Ab Workout Equipment

In the eternal quest for the perfect, six-pack abs, many people consider buying ab workout equipment. While many of these products might seem tempting, some are quite expensive. In some cases, their claims are questionable.

If you watch late-night television, you have probably seen numerous commercials and infomercials for ab workout equipment. Some of these devices mimic a lounge chair, while others involve a forwards, rolling action. Here are a few of them.

The chair or lounge type of ab machine is designed to solve the problems associated with traditional abdominal exercises. These can include:

• Stiff neck from performing crunches
• Tight hip flexors, which cramp up during leg raises
• Blood pressure problems associated with getting up and down from the floor
• Limited floor space
• Excessive abdominal fat that limits range of motion

By performing abdominal exercises from an reclined, you can alleviate pressure on the neck and lower back. If you are unable to perform floor exercises, a seated abdominal exercise might be a viable option. Examples of chair type ab machines include:

• The Ab King
• The Ab King Pro
• The Ab Lounge
• The Ab Lounge XL
• The Ab Chair
• The Ab Chair Deluxe
• The Red Ab Chair
• Six Second Abs

Although these ab exercise machines have different names, they all work in a similar manner. Crunch-type exercises are performed from a reclined chair. Most of these machines allow you to vary the angle of the crunch, so that you can work your obliques. The Six Second Ab machine has a clicking device, which provides three clicks for the flexing phase of the crunch and three clicks for the return. This is supposed to prevent you from rushing the movement.

With the recent popularity of functional training, many manufacturers have developed a type of abdominal machine that resembles a wheel. This forward rolling action uses the deep core muscles to stabilize the lower back. Examples include the Ab Slide, the Ab Dolly and the Torso Track.

The featured exercise machines can cost as much as $250. As such, you should be rightfully curious about their safety and efficiency. The American Council on Exercise, otherwise known as ACE, was also curious about the effectiveness of popular ab exercise machines. The study, which was conducted by Dr. Peter Francis, was performed at the Biomechanics Lab at the San Diego State University.

The researchers recruited 30 healthy men and women between the ages of 20 and 45. They were asked to perform a variety of abdominal exercises on various types of ab equipment.These included the Torso Track, the Ab Rocker and the Ab Roller.

Although the Torso Track was somewhat more efficient than the traditional abdominal crunch, some participants complained of lower back pain while using this machine. Additionally, the Ab Roller scored the same as the traditional crunch and the Ab Rocker was 80 percent less effective than the crunch.

The bicycle maneuver, which is performed without ab exercise equipment was one of the most effective effective exercises for both the rectus abdominus and the obliques. The stability ball, which usually costs under $30 was one of the most effective pieces of ab workout equipment. Consider these findings before you invest over $200 on an ab machine.

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