Ab Machine
01-09-2006, 11:20 AM
#1
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 2,005
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
One of my new years resolutions is to have a 6 pack by summer..
Anyone have an ab machine thats compact and does the trick? i know theres many options out there, so i would like to hopefully get some recommendations on what to get and what not to get.
I would prefer one that does not place much stress on the lower back and something i can stash under my bed...
Anyone have an ab machine thats compact and does the trick? i know theres many options out there, so i would like to hopefully get some recommendations on what to get and what not to get.
I would prefer one that does not place much stress on the lower back and something i can stash under my bed...
01-09-2006, 11:41 AM
#3
Senior Member
Join Date: Jul 2010
Posts: 1,721
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 05 Subaru WRX
stop drinking soda. drink tons of water. walk, run, or jog for atleast half an hour 4 or 5 days a week... oh and last but not least cruches 3 or 4 sets of 20 a night.
01-09-2006, 11:46 AM
#4
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 5,754
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 1997 Tiburon
I would recommend you read this and follow this : http://www.teenbodybuilding.com/brent1.htm
As much as abs machine adv success it is not always entirely true.
As much as abs machine adv success it is not always entirely true.
01-09-2006, 12:09 PM
#5
Senior Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Jul 2004
Location: Los Angeles
Posts: 2,005
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
thanx i was hoping for something like that..
Redz... i do have the keg growing..
Dam coronas are starting to show..
Im starting to play raquetball pretty frequently, i just need something else to start developing some muscle in that area.
Redz... i do have the keg growing..
Dam coronas are starting to show..
Im starting to play raquetball pretty frequently, i just need something else to start developing some muscle in that area.
01-09-2006, 12:29 PM
#6
Moderator
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Arizona
Posts: 6,976
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: N/A as in Not Applicable, not Naturally Aspirated
I just did 100 sit-up's consecutevely every day for a month and then every so often after then.
It burns, but it works...screw ab machines. (according to my g/f I now have a 10 pack? wtf? lmao.gif)
It burns, but it works...screw ab machines. (according to my g/f I now have a 10 pack? wtf? lmao.gif)
01-09-2006, 12:57 PM
#7
Senior Member
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Michigan
Posts: 818
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Don't do sit-ups/crunches every day. Like any other muscle in your body, your abs need time to heal. You cannot keep working them without alowing them to heal. Doing this, you may lose a little fat from the energy being burned and THINK your abs are getting bigger, but actually the opposite is happening.
There must be at least 48hrs of rest period between working a muscle group. Every other day works fine. Remember: working out makes microscopic tears in your muscles; when those tears heal, they heal a little bigger and a little stronger. That's how muscle is built. Not allowing those microscopic tears to heal will yeild no progess at all.
Like was said above, DO NOT drink soda or anything else high in sugar or complex carbs. Cut down on red meat too. To have your six pack show, you're going to need a body fat % around 7-8%...no higher than 10% for sure.
The most important thing in getting a six pack is diet. Do all the excercise you want, but if your diet isn't in check, no 6-pack.
Also, skip the machines, they are a waste of money and time (what are you watching infomercials for anyway when you are tying to get buff? LOL)
The #1 best thing to do is simple crunches in various form.
Variations of regular crunches (legs up, legs out, alternating, bicycle, etc) will be more than enough.
Just remember DO THEM SLOW AND HARD. Sure you may be able to crank out 100 weak crunches, but if you are doing any more than 25-30 per set, you're doing them wrong.
Go up VERY slow, squeezing your abs as hard as possible on the way up. Pause at the top and squeeze, then slowly go down squeezing as hard as you can. From laying to the up position, it should take you around 5-8 seoonds to get up, and 5-8 down.
3 sets of 10-25 reps every other day this way works excellently. Start off doing 18-25 legs up (curled over a bench, or up on your bed is good). Then try 12-15 with your legs out (heels 3-5 inches off the ground). Rest a min, then go for 10 normal crunches.
As you progress and this becomes easier, try declining yourself and doing it, and progressively start holding a weight against your chest as you do it. If you don't have any weights, holding your arms out behind your head is a good way to increase resitance.
(I don't know if this needs mentioning are not, but a proper crunch does not go all the way up to a vertical sitting position. You just want your shoulder blades to come up, and curl yourself towards your feet like rolling in a ball.)
Never use your hands to pull on the back of your head for help either.
To work your lower abs, I like to sit on the edge of a bed or bench, and just move your legs straight out, and straight back, very slowly as you lean back a little bit (about 45 degree angle back).
Remember: DIET DIET DIET SLOW SLOW SLOW HARD HARD HARD. <--- never forgot that.
There must be at least 48hrs of rest period between working a muscle group. Every other day works fine. Remember: working out makes microscopic tears in your muscles; when those tears heal, they heal a little bigger and a little stronger. That's how muscle is built. Not allowing those microscopic tears to heal will yeild no progess at all.
Like was said above, DO NOT drink soda or anything else high in sugar or complex carbs. Cut down on red meat too. To have your six pack show, you're going to need a body fat % around 7-8%...no higher than 10% for sure.
