Besides the benefits of burning calories and losing fat, a lot of people go to the gym with the aim of improving muscle definition, especially in their abdominal area. But, it should not be forgotten that reaching the goal of six-pack abs demands a high level of commitment and diligent effort.
Gym machines can significantly improve the result of your abs workout. So, make the most out of your gym membership by using the various machines for abs available on the gym floor.
Getting Started
Obtaining six-pack abs don’t happen overnight. If you have belly fat, you must get rid of it first so your abdominal muscles can appear. A healthy diet will lessen the accumulation of calories which builds up body fat. While doing regular exercise will burn your belly fat to build your strength and muscles.
Reasons to Workout your Abs
Apart from looking great with ripped abs, training your core offers essential health and fitness benefits.
Safety
A strong midsection of your body is important to prevent injuries and accidents during workouts. Being between your lower body and upper body, the midsection supports the movements when performing exercises. Strengthening your abs optimizes the results of any training.
Supports Muscle Mass and Strength Building
Because of the core placement in your body, the abs are also engaged and used when you build and strengthen your biceps.
The Gym Ab Machines
Some exercises only require your body weight to achieve sculpted abs. Most popular are crunches, sit-ups, push-ups, and planks. However, doing these exercises alone will take a long time before you can see the fruits of your labor – a six-pack ab. The ab machines, on the other hand, are great to use to efficiently boost your workout. These machines at the gym can target different aspects of your abs.
Ab Machines to Burn Fat
As mentioned earlier, the first step of getting sculpted abs is to lose belly fat. The less body fat you have, the better you can move your body for physical activities. There are gym machines that can help you with that.
Treadmill
Whether you love it or hate it, running is one of the cardio exercises you can do at home or at the gym with a treadmill if you’re not comfortable running outdoors. This machine does not specifically target your core, but you get the benefit of burning fat in your whole body. A treadmill can help you burn 500 to 1,200 calories per hour.
Rowing Machine
The rowing machine will make your upper body and lower body move altogether. In this movement, your core works simultaneously as you push yourself with your legs while pulling the machine’s handle with your arms and back to maintain your posture and position. Just be sure that your body is prepared to use this machine to avoid lower back injuries. Rowing with this machine can help you burn 700 to 1,100 calories per hour.
Machines to Shape your Abs and Strengthen your Core
Core exercises definitely will give you the strength and the sculpt of your abs. But, one must take heed when choosing a gym machine to work on your abs. Make sure that your posture is not compromised, especially your back. Breathe properly and brace your core to optimize the workout.
Sit-Up Bench
This machine targets your rectus abdominis. Performing sit-ups improve the strength and size of your abdominal muscle, and using a bench will create the resistance for an extra challenge. This kind of machine is designed to be inclined. O declined to push yourself to the limit, power through to create the well-shaped and strong abs.
Check this out: 11 Best Sit Up Benches – 2022 Reviews
Ab Roller
This ab machine is not bulky. So, if you religiously perform abs workouts, having your own ab roller for your home gym is a good fitness investment. An ab roller forces you to engage multiple areas of your entire core, including your upper abs. To utilize this machine, roll yourself in a plank position while grabbing the handle, and pull the wheel back towards your body to complete the movement. It may sound easy, but the carbon steel spring of the roller provides the resistance to work your abs out.
Pull-up Station and Vertical Knee Raise Station
Exercises such as hanging leg and knee raises are effective workouts for your rectus abdominis. At the same time, it protects your lower back from swinging, all thanks to your external obliques working simultaneously. This machine is great for beginners.
On the other hand, the pull-up station is best to be utilized by more advanced users. This machine will demand to use all the core strength in your body to establish control.
Roman Chair
This machine doesn’t directly target your abs, but it is efficient in building your core. The roman chair actually targets to strengthen your lower back, also your hams and glutes. This machine is recommended for beginners and for those who have back pain.
Cable Machine
Cable machines are quite versatile and can work on your entire body depending on the exercise. It offers a wide range of motion but lets you have most of the movement control. It offers resistance adjustments to suit your need. As you progress, you can tweak the level of resistance to match the challenge you require. One of the core training you can do with cable machines is crunches.
Conclusion
Training the core muscles offer both aesthetic and fitness benefits. It is important to lose belly fat first before you can sculpt your abs. There is no shortcut to obtaining a strong six-pack, but using an ab machine will definitely improve your workout routine.
In essence, when you perform an abs workout, you also do a total body exercise because, more often than not, ab exercises may also require some of your body parts to move as well. So, if you’re looking for overall fitness, it’s hard to miss working out your abs to get a flat stomach or a sculpted one.
