During the course of the day, your abs get worked repeatedly with basic and complex movements. You not only need strong abs for force production, but also to maintain a stable spine. Workout machines give you the ability to tax your muscles with the assistance of lever arms and padded supports. These machines work all areas of your abdomen, which is important for full development.
Captain's Chair
A captain's chair is a bodyweight-oriented machine that has a backrest, lower foot holds and padded forearm supports. According to the the American Council on Exercise, the captain's chair causes over 300 percent activation in the obliques and over 200 percent in the rectus abdominis. The rectus abdominis is the large muscle in the center of the stomach, and the obliques run diagonally along the sides of the stomach. A basic exercise on this machine is the reverse crunch, in which you pull your knees up toward your torso while your upper body is braced against the padded supports. To increase resistance with this machine is by wearing ankle weights.
Seated Crunch
The seated ab crunch works the upper and lower rectus abdominis simultaneously. This machine has a pin-adjusted weight stack, padded backrest and seat, and handles above your head to grip with your hands. Unlike the motion of a regular crunch when you are lying on the floor, this machine allows you to move your knees up and elbows down at the same time. This is in turn works the lower and upper abs. When doing this exercise, make sure to keep your shoulders pressed against the padded support at all times, and do not move your head downward.
Torso Twist
The torso twist is a specially designed machine that targets the obliques. This is set up to be used in a kneeling position. Your knees get placed on a movable lever arm, and you press your chest against a padded upper support throughout the exercise. To use the machine, grasp the handles with your chest against the padded support, and twist your knees to one side of your body. The lever arm has a pin-adjustment to change the direction of your twist. Once you finish a set on one side, pull the pin, spin the lever arm around and work your other side. In similar fashion to the seated crunch, the torso twist has a weight stack with pin.
Cable Machine
A cable machine has two weights spaced about 10 feet apart with a horizontal support that runs between two vertical columns. The weight stacks have pulleys attached that slide up and down and allow you to do ab exercises, such as crunches and chops. These exercises require the use of single handles and ropes. The horizontal support has a pullup bar attached. This too can be used for abdominal exercises, such as hanging leg-hip raises.
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