The Exercise Machines To Use For A Flat Stomach

When it comes to obtaining a flat stomach, spot reduction is not possible. Although you might be led to believe otherwise by infomercial hosts, you cannot reduce stomach fat by doing a particular exercise over and over again. However, you can tone and tighten your abdominal area as you lose weight through your entire body. This game plan requires the use of cardiovascular and ab training machines.

Treadmill

A treadmill is a calorie-burning, fat-melting machine that has a speed and incline adjustment. Working out at any pace helps burn fat in your stomach, but, the faster you go, the better your results. Sprinting for example, not only causes a high caloric expenditure, but it also boosts your resting metabolism. An even greater bonus of sprinting is that it causes you to forcefully contract your abs to generate power and stabilize your spine.

Bike

An exercise bike is an option that burns calories without causing severe impact on your joints. These bikes come in upright and recumbent styles, with the latter having a bucket seat and backrest. Both have resistance adjustments that allow you to pedal more intensely. This boosts your caloric output and causes you to contract your abs with emphasis. If you suffer from back pain, the recumbent bike is a better option.

Elliptical Trainer

An elliptical trainer is another low-impact machine that simulates cross-country skiing. The dual action of moving poles back and forth with your arms while gliding on foot pedals causes you to work your upper and lower body at the same time. You also have to engage your abs to maintain balance and produce force. Ellipticals come with resistance, incline and stride length adjustments. Most machines also have an option to pedal in reverse, which taxes your muscles differently.

Captain's Chair

The captain's chair is a popular ab training machine operated with the weight of your body. The top of the machine has padded supports for your forearms and a padded backrest. During the leg-hip raise, your body is pressed against these supports as you pull your knees up to your chest. This is a basic exercise on the machine, but you also have the option of doing variations to increase your muscle-fiber recruitment. Pulling your legs up at an angle toward your shoulder, for example, shifts more emphasis to the obliques on the sides of the stomach.

Ab Crunch

The ab crunch machine targets the upper and lower abs simultaneously. This machine has a lower padded support to hook your feet under, handles behind your head and seat that folds in half. The crunch is performed by bending at the waist and moving your elbows toward your knees. Unlike the captain's chair, this machine comes with a weight stack. This allows you to change the resistance by sliding a pin into a slot.