Buying a gym membership or purchasing your own equipment for a home gym can be a serious financial investment. You'll be spending money on something that you have to work at on a daily basis in order to see results. If you're wondering if spending money on the gym is right for you, consider the area of your body that you'd like to tone and strengthen. If your abs are your problem area, you should know which machines will benefit your bid for a flatter stomach and stronger abs.
Ab Machines
Certain machines and equipment on the weight lifting floor can help you tone your abs for a stronger core. Some machines are heavy-duty, like the back extension or ab press. Each focus specifically on the ab muscles. Others, like a cable tower or Smith machine, allow you to focus on other areas of your body while engaging your core. Still, you needn't focus only on complete gyms and specific equipment. A large exercise ball offers resistance for crunches and planks for a more cost-effective way to build abdominal muscle.
Cardio Machines
The weight lifting floor offers machines that allow you to target and strengthen your midsection, but if you have excess fat on your body, you may not see full results until you add cardiovascular activity to your workout. Luckily, a gym allows you a variety of options when it comes to raising your heart rate for an effective aerobic workout. A treadmill can help you run indoors during inclement weather, while an elliptical machine is ideal if you suffer from bone or joint pain. Spend at least 30 minutes on cardio equipment in order to burn fat and see the fruit of your labors.
Classes
Spending time on your own in a commercial or home gym allows you to target your abdominal muscles, but if you find yourself bored by your workout, taking classes or doing home fitness DVDs can make you feel more enthusiastic about exercising. Most commercial gyms have a bevy of classes to choose from. Some that can benefit your abdominal muscles include Pilates, kickboxing, pump classes and yoga. Classes put you under the instruction of certified teachers while you learn a new method of exercise.
Outside of the Gym
While heading to the gym can certainly work your abs, there is no such thing as spot reduction in the world of health and fitness. Even if your belly is your most prominent problem area, you must lose weight and inches from the rest of your body in order to see results, which is why a gym isn't the only step in getting flatter abs. Your diet will have a significant bearing on the shape of your abs. By eating five or six small meals per day and focusing on meals that are low calorie but highly nutritive, you can sync your diet with your workout to get flatter, more toned abs.
References
- "The Six-Week Bikini Countdown: Tone Your Butt, Abs, and Thighs Fast Combining Pilates with Select Strength and Cardio Interval Training Workouts"; Karon Karter; 2008
- "Fitness"; The 5 Best Machines for Women; Liz Neporent
- "Women's Health"; Eat These Diet Foods to Get Abs ; Dec. 2010
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