6 Best Ab Workout Equipment: Ab Exercise Equipment for Home

Getting that six or eight-pack stomach is usually the holy grail of most people who are into fitness. A toned and firm midsection is the quickest giveaway of a fit and healthy individual. However, when it comes to working out our abdominal muscles (abs), most of us go about it the wrong way.

This is because we rely too much on basic sit-ups and crunches to work our core, and this is often the reason why you might not be getting the results you desire so much.

Small home ab exercise equipment are tools that have been designed by sports scientists and physiologists to hit your midsection in the most impactful way. They not only target your core but other fundamental muscle groups within your stomach such as the external abdominal obliques, the internal abdominal obliques, the rectus abdominis, and the transversus abdominis.

By working all these muscle groups, you get a more complete midsection, which not only looks good but helps maintain your posture as well as other key functions.

The following are 6 of the best small exercise equipment for abs:

By using either or a combination of these tools, you will achieve that toned midsection you desire in no time. This article discusses what these equipment are, how they function, and the benefits of using them.

1. Gliding Disks

Recommended: Synergee Core Sliders

Gliding disks enable you to achieve a ‘gliding’ motion across the floor. It is like ice skating, just that you will be using your abs in this instance. The benefit of using gliding disks is that they need you to be in total control so that you do not fall on your face.

Therefore, you will have to use every bit of your abdominal muscles to achieve that feat. Gliding disks are one of the most effective abs equipment as they will give you benefits in a short amount of time. For best results, use gliding disks for at least three times per week.

2. Ab Mat With Tailbone Protection

Ab mats offer you the ideal support for your lower back while working your abs to avoid hurting your tailbone. As such, ab mats are essential when performing exercises such as crunches, leg raises, and sit-ups as they provide you with stability and constant tension. This ensures that you are able to not only target your ‘six-pack’ but your obliques and back as well.

One of the major hindrances to a good abs workout is the pain that emanates from putting pressure on your lower back. By eliminating this discomfort, you will be able to get more work done in every workout as you are not paining from areas that do not benefit from your workout. Moreover, a good Ab Mat has an ergonomic design that allows it to be folded for storage convenience.

3. Exercise Ball

Recommended: URBNFit Exercise Ball

Exercise balls are one of the most effective tools to use when looking to build stronger abdominal muscles. In fact, a study done on the effectiveness of an exercise ball by the Department of Kinesiology at Occidental College in California found out that, by using these balls, one was able to boost abdominal muscle activation by up to 38 percent as compared to doing the same crunches without a ball.

The study’s participants had to put on electromyographic equipment whose purpose was to register activity in the lower and upper abs, as well as the obliques.

This helps explain why most gyms and top abs workout videos prominently feature exercises that involve the exercise ball. Performing ab exercises on this ball engage your smaller core muscles in a way that that the more conventional forms of abs exercises do not. The purpose behind your body engaging those small muscles is because they help maintain your balance on the ball. As such, you are able to sculpt all the muscle groups that combine to form your core.

Moreover, as the ball has a soft surface, you will not experience any pain on your spine while performing traditional ab exercises. The added benefit to using this soft surface is that it gives you the illusion that you might not be working as hard as you actually are, which only leads to you doing more repetitions.

4. Ab-Roller

The ab roller is a simple device that consists of two handles connected to a wheel. When used correctly, the ab roller not only builds your abdominal muscles but your triceps and back as well.

The effectiveness of an ab roller comes from the fact that, when using the roller, your core works to prevent your back from arching. This takes a heavy toll on your rectus abdominus – the sic pack muscles – as well as the deep spinal stabilizers such as the transverse abdominus. This is what makes the ab roller such an effective core workout tool.

5. Balance Disk

The balance disk could arguably be the best tool to use when looking for strong and ripped abs.

The method behind its efficiency is that it provides you with an unstable surface. This forces your core to engage all its muscles in an attempt to maintain stability.

6. Dynamic Ab Plank Workout

Stealth presents us with a modern way of ab training through planks. Planks are one of the more difficult ab exercises as they require you to utilize your core to maintain certain positions for extended periods.

The STEALTH Core Gamer Trainer Personal makes this relatively static exercise dynamic through the use of Gameplay Technology. It incorporates facets of modern gaming technology where you have to use your core muscles to control the game’s movements. As such, it is a fun, challenging, and dynamic plank workout that is highly effective.

Summary

Abs are often the most overlooked muscle group as they are hard to train, while they do not show immediate results. However, by using the above ab training tools, you will be able to hit every single muscle group within your midsection. Couple this ab training with a good diet plan and you will get that toned midsection in no time.

Topic: Small Space Workout

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