The Best Way to Sculpt Your Abs

By Jacquie Cattanach

There are so many choices for people looking for ab exercise equipment. I am not a big fan of traditional sit-ups or crunches. These exercises tend to be hard on my back and I do not get the in-depth work out that should when I do old-fashioned sit-ups or crunches because my neck usually gets a better workout then my abdominal.

Ab exercise equipment is great to use as it will specifically target your abs and help to isolate the muscle groups such as the rectus abdominus (the flat muscle that runs the length of your abdomen) or the obliques which extend along the sides of your abdomen at an angle. This helps to make your workouts very specific. Performing ab exercises "freestyle" (or without equipment), it is too easy to cheat yourself or take subconscious shortcuts in your workout routine. For instance, it is very easy to lose form while doing crunches. It is also easy to rely on your arms and neck to pull your weight instead of your abdominal muscles. When you rely on your neck and arms to pull your weight you are not accomplishing anything for your abdominal muscles. The ab exercise equipment helps you position yourself comfortably and it helps you work on your target area.

Ab exercise equipment can also be a great motivator for some of us. It is much more appealing to work out on a machine than it is to work out on a floor. This additional motivation is the key to a consistent workout. Consistent workouts lead to results. Buying an ab exercise machine can give you a push in the right direction in your workout program. This alone is worth the purchase.

A couple pieces of exercise equipment that have been proven to provide the best ab exercises are surprisingly simple and economical to obtain. Two that I will mention here are the exercise ball and the ab roller. Exercises performed on the exercise ball not only are great at working your abdominal muscles but also increase core strength as well. If you own an exercise ball, you can also perform many other exercises for your body or simply use it as a chair and work on your core strength. With an ab roller, it makes it very easy to target only your abdominals. Ab rollers also usually have a cushioned headrest which reduces stress on your neck. You are building muscle while working out on the ab exercise machines and since muscle burns more calories, this is a good thing. Consistent workouts on the equipment lead to consistent calorie burning, which leads the loss of fat.

Some argue that ab exercise equipment does nothing to improve your workout. You may be able to achieve the same results with traditional abdominal exercises without any equipment. And for the few die-hard exercise gurus (who I admire greatly) that are focused and consistent, this may be true. For the other 90% of the population, the ab exercise equipment helps you do the exercises correctly. When shopping for ab equipment, you will find that many pieces of equipment also come with videos with specific workouts to do. These videos are usually very motivational and will provide the added incentive most of us need to get started. If you never get started, you never see results.

To find out more info go to: www.howtosculptabs.cjb.net