Shaistha Khan
Do you want ripped abs like your favorite movie star? And do you wonder what could be the best way to get them? Abs are the trend right now, and no wonder most of us want to flaunt them!
Using the right equipment is the best way of achieving the kind of body you want. And this post talks about the top machines that help you get those well-toned abs! Want to check them out? Read on!
Ab Exercise Equipments – Top 21:
1. Sit Up Benches:
Abs bench is the most common and frequently used abs exercise equipment. It is available in almost all gyms or fitness centers as the bench can be used for a variety of exercises. They are useful for both beginners or advanced trainers. The ab bench is also known as an adjustable sit-up machine, as you can adjust (increase or decrease) the angle of the bench. A steep angle adds more resistance and hence, is harder to work on. Likewise, a wider angle is easier to do and more appropriate for beginners. They assist in strengthening the core muscles.
- Lie down with your back on the bench.
- Place your feet under the foot pads and keep your arms across your chest, look at the ceiling and crunch. When crunching up, lift your shoulders off the bench, ensuring that you do not lift your lower back off the bench.
- Hold the position for 30 seconds. Lower yourself and come back to the starting position. Controlled movements are the key to strengthening core muscles such as the rectus abdominis, side abs, and obliques.
[ Read: Home Gym Equipment Guide to For Your Gym ]
2. Abs Swing:
The Abs Swing is one of those machines that have constantly been disputed about. Does it work or is it just another exercise machine that you should write off? Any kind of abs fitness equipment, when combined with fat-burning exercises and a proper diet will show results. The abs swing has a pivot seat with handles on either side and is meant to work the lower and upper halves.
- Sit on the seat and secure your feet with the straps at the bottom.
- Focus on your lower abs and contract them as you pull your knees towards your chest. Hold the position for 10 seconds and then lower your legs. The abs swing works your upper abs, side obliques and strengthens your lower back.
3. Captain’s Chair:
The Captain’s Chair is an exercise machine with a suspended backrest and armrests on either side. Similar to the pull-up bar, you suspend your weight on the armrests, with your back firmly to the backrest and your feet off the floor.
- A simple abdominal exercise that you can perform on the Captain’s chair is to bend your knees together and raise them to the waist level. While performing the exercise, you got to make sure you do not move your upper body and are consciously contracting your abdomen.
- Like the pull-up bar, this machine works your rectus abdominis, obliques, and pelvis.
4. Foam Roller:
The Foam Roller is a versatile exercise equipment for abs. Although it was originally used to relieve muscle tightness and tension, it has been adapted as a strength-training tool. The foam roller is a total-body workout tool that helps in toning your key muscles like the arms, thighs, and abdomen. Because of its shape, it is used to strengthen the core muscles and improve balance. For your abdomen, you can perform the following exercise using a foam roller.
- Lie down on your back and keep the roller under your knees.
- Keep your hands by your side and pull your knees towards your chest.
- Hold the position for 10 seconds and return. Complete 10 repetitions. This crunch variation using a foam roller is effective for firming and developing your lower abdominals.
[Read:Â Foam Roller Exercises]
5. Kettlebell:
Kettlebells are weights that are used for weight training. With a handle on the top, they look like a cross between a dumbbell and a cannonball. One kettlebell exercise that specifically targets your abdominal muscles is the Kettlebell Windmill.
- Standing with feet apart, hold the kettlebell in your left hand.
- Raise the kettlebell above your head and turn your torso towards the right.
- Engage the muscles on your left side. After 10 repetitions, switch sides. This specific exercise engages your entire core, the rectus abdominis and your obliques.
6. Ab Wheels:
At a first glance, the Abs Wheel seems like a fairly simple machine to work on. However, there’s much more to it than what meets the eye. It looks like a small dumbbell on wheels that you can hold on to at each side.
- To perform the exercise, get down on your hands and knees.
- Hold on to the abs wheel and roll yourself forward to form a straight line (lift your knees off the floor and contract your abs.) Hold this position for 30 seconds. Using your abs, (and not your back or hips) pull yourself back to the starting position. It is extremely effective in strengthening core muscles, upper and lower abdomen, obliques, lower back, arms, shoulders, waist, thighs, and legs.
The movement of the ab wheel works on the abs and develops the lower back. Moreover, the wheels are easy to use and store and can be taken anywhere.
7. Pull-Up/Chin-Up Bars:
Did you know that a simple bar can be used to tone your abdomen muscles? You would think that using the pull-up bar will only build your upper body, arms and back. However, pull-up bars provide an intense routine that strengthens and builds your lower, upper and oblique muscles. When using a pull-up bar, one of the best abdominal exercises is the scissor-kick.
- Holding on to the bar, raise your right leg in a straight line so that it is parallel to the floor.
- While you lower your right leg, raise your left leg simultaneously. Thus, mimicking a scissor’s motion. This exercise works your lower rectus abdominis, obliques, pectorals, and biceps.
8. Exercise/Stability Ball:
Although the Stability Ball is not exactly a “machine,” it is one of the most effective equipments that tone your midsection. The stability ball is a huge and inflatable rubber ball that is used for several purposes, ranging from strengthening core muscles and increasing balance to improve posture, physical therapy, and rehabilitation. Ball workouts can be used in many ways to train the full body and make daily exercising more enjoyable.
