The upper tube functions as a grab handle. The lower connecting tube has a padded headrest. They are the Ab Coach, Ab Roller Plus, Ab Sculptor, Ab Toner, BodyShaping Ab Blaster Plus and Weider Ab Shaper.Įach model is composed of a pair of U-shaped metal tubes joined by a pair of connecting tubes. Six of the seven units in our test virtually copycat each other. Ab machines are intended to eliminate the strain and, according to manufacturers' claims, do much more. But studies by manufacturers and fitness organizations have found that exercisers often cite neck and lower-back strain as reasons why they stop doing crunches. off the floor while keeping your lower torso (lower back) in contact with the exercise mat.Īccording to Brungardt, doing crunches is simple and effective and no apparatus is needed. From this position, you raise your upper torso about 8 in. It begins with lying on a mat with your knees up, feet on the floor and hands crossed over your chest or lightly touching your head. So do these machines really work? The answer may not be what you expect.Īs gym rats know, the most frequently recommended exercise for building up the abdominal muscles is called a crunch. Since Brungardt's book was published, a whole industry dedicated to producing abs of steel has sprung up. In addition to being a personal trainer at the Crunch Gym in New York City, he's the author of a book that virtually started the abs craze in 1993, The Complete Book Of Abs. Then, we enlisted fitness guru Kurt Brungardt to help analyze their physiological value.īrungardt is a whip-thin, hard-bodied former wrestler who is one of the best-known fitness experts in the country. We worked out with each of the units for about two months, becoming familiar with their design, construction and directions. (Two devices didn't make it into the test. In the end, we wound up with seven different devices and thus began a rigorous, hands-on Popular Mechanics comparison test. In fact, we made four calls and ordered four different units, then went out and purchased five more at a sporting goods store. We were as curious as you about whether they really worked, so we picked up the phone and called.
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