Those who want to build, tone and strengthen their abdominal muscles can choose many exercise tools that make abdominal training much easier and comfortable. These pieces of equipment can be used in the home as they take up little space and others can be taken along to the gym for extra training. Ab training tools can help target your abs and strengthen your lower back. Find out more about our products and their benefits here.
What are the benefits of ab training?
Weight loss
Training your abs will cause you to burn calories while you exercise as well as building up the abdominal muscles themselves. The increased muscle mass that you gain from the training will heighten your metabolism which, when combined with the calories you will already be burning, make it an ideal choice to assist with weight loss.
Stability
Your abdominal muscles make up a large portion of your body’s core, which is the area that supports your entire upper body. The stronger the abs are, the more stable your body and joints will be as a result.
Posture
In a similar vein to stability, the strength of your core plays a huge role in keeping your posture correct. Training your abs is one of the quickest ways to help you achieve a perfect, upright posture.
Performance improvement
Developing your abs helps you to create a strong core which will help to improve your performance in other areas of your training, particularly when it comes to strenuous, full-body exercises, such as squats and deadlifts. As you train your abs, your overall strength and power will become greater.
Muscle building
Greater abdominal development will lead to an improvement in performance in other areas. The ability to lift more weight and have better control over your body is essential to your continued muscle-building efforts, in both your abs and the majority of your other muscles.
Types of ab training equipment
Ab boards
Ab boards are a piece of equipment that allows you to lock your legs in place and safely perform crunches or sit-ups at a variety of different inclines or declines. This versatility is good for more experienced users, especially those who need to increase the difficulty of a regular crunch or want to be able to target their abs from a range of different angles.
Ab trimmers
These do not take much space at home and are equipped with a padded headrest that offers support for the neck and back whilst performing crunches and other exercises, which overall reduces strain within these areas.
Ab wheels
Ab wheels are a piece of equipment featuring one or two wheels, often coated with a rubber tyre, with a handle sticking out of either side. They are designed to allow a kneeling user to slowly lower their upper body towards the ground by slowly contacting their abs, and extending their arms forward, rolling the wheel as they go to support them
They are ideal for anyone who struggles to do a traditional crunch due to injury concerns, as well as anyone looking to add a little variety to their routine.
Sit up bars
Sit up bars are a contraption where you lay to perform sit-ups or, more often, crunches. They not only control the arc in which you move but also allow your arms to assist and support some of your body weight. They are an ideal piece of equipment for newer trainers, particularly if they are struggling to get the technique correct or simply don’t have the abdominal strength to perform a traditional crunch yet.
Things to consider
Experience
If you are new to exercise, make sure that your chosen product isn’t too complicated for you to understand or simply requires a level of expertise above your current ability to use.
Portability
If you plan to move the equipment from room to room or take it with you to work out while you’re away, make sure the product you have chosen is suitable to do so and is not too large or too heavy.
Weight limit
If you are a larger user, make sure that there are no weight restrictions on the product you are looking at that could limit your use of it.
Space
While most ab equipment is relatively compact if you have limited space available to train or store it in, make sure to check the dimensions of your chosen product before purchasing.
Extra features
Ab equipment comes in a wide range of styles with many different extra features. Make sure you check the individual product page to find out exactly what is included with your chosen item.
Warranty
All of our products come with at least a 1-year warranty. However, if you require more than that, be sure to check the individual product page of the item you are looking at before purchasing.
Your budget
Make sure to set your budget before you begin. While most ab equipment is affordable, having a pre-set limit will save you wasting time analysing a product you end up not being able to afford.
Ab training equipment maintenance
Ab training equipment will generally require little to no maintenance. That said, be sure to wipe it clean of any sweat after use and store it in a dry place, in order to eliminate the likelihood of it developing any rust or bad smells.
