Abs are sexy, alluring, and captivating and that’s why everyone wants some. Big companies know this about abs, and that’s why they keep making and then heavily marketing new ab machines each year.
Thing is…
Do these ab machines and other ab products work?
Of all the ab machines which one is the best one for your home gym?
Are these ab machines worth your money and what are the best ways for you to get a set of chiseled abs?
In this fast-to-read yet valuable article, you’ll discover what works when it comes to ab machines and getting abs.
If you’re keen on a set of seductive abs for yourself, let’s see how you get them…
What Gym Equipment Is Best For Abs At Home?
In the ab carver pro ad, the voice-over says, “carve away inches in just minutes a day.” When you see the ad and the sexy abs on the models, it’s easy to get pulled in and want to hand your credit card over.
Fact is, the ab carver pro or any old ab roller works, it doesn’t matter what model or brand it is.
Ab Roller
The Ab roller is a basic tool with a simple strategy, yet it’s a potent ab-maker. The idea is, you roll out, then roll back in.
The great thing about the ab wheel is, there’s many ways to progress the exercise and make it harder.
Why’s The Ab Roller Effective?
Because your abs are constantly under tension.
Check out this video below and you’ll see how to progress the ab wheel exercises.
Sliders
These are basic no-frills ab machine.
You can use Sliders similar to the ab wheel, plus there are many more exercises you can do with Sliders, like target your glutes and hamstrings, and the bonus is… your core activates and fully engages when using the sliders.
Why Are Sliders Effective?
Because your abs are constantly under tension, and the way you use sliders forces your deep-core to activate.
Here’s How You Use The Sliders
Chin-Up Bar
The chin-up bar is a potent ab maker. What you’ll love about the chin-up bar is, there are many ways you can use it and nail your abs.
Here’s 3 ways you can use the chin-up bar to get yourself some abs:
1 Chin-Ups
Yes, a normal old chin-up activates your abs. But if you bring your knees up a little higher, you bring your abs into exercise even more.
2 Chin Up With Legs Up In Front
What you do is lock your arms at ninety degrees, then bring your legs up so they are out in front of you. This one hammers your abs
3 Feet In Gymnastic Rings Or TRX
Keep a bucket of ice handy because this exercise holds a blow-torch to your abs.
What you do is hang gymnastic rings or a TRX off your chin-up bar so the rings or handles are 50cm off the ground. Then you get into the push-up position and put your feet onto the rings or handles.
Now, from the top of the push-up position, bring your knees up under you. Then take your legs back out to straight. Give 8-10 reps of these a go, and keep the movement nice and controlled.
Take a look at the video so you can see how to do it:
Resistance Bands
The bands are probably one of the greatest health and fitness inventions since weights. Resistance bands are a lightweight portable gym you can take anywhere.
Here’s a few ways to use them so you get abs:
Boxing Bag
Boxing is a dynamic core workout. Your upper body loads up, then unloads all the force through your punch into the bag. Your body constantly twists and turns. The stronger your core, the more force behind your punch.
Think about this for a moment…
When you’re punching the bag your heart rate gets jacked up which means your body burns fat. If you’d like to accelerate fat loss, consider taking up boxing a few days a week.
One Arm Exercises
One arm or one leg exercises are serious ab-activators, and here’s how these exercises work. When you have a dumbbell or kettlebell on one side of your body, your abs must fight gravity to keep your body level.
Try these…
1 Walking With A Kettlebell In One Hand
Pick a heavy kettlebell and take it for a walk with you, walk 20m in one direction, put it down the pick it up with the hand that was just doing nothing, now walk back.
If your abs weren’t activated, you’d buckle over.
2 One Arm Dumbbell Bench Press
When you’re lying on a bench with the dumbbell or kettlebell in one hand, it’s hard to keep your balance. What that means is, your abs work hard to keep your body stable.
What’s great about one-arm and one-leg exercises is this, more muscles are activated.
Natural Ways To Get Abs
Natural exercises are great for you because they work your abs in a functional way.
Here’s some natural ab exercises…
Chopping Wood
Maybe you live on a farm or can access one and there’s firewood that needs chopping… the wood chopping movement uses your abs. And if you chop enough wood over time you’ll get abs.
Slamming A Sledgehammer Into A Tyre
Maybe you’ve seen one of those hard-core fitness places where they slam big sledgehammers into a truck tire. Well, those people aren’t just doing that to look hard-core for Instagram.
