rowdyguy
12-20-2000, 02:29 PM
I hate doing crunches and traditional ab excercises so I wanted to get an ab machine and the two I like are the Ab-Doer and Ab Twister. Has anybody used either of these or recomend something else. Or are all ab machines just a waist of money?
Sponsor
minipaws
12-27-2000, 12:01 PM
My own personal opinion is Abdominal machines are a waste of $$$.
I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor and use the Resist-a-ball for my classes and clients.
The strength you can build from this fun workout is incredible. Go to a class sometime and give it a shot! It isnt a piece of cake like to many think.
Mini
I am a personal trainer and fitness instructor and use the Resist-a-ball for my classes and clients.
The strength you can build from this fun workout is incredible. Go to a class sometime and give it a shot! It isnt a piece of cake like to many think.
Mini
gainfreak
12-27-2000, 01:22 PM
Abs are made in the Kitchen not in the Gym !!
No ab machine will work if you have a layer of fat laying over your ab muscles. Although these so called ab machines might build the muscle under the skin you wont see them until you drop your bodyfat down to the single digits. I achieved a six pack of abs just by doing your basic crunches and reverse crunches but the real key to obtaining the six pack look was by doing a combination of cardio and dieting. I have slacked off for six months and I am working toward getting my abs back!!!! Best of luck and my advice to you is dont wayste your money on any of those bogus products!!
No ab machine will work if you have a layer of fat laying over your ab muscles. Although these so called ab machines might build the muscle under the skin you wont see them until you drop your bodyfat down to the single digits. I achieved a six pack of abs just by doing your basic crunches and reverse crunches but the real key to obtaining the six pack look was by doing a combination of cardio and dieting. I have slacked off for six months and I am working toward getting my abs back!!!! Best of luck and my advice to you is dont wayste your money on any of those bogus products!!
rowdyguy
12-27-2000, 01:31 PM
I kind of figured that the machines might be a waste of money. I know that the key to abs is losing the fat which involves diet and excercise. But I was hoping that there was a machine out there that worked the entire abs, especially the lower abs and the obliques. I don't really want to build my abs or make them any bigger but I want strong ripped abs. The ab-doer and ab-twister were so different from the others I thought that they might actually help with the lower abs and obliques. I have decent upper abs but the lower abs and these ugly love handles drive me crazy.
jrzygrl2273
12-27-2000, 01:32 PM
I'm going to put my 2 cents in anyway. Ihate crunches too, sowent out and got the ab dolly and I think that it definely works your ab muscles without doing crunches. But the ab dolly does work. However, I think that one of the replies was right, when they said that you have to lose fat and gain muscle in order to see the results of any kind of ab exercise. But just to say, I really like the ab dolly as a subsitute for crunches. But diet and exercise are of extreme importance.
deidlers
12-28-2000, 03:30 PM
i read a magazine article that highlighted several ab exercises that don't involve crunching.
i did them. while i was doing them i thought they were cheesy. no burn, no effort.
next day, i felt like my torso'd been hit by a truck. it was GREAT!
try some women's magazines, believe it or not, (i'm not sure if i'm allowed to recommend them here).
but lots of publications are always offering new, interesting ways of toning abs. try some and mix it up!
swimming freestyle is also supposed to be great for obliques, if you have access to water.
------------------
i did them. while i was doing them i thought they were cheesy. no burn, no effort.
next day, i felt like my torso'd been hit by a truck. it was GREAT!
try some women's magazines, believe it or not, (i'm not sure if i'm allowed to recommend them here).
but lots of publications are always offering new, interesting ways of toning abs. try some and mix it up!
swimming freestyle is also supposed to be great for obliques, if you have access to water.