The most important thing in getting a six pack is diet. Do all the excercise you want, but if your diet isn't in check, no 6-pack.
Also, skip the machines, they are a waste of money and time (what are you watching infomercials for anyway when you are tying to get buff? LOL)
The #1 best thing to do is simple crunches in various form.
Variations of regular crunches (legs up, legs out, alternating, bicycle, etc) will be more than enough.
Just remember DO THEM SLOW AND HARD. Sure you may be able to crank out 100 weak crunches, but if you are doing any more than 25-30 per set, you're doing them wrong.
Go up VERY slow, squeezing your abs as hard as possible on the way up. Pause at the top and squeeze, then slowly go down squeezing as hard as you can. From laying to the up position, it should take you around 5-8 seoonds to get up, and 5-8 down.
3 sets of 10-25 reps every other day this way works excellently. Start off doing 18-25 legs up (curled over a bench, or up on your bed is good). Then try 12-15 with your legs out (heels 3-5 inches off the ground). Rest a min, then go for 10 normal crunches.
As you progress and this becomes easier, try declining yourself and doing it, and progressively start holding a weight against your chest as you do it. If you don't have any weights, holding your arms out behind your head is a good way to increase resitance.
(I don't know if this needs mentioning are not, but a proper crunch does not go all the way up to a vertical sitting position. You just want your shoulder blades to come up, and curl yourself towards your feet like rolling in a ball.)
Never use your hands to pull on the back of your head for help either.
To work your lower abs, I like to sit on the edge of a bed or bench, and just move your legs straight out, and straight back, very slowly as you lean back a little bit (about 45 degree angle back).
Remember: DIET DIET DIET SLOW SLOW SLOW HARD HARD HARD. <--- never forgot that.
01-09-2006, 01:02 PM
#8
Moderator
Everyone has a 6 pack. Its there and will look good as it is as long as you lose a tremendous amount of fat to expose it. Some people were just not meant to show it no matter what they do. Sorry if you can't.
BUT, as for working out that region, sit ups dont work nearly as well as the Ab-wheel IMO. I used to do sit ups and then bought the ab-wheel. OMG! After using it once, I couldn't do another sit-up for 2 days because I was so torn up from it. At first, it might seem hard to do for some. Some friends couldn't even do one. But I started off doing a max of 20 reps, and worked my way up to 3 sets of 30. Huge gain.
It's also known as the Ab-Roller, etc. You can find it at Walmart for the same price as this:
http://www.affordablesupplements.com/ab_roller.asp
It's super cheap, but like I said, you are better off just focusing on losing weight. The abs are there, they're just hidden.
And like Joshuwa said, let them HEAL inbetween exercises.
BUT, as for working out that region, sit ups dont work nearly as well as the Ab-wheel IMO. I used to do sit ups and then bought the ab-wheel. OMG! After using it once, I couldn't do another sit-up for 2 days because I was so torn up from it. At first, it might seem hard to do for some. Some friends couldn't even do one. But I started off doing a max of 20 reps, and worked my way up to 3 sets of 30. Huge gain.
It's also known as the Ab-Roller, etc. You can find it at Walmart for the same price as this:
http://www.affordablesupplements.com/ab_roller.asp
It's super cheap, but like I said, you are better off just focusing on losing weight. The abs are there, they're just hidden.
And like Joshuwa said, let them HEAL inbetween exercises.
01-09-2006, 01:17 PM
#10
Senior Member
Join Date: Mar 2006
Posts: 9,172
Likes: 0
Received 0 Likes
on
0 Posts
Vehicle: 2001/Hyundai/Tiburon
do crunches, not situps. it helps if you have something that will allow your back to extend further downwards. like, get on a table(have a pillow or something where you sit) with your butt on the edge. have someone hold your feet down(or make something to hold your feet down), cross your arms across your chest, and do crunches. dont stretch your back all the way though, just stop when its horizontal, and then bring it back up to about 45 degrees. stopping allows you to do work against gravity and if you just let your back fall your back would start to hurt before your abs. if you were doing it on the floor you do almost no work in the "negative". find a rythym of breathing that works too or you will never be able to get better. for obliques, just get on your side and do the same thing.
once you are able to do 50 of those, add 10 pounds across your chest and hold it there with your arms.
of course, none of this will matter if you have fat around your stomach. try doing some jogging and change your diet.
to do this, i use a piano. the bench is already padded, and there is just enough space between the top of the bench and piano to hold my feet in place.
the most important thing, stick to it religiously, even if you dont see improvement. chances are you wont notice before other people, so get some girls to judge after doing that for a month straight.
once you are able to do 50 of those, add 10 pounds across your chest and hold it there with your arms.
of course, none of this will matter if you have fat around your stomach. try doing some jogging and change your diet.
to do this, i use a piano. the bench is already padded, and there is just enough space between the top of the bench and piano to hold my feet in place.
the most important thing, stick to it religiously, even if you dont see improvement. chances are you wont notice before other people, so get some girls to judge after doing that for a month straight.