Ab Chair - The Abdominal Exercise Machine

Bringing you the latest information on the ab chair market including accessories and abdominal exercise tips.

Over the last few years abdominal exercise machines have become very popular. This is not surprising when most of the men's and women's fitness magazine covers  are adorned with athletic bodies with unbelievable flat belly's that even a bullet couldn't pierce. The demand far flatter stomachs has created a growing market for abdominal exercise equipment and has resulted in a huge range of different products claiming to transform flabby abs into sexy six packs.

The latest product is the Ab chair which, looks very similar to another popular model the ablounger. Basicly, it looks like one of those fold away garden chairs. It works by sitting down in the machine and then you perform your crunching exercises by pulling the different resistance chords attached to the chair in a forward and backward range of motion. So, why do it sitting down? Well, the idea of using the chair is to support your body while you exercise your abdominals. This puts less strain on other parts of your body such as the back. When you have finished your workout you can either decide to fold it away or just continue to sit back and take a well earned rest, contented with the fact that you have given your abdominals a seriously good workout.

The manufacturers claim  the abdominal exercise machine is more effective at exercising stomach muscles compared to the traditional sit -ups. Although their are no official research or studies that I am aware of that prove this claim. However, as the saying goes the proof is in the pudding and their seems to be plenty of happy customers. I checked a few customer reviews on Amazon and the overall feedback has been very positive giving this type of abdominal exerciser an average rating of 4 stars. 

Features  

The  abs chair is made of a sturdy steel frame that supports your body and in particular your neck and back area. As your body is off the ground there is less stress and strain compared to doing the traditional crunching exercises that are usually performed on the floor. 

A common feature of the ab chair deluxe is the changeable resistance bands which enable you to change the intensity of your workout. The more you exercise and the stronger your abdominals become and you can add more of these resistance bands to match your level of strength and fitness.

The product also comes with a bicycle attachment. Why they included this I don't know as this is suppose to be an abdominal machine exerciser. The good thing about this versatile machine is that it can also turn into an exercise bike.

Also included is a personal training computer. This helps you to monitor your performance and enables you to set your own personal fitness targets. The computer records  the duration of your workout, the number of calories you burn, and how many strides you perform per minute. This is a great motivating feature as you can compare your results from previous workouts and how well  (or not so well) you are progressing.

As if sitting down was not comfortable enough this exerciser also has padded hand grips for added comfort.

Ab Chair Exercise Tips

Unfold and place the equipment on a sturdy, level surface.

Sit down and place both your feet into the adjustable foot rests, grasp both the handles firmly so, that you can make a crunching  motion. If you prefer, you can grab hold of the strap at the top of the chair and place your hands behind head as if doing a traditional sit up or crunch.

When you feel relaxed you can begin your abdominal exercise. Start by pulling your back in a forward motion and at the same time pulling your lower body and legs towards your upper body. This traditional crunch motion targets both the upper and lower body muscles and tightens your abdominal muscles. When you move into the crunching position you will start to see or feel the top and bottom of the abdominal machine exerciser move with your body. This supports you as you move and puts less strain on your back. Depending on your fitness level try about 20 reps and then gradually increase the reps as you get stronger.

This technique will help you target your oblique's which are the muscles that run along side the middle of your stomach area. While in a sitting position coil your upper body a little towards the right hand side.At this point your hips and legs remain in the same position, you only move the top half. As covered in tip number 3, begin moving your upper body towards your legs and your lower body towards the upper body. Move in slow and relaxed manner, try and avoid any jerking movements and try to be aware of your muscles straining. As before, depending on your fitness levels, begin with about 20 reps and then gradually build the repetitions up as you get stronger and more confident.

Other Models

• Ab chair deluxe
• ab chair 2
• ab lounge sport
• ab lounge ultra