- Sit on the ball, as you would sit on a chair, keeping your feet flat on the floor. If you have never used a stability ball before, this will take some practice, as it is hard to maintain your balance on the ball.
- Position your arms behind your head and lower yourself backward. Hold the position for 30 seconds and then come back upward, contracting your muscles. The stability ball will strengthen and develop your abs.
9. Bosu Balance Trainer:
Just like the stability ball, the Bosu Balance Trainer (or Bosu Ball) looks like a stability ball, cut in half and placed on a platform. Both sides can be used for training. One of the most common and effective abs workout equipments on the Bosu ball is the plank.
- Place the ball side down and position yourself into a plank with your elbows on the platform and your body straight.
- Suck in your stomach and keep your core tight. Hold this plank position for 20 seconds. The Bosu ball makes your usual plank more challenging because you need to work harder at maintaining your balance, working your transverse abdominal muscles, obliques, glutes, quadriceps, and hamstrings.
10. Rowing Machine:
The Rowing Machine is designed to replicate outdoor rowing with mechanical oars on either side.
- Sitting on the sliding seat, users have to row with both the oars. Resistance and speed can be adjusted, thereby working every large muscle group in the body.
- The rowing motion consists of 4 moves: the catch, the drive, the finish and the recovery. During each of these moves, you work your legs, shoulders, arms, back muscles, glutes, hamstrings, and quads. The best part is that the core is engaged throughout the strokes that the rower performs.
- Increase the resistance to feel the contraction.
11. Adjustable Sit Up Machines:
The best types of sit up benches are the adjustable ab benches – in which you can adjust the angle of the board, thus altering the resistance according to your workout needs. Besides sit ups, it can be used for a wide variety of ab exercises like crunches, leg raising, twists and so on.
[ Read: Benefits Of Ab Doer Twist Exercises ]
12. Ab Chairs:
Ab chairs are both comfortable and safe for anybody to use. Their main advantage over a bench is that they are structured in a way such that the back is protected. The ab chair helps to stimulate the crunch using a folding mechanism. Here, you need to use your abs to lift your legs when you use it. This motion results in the stimulation of the lower muscles. It is good for beginners as it does not need an existing strong core.
13. Ab Gliders:
An Ab glider is designed to make exercising a pleasure. Gliders have a special design which forces you to stimulate the crunch. The complete movement is controlled by the machine while training all the muscles. It also focuses on the shoulders and the back. As ab gliders are larger machines, you can use them for an entire body workout.
14. Ab Rollers:
Ab rollers are a great way to stimulate the body’s upper muscles. Ab rollers are essential to developing the upper part of your abdominals. The best advantage of this tool is that it provides support to the neck and helps avoid strains. It is a good tool for women who do core exercises, especially if they are beginners.
15. Ab Slide:
An Ab slide is a fairly inexpensive home fitness machine that helps get a flat stomach. It also assists in efficiently working the entire body. It is useful for both beginners and advanced trainers, and it can be used anywhere because of its small size. Due to the continuous resistance, an ab roller trains the midsection effectively.
16. Resistance Bands:
The resistance band can be used in many ways to enhance common core exercises such as crunches, sit-ups and so on. This tool helps to strengthen ab muscles and also supports the belly fat burning process. You can do efficient workouts with the band, and as resistance grows progressively, it improves health, flexibility and agility of the person.
17. Ab Power Wheel:
The Ab power wheel is a powerful tool that works out the entire core. They are inexpensive and suitable for any fitness level. The Power Wheel comes with a foot pedal which lets you perform more types of exercises to work the midsection with upper body moves.
18. Power Tower Stations:
Power towers are among the most complicated home gym machines that allow you to do many dynamic body weight exercises. With this kind of machine, you will be able to perform all bodyweight exercises such as push ups, pull ups, ab exercises and so on.
19. Ab Carver:
The Ab Carver comes with a unique technology which aids in performing effective abdominal workouts. It has a strong spring inside, which serves to perform better. This also encourages performing the motion precisely to work your abdomen efficiently.
20. Ab Crunch Machine:
The ab crunch machine supports the neck and gives a full range of motion. The resistance can be set and maximum abdominal contraction can be achieved which is important for effective core training. It helps you to strengthen your entire midsection efficiently.
21. Dumbbells:
Dumbbells are also effective tools for ab training. First you spend time doing various body weight core training until you gain enough strength. Then try the ab exercises. Gradually increase the amount of weights you use.
There are many machines available today that can help you tone your abs. When you get one, choose wisely, for it should meet your requirements, not be too expensive and also has to be easy to store. Moreover, it should help you in exercising and toning your entire body. Right from working your abs, it should also help in developing shoulders, obliques, glutes and the lower part of the body. Along with the right equipment you will need to shed fat by doing cardio exercises and eat the right diet to have visible and well-defined muscles.
Do you know of any other ab exercise equipment that helps one get strong and sexy abs? Share with us in the comments section below!