The Best Workout Equipment For Abs

It's hard to open a magazine, peruse a catalog or turn on your television without seeing an ad or infomercial for abdominal exercise machines, but some equipment is more effective than others. The best abdominal equipment either places the body in an advantageous body position, facilitates high rectus abdominis and oblique activity, engages the deep core muscles or increases the exercise range of motion. If you are purchasing equipment for home use, choose versatile products that offer a variety of exercise options.

Captain's Chair

The American Council on Exercise recruited Dr. Peter Francis of the biomechanics lab at the University of San Diego and his research team to determine the best abdominal exercises. They used electromyography to test the muscle subjects abdominal muscle recruitment activity during the various exercises. In results published in 2001, the captain's chair, a type of abdominal equipment found in commercial gyms, ranked high on the list. The captain's chair is an upright abdominal exerciser, which has a back pad and two pads to support your forearms. To use, stand with your back against the back pad and your forearms against the forearm pads. Draw your belly in and bring your knees toward your chest. Slowly extend your legs and return to the starting position. Add oblique training by bringing your knees toward your shoulders.

Stability Ball

The stability ball, which is more versatile than the captain's chair, also earned high marks in the American Council on Exercise study. This unstable exercise device challenges your balance and requires you to use your deeper abdominal muscles for stability. For crunches, sit on the ball and walk down until your spine rests against the ball's surface. Flex your upper spine, moving your rib cage toward your pelvis. Add challenge and increase the exercise's range of motion by extending your spine over the back of the ball. Work your obliques by rotating your torso so that your shoulder moves toward your opposite hip. Perform a reverse curl by assuming a supine position on the mat, lifting your legs, placing the ball between your inner thighs and lifting your pelvis from the floor. The ball also facilitates prone abdominal exercise. Assume a push-up position with your feet on the ball. Draw your belly in and bend your knees, bringing them to your chest. This is similar to the captain's chair exercise, and may be a preferable variation for people with tight hip flexors.

Adjustable Slant Boards

Adjustable slant boards use the force of gravity to add challenge or assist with the exercise. Performing sit-ups with your feet on the high end and your head on the low end forces your abdominal muscles to work uphill against the forces of gravity, thereby making the exercise more challenging. In an article on the CriticalBench.com website, certified trainer Nick Nilsson, vice president of BetterU, Inc., an Internet-based personal training company, advises beginners to perform crunches with their head on the high end and their feet on the low end. This alleviates neck and hip flexor tension, making it easier to perform the exercise. Performing reverse curls with your head on the high end and your feet on the low end forces the lower fibers of your abdominal muscles to work uphill, and adds significant challenge to the exercise.

Other Options

Some manufacturers design a product that supports the neck during abdominal crunches. These devices consist of a metal support frame, a neck support and an attached exercise mat. "Popular Mechanics" offered positive analysis of this design feature with some models, and the results of a 1999 study published in "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise" note that this type of device can be effective for the upper abdominal muscles.