When using machines to tone and tighten the midsection, it is recommended that you focus on a machine that delivers strong muscular contractions that last for more than a few seconds. There are a lot of abdominal machines, and some are more effective than others. The machines that are proven more effective are those that lead to a long contraction from the midsection, as opposed to quick and repetitive contractions.
The Captain's Chair
According to The American Council of Exercise, this machine is known to deliver a thorough abdominal workout. This machine allows you rest your back against an upright padded area, while your arms are rested on arm stands that support your body while your legs are hanging down. By lifting and lowering your legs with the strength of the midsection, you are prolonging muscular contractions, thus providing a thorough abdominal exercise. This machine also provides an array of exercises. You can lift your legs straight so that they are parallel to the ground to tone your core, or you can bend your legs and bring your knees side to side to tone your obliques. While this machine will successfully target the midsection, it is large and difficult to store inside.
The Ab Wheel
The ab wheel is very different from the captain's chair: It is merely a wheel with handles that allows you to roll forward and back with the strength of your abs while your knees are positioned on the ground. This machine also is effective because it delivers a long muscular contraction. While this machine might be easy to store in your home, it does not provide many exercises. You can only roll forward and back, making it difficult to exercise other areas of the midsection. A newer model, the power wheel, uses your feet to roll forward and back, rather than your arms. This also provides a thorough workout, with more exercises than the standard ab wheel.
Crunch Machines
Crunch machines have different names, such as The Ab Sculptor and The Ab Shaper .While these machines come in many forms, they all deliver an exercise in the form of a crunch. According to "Newsweek," crunches are useless because of the brief muscular contractions. While crunches do contract the abs, the contraction is far from effective. Crunch machines might not lead to a thorough abdominal workout, but they do provide back and neck support to prevent strains and allow you to lift for the crunch with your abs rather than your upper back.
Considerations
The abdominal exercise that is the most effective is the exercises that delivers the longer contraction, so you should do each abdominal exercises slowly and with a controlled motion to ensure that you are using great strength from your midsection. Consult your physician before partaking in any strength training regimen and remember to stretch before and after each workout.
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