The Torso Track and captain's chair were the only ab machines found to be more effective than regular floor crunches in a recent study commissioned by the American Council on Exercise, while the Ab Roller was found to be only nominally more effective than a traditional crunch at working the ab muscles. The captain's chair is typically found in a gym, but the other machines are for in home use. If you are looking to tone your abs with a machine, try exercises on these three machines. The captain's chair was rated highest.
Captain's Chair
Leg raises are the exercise performed on a captain's chair. The captain's chair is sometimes called a Roman chair, but should not be confused with the inclined Roman chair that is used for back extensions. Leg raises are simple exercises that are hard to do. All you have to do is lift your knees toward your chest, but at the same time your upper body is stabilized on the chair by your abs. To begin, place your back against th machine and step onto the side rails. Grab the handles and firmly place your arms on the arm pads with your elbows bent. The elbows line up with the shoulders. Position your neck in line with your spine and look straight ahead. Step of the side rails and straighten your legs. Then, pull your knees up into your chest. Lower the legs straight again to complete the exercise.
Torso Track
The Torso Track consists of a metal track that lies on the floor with a handle on each side of the track. By holding onto the handles and moving your torso forward and backward as you slide on the machine, your abs work to stabilize your body. The torso track exercise is similar to a roll-out on an exercise ball because there, too, your upper body is supported on a movable object and the back stays straight as the torso moves first forward and toward the floor and then backwards and up. To use a Torso Track, kneel at one end of the machine and grab the handles with your arms straight. Begin with your hips and knees in line and your hands and shoulders in line. Keep your back parallel to the floor. Then, slide your hand forward and lower your torso toward the machine while still maintaining a flat back. Reverse the movement and return to start.
Ab Roller
Using an Ab Roller allows you to do a floor crunch while resting on the machine. The Ab Roller ensures that you curl your back and roll your body upwards in proper crunch position without straining your neck. The Ab Roller crunch is done lying on your back with your neck, shoulders and arms on the machine. The arms hold the bars with the palms facing forward. The knees are bent with the feet on the floor. Then, roll yourself forward with light pressure from your arms and use your abs to raise your head and upper back off the floor. Roll back down smoothly.
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