Sledgehammer slamming is a great fitness exercise, and you’re using your abs. That’s right, slam your way to abs. And it’s a great exercise for releasing built-up tension, anger, or anxiety. (I’m serious)
Ab Machines You Wouldn’t Bother With
Marcy Adjustable Hyperextension Roman Chair
The Marcy Adjustable Hyperextension Roman Chair is more for your back, glutes, and hamstrings, to buy it solely for abs is a waste of money. Get an ab roller instead. Plus if you’ve got limited space, this takes up room.
Ab Coaster
I highly doubt gymnasts use this machine to get their insane abs. This is a gimmick for lazy people who think they can get abs sitting on their backside.
Adjustable Decline Ab Workout Bench
These aren’t the best ab machines because, if you compare the adjustable decline bench to the ab roller or gymnastic rings. The Ab roller and gymnastic rings win.
Why Can’t I See Abs?
I thought we’d take a short interlude here away from all the wonderful pieces of equipment you can use to get abs and take a look at why you may not see abs.
The only reason anyone can’t see their abs is fat. Body fat covers abs which hides them from view.
Understand, crunches and things like adjustable hyperextension roman chair, decline ab workout bench and other things like that don’t burn fat off your abs.
All the exercises above I’ve run through so far, can’t magically make abs appear if your body fat is high.
To See Abs You’ve Got To Lower Your Body Fat
How do you do that?
Clean up your nutrition and do strength training.
Expensive ab machines aren’t magical unicorns that instantly grant you abs.
What you eat plays a significant role in you getting shredded six-pack abs you want.
Are Home Workouts Effective For Abs?
Yes, they are hyper-effective.
Hey listen…
The effectiveness of any workout comes down to the intensity of the workout, exercise selection, and the effectiveness of the person doing the workout.
It’s like anything in life, know either know what you’re doing, or you don’t.
It’d be easy to say home workouts suck and they don’t work. Thing is, if someone had shallow training knowledge then yeah, home workouts would suck.
What Equipment Is Best For Abs?
It’s easy to get laser-focused on equipment that “makes abs.” But like I mentioned just above, if your nutrition isn’t dialed in, and your strength training sucks, you’re going to struggle to get abs.
The Best Equipment For Abs:
- A healthy eating plan
- Strength training
- Gymnastic rings
- A chin-up bar
- Ab wheel
- Resistance bands
Beyond that, it’s about how you use that equipment and a few other exercises sprinkled in there like:
- Wood-Choppers
- Planks
- Hollow Rocks
- Wall Walks
There’s a tonne of exercise you can do with resistance bands that’ll nail your abs.
If you’re working out with Gymnastic rings, they are potent ab makers. Just take a look at an Olympic Gymnast and you’ll see some insane abs.
A lot of lazy people get caught up in gimmicks, and sure I can see why, the gimmick appears to be a fast option to six-pack abs.
If there was an easy way to get abs, everyone would have crazy abs, but they don’t.
If You Can’t See Your Abs What’s The Best Thing To Do?
Take a look at your nutrition, write down everything you eat over a 4 day period. Then go back over it.
Are you eating clean protein sources? Are you eating vegetables and fruit?
Here’s a real quick way to clean up your diet and see some abs. Eat similar meals. This is where your lunch and dinner are similar day in, day out.
Why do this?
Because it makes it quick and easy to make adjustments and get results. Here’s an example of a meal.
Protein source with 3-5 different veggies, and some sweet potato or rice. Flavour your food with natural spices without sugar or a chili sauce without sugar.
Many physique athletes, athletes, and people who want to make things easy for themselves eat similar meals.
Why do they eat this way?
You don’t have to weigh and measure all your food, you’re eating from all the food groups, and the calories you’re eating are healthy.
If you put on weight, you eat a little less. If you lose weight fro your gut keep doing what you’re doing. And let’s get clear on weight. When you gain weight you want it to be muscle, when you lose weight you want it to be fat.
You never want to lose fat at the expense of muscle. Strength train to avoid this.
Wrapping Up Best Ab Machines
You don’t need to spend big money on ab machines. An exercise ball works your abs more effectively than most ab machines on the market.
The best of the bunch is an ab roller, gymnastic rings, and resistance bands. There’s nothing else you need to buy for abs.
Then you focus on your nutrition. , health fitness and strength training.
