by James - This article may contain affiliate links.
Who else wants beautiful midsection as the women and men have on the front page of magazines?
Of course, everyone!
And that is why almost each and every month a new revolutionary six pack machine comes to market. Beautiful fitness girls and guys promote these products saying, “You need to use the “Six Pack Simulator Pro” 3 minutes a day to get such a stomach like me!”
I don’t want to hurt anybody, but someone who believes that getting such a body works like that is stupid. Those athletes have been working out for who knows how many years and have such a strict diet most of us give it up after a month. I don’t blame anybody. We’re human beings who are always searching for shortcuts to achieve something as fast and easy as possible.
Are you in a hurry? Check out these tools that really work!
| IMAGE | Equipment | DETAILS | Â |
|---|---|---|---|
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Ab Wheel | The ab wheel works the entire core. Since we have to handle large part of our body weight, a wheel build a big and strong stomach muscles. | |
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Adjustable sit up bench | We can change the angle of the slant board to increase or decrease the resistance for the fitness level. It can be used for numerous ab exercises. | |
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Power tower | The workout tower is suitable for doing the most beneficial bodyweight exercises such as pull ups and dips. Also, it has a vertical knee raise station. It provides a full upper body workout. |
Don’t believe me?
Just check out the product reviews. Most of the customers aren’t satisfied with the ab machine they bought. And, we don’t calculate the people who give better ratings to prove themselves that they didn’t throw the money out of the window.
Another proof that these so-called ab machines are made for a quick profit is that after a year or two, you can’t buy them anywhere. The manufacturer has gone.
Ok, let’s stop scolding the “as you see on TV” products, and let’s focus on the ab workout machines that are really effective.
But before, talking about the machines, let’s talk a bit about the fundamentals of getting six-pack abs.
How can you get six-pack abs?
The most crucial factor is that you shouldn’t have stomach fat. If you have, the abdominal muscles aren’t visible. It’s as simple as that.
Have you ever seen guys and girls who have never been in the gym, but because of their genes or diet, they have shredded abs? They have a nice midsection because of having no fat on their belly.
Are you among them?
Then skip reading the following lines. You just need to focus on strengthening your abs about which I’m going to talk about later.
What if you have belly fat?
You should burn it!
Hurray! I’ve just told you what you already know. 🙂
But, most of the people make the mistake of using the ab machine to burn stomach fat. So, they do a lot of sit-ups, crunches, leg raises, etc.
But that will hardly help!
Why?
You have stomach fat because your body fat level is high. And, typically the body stores the fat on the midsection.
So, to get rid of fat, you need to lower your fat level. But, with abs workouts, you can burn only a few calories since they are short, isolated moves that are good for strengthening the abs.
What to do instead?
Full-body exercises that engage several muscle groups at once, activities that increase your heart rate. The more muscles are activated, the more energy they need, and with that, the more calories your body will burn. Mainly, these are cardio workouts like running, jogging, high-intensity interval training, etc.
What is the best exercise machine to burn fat?
- Treadmill
- Rowing machine
- Vertical climber
- Stationary bike
- Elliptical trainer
The number of calories burned with the devices above depends on several factors such as your weight, age, intensity, time, difficulty, etc. But, 500 cal/h is the minimum.
Tip: What are the best cardio machines to burn fat.
A secret for beginners who want to lose fat
Do full-body strength training 2-3 times a week to build muscle. Lift weights or do bodyweight training, or even combine the two.
Why?
The more muscle mass you have, the faster your metabolism is, which leads to weight loss. That means, even if you don’t work out, your body burns calories since the muscles require calories all day long. On top of that, you will have more defined muscles and strength.
What is more important than workout?
Your eating regime!
Presumably, you have high body fat because of taking in more calories daily than your body requires. So, it stores it in the way of fat, mainly on your stomach.
If you keep overeating every day, it takes more time to lose belly fat. Even so, you frequently have fat burning workouts.
What to eat for a six pack?
