaller. Unless, of course, you are ready for more radical measure – plastic surgery.

Conclusion

And this steadily bring us to the very end of our journey. We hope you have enjoyed the ride and hopefully learned something new on how to fix uneven abs and why uneven abs occur in the first place. To sum things up, there can be a variety of reasons behind this issue, and we thoroughly recommend studying each of them to figure out exactly what to do.

So, to wrap up everything that we covered in this article…

• If your issue is the “staggered” abs then there is not much that can be done about it because the cause of this problem is in your genes. Unless, of course, you are ready for some radical plastic surgery procedures.
• Abs out of balance from the top to the bottom are usually that way because of the body fat stored in the lower parts of your abdomen. Try to reduce the percentage of your body fat to correct the issue.
• To even out the imbalanced development from one side to the other, execute your exercise routine with correct form and try as hard as you can to prevent one side from compensating the other one. Unilateral work is one of the best ways to do this.
• If your issue is caused by an injury or poor posture, we recommend that you seek the professional help of a chiropractor.
• Make sure that you practice orderly, eat healthily and take appropriate supplements.