About Seated Abdominal Exercise Machines

Seated ab machines, commonly found in gyms, place you in a fixed position where you perform trunk and hip flexion against resistance. This method, however, often puts some users at risk for injury in the spine and hips because of their deconditioned bodies, excessive stress in the joints and poor posture.

Types

There are two main types of seated abdominal machines. The resistance type uses the pin and weight stack pulley system that allows you to control how much resistance you want when you perform trunk flexion. The non-resistance type, like the Ab Lounge and other similar devices, rely on your own body weight to provide the resistance.

Abdominal Function

Your abdominal muscles work more than just trunk flexion. According to Vern Gambetta, director of Gambetta Sports Training Systems, your abdominal muscles are part of the body's core, which consists of all the muscles and fasciae in your trunk, spine, hips, pelvic floor muscles and inner thighs. The core stabilizes and protects your spine and organs from injury during movement and is your body's source of strength and balance. It moves in different directions and angles at different speeds. Having a strong core will also improve your posture and prevent problems associated with poor posture, such as low back and hip pain, shoulder and back stiffness, and migraines.

Misconceptions

Many people who want to lose body fat in their abs and waistline (spot reduction) do repetitive exercises that target those specific areas, like with the ab exercise machines. However, your body does not burn body fat in specific areas because the fat-burning process involves your entire body. In fact, doing repetitive exercises with resistance can cause the muscles to increase in size, resulting in a bigger stomach.

Warning

Although abdominal machines provide some stimulus for strength and hypertrophy of the superficial muscles, they do not train your core in the way it is designed to move in the real world. If you have existing lower back and hip stiffness, pain or arthritis, this method of training will make your condition worse with the excessive stress and repetitive motion. Sitting in a fixed position and doing repetitive trunk flexion in one plane of motion is not the best way to train your abs.

Expert Insight

Instead of doing ab exercises with a machines, use methods that will train your body with natural movement patterns in different directions and speeds. Sample exercises include the chop and lift patterns with a resistance tubing, the plank position on a stability ball or on the ground, hip bridges and regular sit-ups. Also, when you are performing exercises in a standing position or any unsupported positions, such as squats, lunges, push-ups and pull-ups, you are training your abs at the same time.