Popular Ab Machines Reviewed
The market is full of abdominal exercise machines or ab machines that claim to help you lose weight and tighten up your gut. Nearly all of us want to have a flatter stomach and a great body with six-pack abs, but only a few of us ever manage to get that by ourselves. If you look at the pictures on the boxes and read the marketing information you will expect to have a body like Adonis as soon as the delivery arrives.
How They Work
These machines will all attempt to exercise your abdominal muscles through repetitive motion. The motion of the machines makes the movement easier on the body, allowing you to exercise for longer and in the correct position to gain the maximum benefit from the exercises. This makes the exercises easier than doing them by yourself, so you can exercise longer and get a greater benefit from your workout.
Some of the big questions you have to ask are:
- Whether these ab machines do work and how effective they are?
- Some of them will obviously work better than others, but which ones will give you the best results?
- The price is another issue, with a wide variation in prices, is more expensive necessarily better?
- The final question is whether it is worth buying an abs machine online, or is you better sticking to your local sports store?
Our reviews will help to give you the answers you need to these questions.
The Marketing Spiel
You will often see ads tell you that "You can have the firm, flat stomach you have always wanted after just a few minutes each day!" Unfortunately, that is not fully accurate. Regular exercise with ab machines will help you to lose weight and tone up, but it will need commitment and perseverance to be successful.
Spot Reduction
As much as the manufacturers might tell you that these machines will reduce fat around your middle, this is not exactly true. The theory of spot reduction claims that exercising muscle groups promotes an increased rate of fat loss in the surrounding area of the body.
This theory has now fallen out of favor with health and fitness professionals, who all agree that spot reduction does not work. A good abdominal machine will strengthen and tone your stomach muscles. This will tighten your core and certainly help, but you also need to eat sensibly and take regular aerobic exercise to lose weight. Using an abs machine can help you in that department.
Why Use Ab Machines?
If you make the investment in a machine, it should help you to dedicate yourself to an exercise program. This is the only way that you will get the results you achieve, through persistence and consistency with your exercise. These machines can be expensive, so it is important to commit to doing the exercises on a regular basis or your new purchase will end up as another piece of bedroom furniture.
If you find abdominal exercises, like sit-ups and crunches, uncomfortable or boring then you will not do them. It will not make any difference how much help the exercise machines give you, you will not do them.
The manufacturers of these machines do receive plenty of bad publicity, but this is more to do with their approach to marketing than to what they sell. These machines can help you as part of a daily workout, but you have to make the commitment to perform the exercises on a regular basis to get the results you want.
If you are still thinking of investing in one of these ab machines, then read our honest reviews to find out how the different products compare.
Conventional Ab Machines
Power Wheel Review
If core strength is something that you'd like to work towards, the powerwheel should be a consideration
Ab Glider Review
The ProForm Ab Glider comes with a sturdy steel frame that is made with durability in mind
AbStorm Review
The Abstorm is a very unique ab machine to hit the market
Ab Circle Review
The latest ab specific exercise equipment to hit the market
Perfect Situp Review
The Perfect Situp Review looks to see if this will help your form.
Ab Rocket Abdominal Trainer
Looks like a lawn chair with rollers for a back rest
The Ab Slide
One of the most well known machines on the market. Prices have dropped considerably...
The Ab Force
Cheaper alternative to the Ab Slide. Can be difficult to use...
The Ab Dolly
Similar to the Ab Slide but more than twice the price...
The Torso Tiger
Again similar to the Ab Slide but with one important advantage...
The Ab Doer
Not enough resistance for experienced exercisers. Popular but expensive...
The Ab Twister
Similar to the Body by Jake Ab Rocker and less expensive. Good range of exercises...
The Ab Away Pro
Recommended. Received many favourable testimonials for giving an effective and comfortable workout...
Electronic Ab Machines
The following three ab machines are electronic ab belts. They use EMS (Electronic Muscle Stimulation) to work your midsection...
The Ab Energizer
Recommended. Probably the best value for money of the electronic ab equipment. Comes with 2 hand units...
The Ab Tronic
Strengthening & toning muscles only.
Fast Abs
Cheaper alternative to Ab energizer yet very similar...
