It’s not as easy as it used to be when looking for ab exercise equipment. Well, that might have been the case a few years back because there were a small number of choices to select from, but that’s definitely not the case now. Several plyometrics and fitness experts have developed various versions of ab exercise machines, each promising to give you six pack abs after a certain length of time or weeks.

In order to decide on which equipment is most effective for you, it might help to understand first how this machine evolved. Here’s a quick look at how ab machines have advanced with technology.

Sit-ups: Before the Machine

Even before the very first abdominal machine was invented many individuals recognized the importance of having strong abdominal muscles. In those days, to be able to develop these muscles, people used to do sit-ups for a long time. However, it was later discovered that this particular exercise leads to pain in the lower back region. If sit-ups aren’t performed correctly it can cause unnecessary strain on the back muscles as it compensates for the extra work on the stomach muscles. This eventually led to increase in cases of back aches and back muscle spasms.

Integrated All-body Workout Machines

When people began going to the gym for muscle toning, a variety of equipment were built to address different muscle groups in the body. The early gym machines targeted several muscles simultaneously, the biceps, triceps, shoulders, back, etc. This enabled the user a variety of exercise movements with different resistence settings using counterweights attached to bars by cables. One disadvantage was that they were big and bulky, difficult to move and were very expensive.

Tension-Balanced Abdominal Equipment

Fitness experts influenced by the idea of counterweights came up with the idea to target specific muscle groups like the ab muscles. That and the popularity of developing six pack abs gave birth to the idea of abdominal machines.

To address portability, the first abdominal exercise machines were lightweight, usually foldable and made use of springs and elastics instead of weights. They forced the user to mimic the action of sit-ups but added difficulty levels in the form of tension settings. They were crude, but they allowed the user to target the abdominal muscles.

Abdominal Rollers

It was later determined there are less dangerous forms of movement that address stomach muscles without having to stress the back so much. Gradually it developed into what we refer to as ab rollers. Like their predecessors, these rollers were also light-weight and often collapsible, some even came in the form of rubber balls. By simulating crunches as opposed to sit-ups the rollers provides more support and less chance of the back muscles overcompensating for the abdominal workout routines, thus decreasing the chances of potential injury. They were without a doubt safer, but people questioned whether they are more effective than the previous abdominal exercise equipment.

Up to now, more and more versions of the abdominal exercise equipment are being developed. And until a sure-fire way of getting the six-pack ab look is developed, even more ab machines will be produced. However, there isn’t any single machine that can produce the look that you want. Fitness professionals agree that even though exercise indeed helps in firming muscles, there’s still more to getting the perfect abdominals than just by flexing.

Share This