------------------
rowdyguy
12-29-2000, 09:54 AM
I'm not going to get an ab machine, but could some of you recomend a good ab workout and diet. I would prefer an ab workout that really hits the obliques and lower abs and doesn't take to long. Also a diet that is easy to follow and takes a lot of the guess work out of what I can eat. In other words please don't just tell me to eat less carbs and more protein. I would really like specific diets that tell me exactly what to eat (I'm trying to lose fat and get ripped, I don't need to get much bigger but I don't want to lose any muscle). If you could recomend maybe certain web sites, books, or magazines that have had good ab routines and diets in them I would really appreciate it. Or if you feel you have a really good ab routine please share it. Thanks for all of your guys help.
deidlers
12-29-2000, 12:28 PM
here are a couple of abs that really surprised me:
get on the linoleum (slippery)kitchen floor with socks on. assume a push-up position, hands approximatey shoulder width apart, maybe wider. put the TOPS of your feet on the floor. (not toes). slide your feet into your torso, bending knees tightly at your chest. tuck in abs to avoid arching your back.
return to starting position. repeat 10 times, working up to 2 sets of 20.
take a 5-pound dumbbell weight in both hands(or as much weight as is comfortable). stand with feet wider than hips, feet pointed out.
bend knees a little deeper than "slightly."
watching form, concentrating on abs, slowly trace a figure-8 in front of you. (the top of the 8, your arms are fully raised above your head, the bottom of the 8 is about at your knees. the center of the 8 is about at your waist.)
gently allow your body to groove with the motion, gently allowing your back to bend as you go. but don't get strainy with it. watch your form. watch your back.
do 2 sets of ten, one set tracing in one direction, the other set, tracing in the other direction.
they're surprising. do the routine just once and see if next day you've got some deep soreness.
let us know, huh?
:)
deidlers
get on the linoleum (slippery)kitchen floor with socks on. assume a push-up position, hands approximatey shoulder width apart, maybe wider. put the TOPS of your feet on the floor. (not toes). slide your feet into your torso, bending knees tightly at your chest. tuck in abs to avoid arching your back.
return to starting position. repeat 10 times, working up to 2 sets of 20.
take a 5-pound dumbbell weight in both hands(or as much weight as is comfortable). stand with feet wider than hips, feet pointed out.
bend knees a little deeper than "slightly."
watching form, concentrating on abs, slowly trace a figure-8 in front of you. (the top of the 8, your arms are fully raised above your head, the bottom of the 8 is about at your knees. the center of the 8 is about at your waist.)
gently allow your body to groove with the motion, gently allowing your back to bend as you go. but don't get strainy with it. watch your form. watch your back.
do 2 sets of ten, one set tracing in one direction, the other set, tracing in the other direction.
they're surprising. do the routine just once and see if next day you've got some deep soreness.
let us know, huh?
:)
deidlers
gainfreak
12-29-2000, 12:48 PM
Hey Rowdy whats up?!!
I have a good Diet plan that worked for me and it is easy to follow but you will have to monitor your progress. In order for you to obtain that ripped look, you will have to burn more calories throughout the day then you take in. The reason why I am telling you this is because if you use my diet, you will have to adjust the calories. First I cook once a week(on Sunday) and I make enough food to last me until the following Sunday.
I make 14 chicken breast and I make a bowl of rice. Heres the diet. Meal #1 is a protein shake 1 half tsp of flaxseed oil and a cup of instant oatmeal. Meal #2 is another protein shake (I use Myoplex or Labrada lean body) and a baked potatoe( i microwave the potatoe). Meal #3 is a 6 to 10 oz chicken breast and a cup of brown rice. Meal #4 is yet another protein shake 1 tsp of flax oil and a cup of rice. Meal #5 is a chicken breast and baked potatoe or a cup of rice depending on what mood im in. And meal #6 is usually 10 egg whites and a cup of oatmeal(I make a mexican dish by adding the egg whites to the oatmeal and adding a dash of cumin and a dash of chili powder to taste and 1 cup of salsa. It comes out looking like a fritatta!! Now your probably sayin to many carbs!!! But this is the secret to getting ripped. Every 2 to 3 weeks, I cut my calories by 200 comming from carbs which means instead of 1 cup of oatmeal I'll cut backto a half cup. I do the same with the size of the potatoe and the portions of rice. Always keep your protein intake the same as well as the flax oil. I find that any diet i've tried, stops working after a couple of weeks thats why i change the calories every 2 to 3 week. Also when you cut your calories to low, You should eat 500 to 600 calories extra one day a week!! This stops the body from thinking that its starving (i usualy do this about week 10 of the diet.(one day a wek I'll have 500 to 600 extra calories)Keep in mind that you should only lose 1 to 2 pounds per week if you lose more, you might be loosing muscle. If you find that your gaining weight cut back on the calories and if your loosing to much add calories. I use this diet and I work out 3 times a week. I do cardio 3 times a week for 20 mins the first 3 weeks. Then I do cardio 4 times a week for 20 mins a month in. then I do cardio 4 times a week and I raise the time to 30 mins until finally I'm doing cardio 5 to 6 time a week!!! Hope that this makes sence and helps you!!
