Tthe health and fitness market has an incredible variety of abdominal machines to choose from. The purpose here is not to endorse any type of ab machine or ab workout but to give you a brief overview of the most common types and how they might benefit you and your exercise routine.
One thing you need to understand is that all ab machines have pros and cons associated with them. Let’s first take a look at the major drawback that all machines have in common. First of all, you cannot expect any machine to miraculously melt the fat off your middle. If you believe that, you need to stop with this type of thinking and stop listening to all of the outrageous claims that surround exercise equipment. The only way you will get rid of the tummy fat so you can actually see those abs is to have a solid plan in place where both exercise and a healthy diet play an equally important role.
Ab workout and exercise machines
Now let’s look into the pros that all abdominal machines have in common ranging from the simplest to the most expensive ones on the market. Every ab machine will, to some degree, strengthen and develop your stomach muscles and provide an ab workout. They will also provide you with more challenging exercises than the traditional stomach crunch and sit-up routine. This in turn gives you the benefit of a more varied exercise routine that will keep your ab workout more fun and interesting.
With that covered, let’s move on to some of the most common types of abdominal machines that seem to be so prevalent in the fitness market and at most health clubs and gyms. Ready to begin? Good! Here they are:
- The Ab Wheel - You’ve most likely seen these. A simple wheel that has handles which allow you to roll the device along the floor extending it in front of you. You bring the wheel back to its starting position by tensing your abdominal muscles. Granted, that’s a simplified explanation but hopefully you get the idea. Since these types of exercises also put a great deal of strain on your back, this device is not recommended for beginners but for those who already have a good level of conditioning and are ready for a hard ab workout.
- Seated and Horizontal Abdominal Machines – One of the advantages of this type of equipment is that it allows those who might experience problems getting on the floor to exercise their abdominal muscles. Both types of machines also ease the strain on your neck muscles that are normally associated with floor exercises. Most varieties of these types of machine will also incorporate weights to add a resistance element to your workout. This will allow you to see how well you progress as you keep exercising. Since most of these machines will only work one set of muscles, you’ll need to find other types of equipment to target all of the abdominal muscle groups.
- Ab Benches – These are very similar to the more expensive abdominal machines mentioned above, with the major difference being that weights are not incorporated, although you do have the ability to add them at your own discretion. Another difference is that most ab benches are adjustable in order to allow you to work through a variety of abdominal exercises with varying degrees of difficulty. Although these are popular choices for the home gym, make sure you choose one that is well padded for back support, has a solid stable base and is built for durability so you can continue your ab workout for years to come.
- Ab Rollers – There is no need to spend a lot of time on this piece equipment. You’ve all seen them and most likely you have used them at some point. Although these abdominal machines are still present in the marketplace, their limitations have long been exposed. Do they work? Yes they probably do, but you now have many better alternatives to choose from.
As you can see, you have a variety of options to choose from when it comes to abdominal machines. Are there more? Of course! With the health and fitness industry growing at such a rapid pace, new models of exercise equipment are constantly being introduced. Just remember to look for exercise equipment that is comfortable to use and fits into your overall ab workout exercise plan. Also, never forget that safety comes first.
