When you think of flattening the abs, generally the first thing that comes to mind are crunches, sit-ups and leg raises. You can perform all of these exercises on machines, and they are effective at building the abs, but there is more to the story when it comes to achieving a flat stomach.
Spot Reduction Myth
When you perform ab exercise, you work the rectus abdominus and obliques, which are on the sides of the stomach. The idea of doing repetitive ab exercises to flatten the stomach is called spot reduction and it is a myth. This makes ab machines only part of the solution. They will help you create stronger muscles, but they will not contribute to flatness by themselves.
Fat Loss
When it comes to flattening the abs, you have to focus your attention on overall fat loss. To achieve this goal, you need to do cardiovascular exercise which burns calories efficiently. The best cardio machine depends on your personal preference and current health status. If you do not have any joint or back issues, a treadmill is sufficient. If you cannot take the impact that a treadmill causes, choose an elliptical machine, exercise bike, stair climber or rower. Each one of these machines causes you to move in a steady and repetitive motion. As you do this, your heart rate becomes elevated, your core temperature rises and you burn calories. To effectively lose weight, the American College of Sports Medicine recommends 60 to 90 minutes of physical activity, five days a week.
Captain's Chair
The captain's chair is a machine that uses the weight of the lower body to work the abs. In an American Council on Exercise commissioned study, the captain's chair exercise ranks second to the bicycle maneuver in rectus abdominus activity and first in oblique activity. To use the captain's chair, place your feet on the foot rests, grasp the hand pegs and lean back against the backrest. Carefully remove your feet from the rests and let your legs hang straight down. Keeping your upper body still, draw your knees up toward your chest. Lower them back down slowly and repeat.
Torso Twist Machine
The torso twist machine specifically targets the obliques and you kneel in the machine. To begin, pin your chest against the upright pads, grasp the handles with both hands and twist your lower body to your left side as far as possible. Slowly return to the starting point, repeat for a set of reps and switch sides. When using this machine, keep your chest tight to the pad throughout. You can increase the resistance on the torso twist by sliding a pin into a weight stack.
Cable Machines
Cable machines have weight stacks with sliding pulleys that move up and down. One side of the machine can be used to do chops. Chops target the entire abdominal area, as well as the lower back, and you use a single handle. Attach the handle to a location that is about chest-high. While standing between the weight stacks, grab the handle with your hands overlapping and hold it straight toward the stack where the handle is attached. Keeping your lower body still, rotate your torso to the opposite direction quickly as you move your arms across your body. Slowly return to the starting position and repeat. You can shift the emphasis of chops by moving the handle higher or lower on the machine.
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