Nov 21 2009
Ab Exercise Machines
There have been countless infomercials for ab exercise machines. Will they work for you as promised?
If you’re considering buying one, you want to read this first…
Infomercials advertising abdominal machines are made to make you believe that a gadget can give you lean, hard abs.
The truth is that a machine can help – if you already have low body fat. For men, body fat levels need to be around 10% for ab muscles to be visible. For women, body fat percentage needs to be 14 – 18%.
If you have fat covering your abs, you need to lose the fat with a sound exercise and nutrition program before you buy any equipment.
Ab Exercise Machines Pros and Cons
Some of the benefits of ab machines are…
1. They add variety. Using an ab machine can challenge your muscles a little differently than what they’re used to.
2. They can make your routine interesting. Doing the same rotation of exercises over and over can become a drag. Using new equipment can help keep things interesting.
3. Ab machines isolate your abdominal muscles. They’re usually made to target your abs specifically. If you have a low body fat percentage and you want to define your abs, isolation is good for that.
The thing you should know about ab gadgets like belts and machines is that they can’t melt fat off your stomach. You can harden and strengthen your abs by using machines and equipment, but you can’t lose fat from your abs by using them.
Also, abusing ab machines can cause muscular imbalance, and that can be potentially dangerous! Your abs and lower back muscles work together whenever you move or pick up things.
Ab machines concentrate on your ab muscles. If your abs become much stronger than your lower back muscles, it creates a potentially dangerous imbalance.
Hopefully you now have an idea about whether or not you should buy an ab exercise machine!
Terrence Banks has a site about building muscle fast. You can read more about ab exercise machines and the fastest way to build muscle.