[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 02-21-2001).]
I have a good Diet plan that worked for me and it is easy to follow but you will have to monitor your progress. In order for you to obtain that ripped look, you will have to burn more calories throughout the day then you take in. The reason why I am telling you this is because if you use my diet, you will have to adjust the calories. First I cook once a week(on Sunday) and I make enough food to last me until the following Sunday.
I make 14 chicken breast and I make a bowl of rice. Heres the diet. Meal #1 is a protein shake 1 half tsp of flaxseed oil and a cup of instant oatmeal. Meal #2 is another protein shake (I use Myoplex or Labrada lean body) and a baked potatoe( i microwave the potatoe). Meal #3 is a 6 to 10 oz chicken breast and a cup of brown rice. Meal #4 is yet another protein shake 1 tsp of flax oil and a cup of rice. Meal #5 is a chicken breast and baked potatoe or a cup of rice depending on what mood im in. And meal #6 is usually 10 egg whites and a cup of oatmeal(I make a mexican dish by adding the egg whites to the oatmeal and adding a dash of cumin and a dash of chili powder to taste and 1 cup of salsa. It comes out looking like a fritatta!! Now your probably sayin to many carbs!!! But this is the secret to getting ripped. Every 2 to 3 weeks, I cut my calories by 200 comming from carbs which means instead of 1 cup of oatmeal I'll cut backto a half cup. I do the same with the size of the potatoe and the portions of rice. Always keep your protein intake the same as well as the flax oil. I find that any diet i've tried, stops working after a couple of weeks thats why i change the calories every 2 to 3 week. Also when you cut your calories to low, You should eat 500 to 600 calories extra one day a week!! This stops the body from thinking that its starving (i usualy do this about week 10 of the diet.(one day a wek I'll have 500 to 600 extra calories)Keep in mind that you should only lose 1 to 2 pounds per week if you lose more, you might be loosing muscle. If you find that your gaining weight cut back on the calories and if your loosing to much add calories. I use this diet and I work out 3 times a week. I do cardio 3 times a week for 20 mins the first 3 weeks. Then I do cardio 4 times a week for 20 mins a month in. then I do cardio 4 times a week and I raise the time to 30 mins until finally I'm doing cardio 5 to 6 time a week!!! Hope that this makes sence and helps you!!
[This message has been edited by moderator3 (edited 02-21-2001).]
gainfreak
12-29-2000, 03:22 PM
Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you that your basic crunch and reverse crunch are more than enough to kickstart your abs. The diet is whats going to get you the results. You dont have to go nuts either. Just keep doing them until you feel the burn and then stop!!!! I do my abs on leg day once a week and I only noticed a differance in them when I changed my diet and added cardio. I am a hardgainer and I was told not to do cardio----Big mistake because I truly believe that in order for any of this to work, you have to do all three(weights,cardio,diet) If you screw up any one of them, you wont get ripped!!!
rowdyguy
01-02-2001, 09:35 AM
Thanks a lot guys for all of the information you gave me. deidlers I tried those excercises and the one with the socks and the slick floor really did give me a good burn, but the figure 8's didn't really do much for me. Gainfreak thanks for letting me in on your diet. I'm beginning my own that is very similar to yours. Thanks a lot to everyone who gave me ther input.
chillin408
01-02-2001, 02:18 PM
my mom recently bought the ab-doer ,its a piece of crap the only thing i use it for is as a seat to sometimes get a better angle at watching television ,its a complete joke theirs is barely any resistance
JDanjeer
03-03-2001, 12:39 PM
I wouldn't recommend using the abslide, ab-doer or anything of that sort to get great abs. It's great as a warm up excercise before a normal ab routine. But Ab work outs alone doesnt get you great abs! You need to burn fat, so best thing to do is fatigue your abs first thing before breakfast. Also try a suppliment such as Xenadrine, little is known about the long term effects of Hydroxycut, but I've personally been on Xenadrine for a little while now and seen great results