Talking about a healthy diet is a vast topic, and there are tons of sources online about it.
To tell the truth, I don’t overcomplicate my diet plan. I don’t eat junk and sugar-rich food. I eat a lot of veggies, fruits, whole-grains, and lean meat. I also cook to avoid packaged food. And I drink plenty of water. That’s it.
Best Machines for Six Pack Workout
Now, let’s focus on the tools that are really effective to target your abs.
But before, let me tell you what is good six pack training.
Frankly, I don’t like the expression ab workout, because abs mean the rectus abdominis. The muscles that are situated on the front of the belly and give the shreded look. However, focusing only on that area is not enough.
Instead, focus on your core, which includes more types of muscles such as the back, external and internal oblique, rectus and transversus abdominis, glutes. Strengthening each of them is essential, not just to have a visually better-looking midsection. A strong core also leads to better performance in any sport, and to avoid problems like lower back pain.
To sum up, a good “ab workout” is complete that targets every part of the core.
With the help of the following top ab exercise equipment for home, you can have a total core workout.
Adjustable Sit Up Bench – For decline exercises
Thanks to the adjustable board, you can alter the angle and with that the resistance. This way, you can increase or decrease the resistance. You can do decline sit-ups, crunches, Russian Twist, hyperextension, and incline leg raise.
Best seller |
Finer Form Sit Up Bench
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Ab wheel – Total core trainer
The ab wheel or roller is the simplest exercise equipment on this list, but one of the most effective. Firstly, when you roll in and out, your abs have to handle almost all your body weight. So, the load is enormous, which leads to a firm abdomen. Although beginners may find it hard to use it.
Also, because of the narrow wheel, the movement has to be done in an unstable state. Hence, all the core muscles are activated to avoid falling. That’s why I call it a total core trainer.
The forward rolling targets the rectus abdominis (six pack muscles). By rolling to the sides, you can target your obliques more.
Best seller |
Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro
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Power tower – The most versatile
The pull up dip station has multiply sections you can use for abs training. Firstly, the vertical knee raise station where you can do knee and leg lifts. The back pad, armrests, and handle helps to perform the drills in a controlled way.
With the pull-up section, you can also do hanging knee and leg lifts and crunches, windshield wipers, front level raise, oblique raises.
Best buy |
Body Champ VKR1010 Power Tower
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Some workout towers also have situp bars.
To sum up, you can do all sorts of bodyweight ab workouts that are usually done with a pull-up bar.
From the video above, you can learn the mentioned workouts to create an effective abs workout plan.
Home gym tip: Check out the best vertical knee raise machines
Back Extension Bench / Glute Ham Developer (GHD) – For lower back
The primary purpose of the Roman chair and the GHD is to do back extension exercises to strengthen the back, muscles next to the spine, and the glutes. Since these muscles are part of the core, it’s important to strengthen them as well.
On the other hand, you can also do side bends and sit-ups with the Roman chair.
Best buy |
Stamina Hyper Bench
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Cable crossover – Weighted ab training
The cable machines are useful to perform weighted ab exercises. They are easy to adjust the resistance and flexible. You can use the bar or the ankle cuff. It’s one of the most useful gym equipment for abs.
Some exercises for abs:
- Various crunches (low or high)
- One arm rows
- One arm presses
- Reverse crunches
- Weighted floor leg lifts
- High cable woodchop
- Cable Russian twist
- Throws
Best buy |
Stamina Hyper Bench
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From the following video, you can learn more examples.
Stability ball
The fitness ball is useful workout equipment to make regular ab exercises more challenging such as crunches, sit-ups, etc. Since the ball wants to roll everywhere, the core is activated. Even if you sit on it while watching TV or working, you do a lot for the health of your core and posture. You can also use it as a substitute for the ab wheel.
Here is an example ab workout with the stability ball.
To sum up:
Considering the versatility, I believe the best six pack machine is the power tower. But that is my personal opinion since I prefer bodyweight training. Each of the equipment above is perfect for strengthening your abs if you use them correctly.
