Getting A Great Workout With An Ab Cruncher

Anyone who purchases an ab cruncher machine dreams of flat, well toned and defined abdominals. You want to get a great result from your workout! There are some specific techniques you can use to maximize the results from your ab cruncher machine workout.

The first thing to look at is how much space you have available. For most people this won't be a problem since these machines are generally on the smaller side, taking up just a few square feet around your body as you lie in the floor. Upright machines take up a similar amount of space, though they may often require dedicating slightly more free space to due to their configuration.

Before you begin any ab cruncher workout, be sure to stretch out and warm up your body. A fast-paced walk or skipping rope for a few minutes is ideal. You want to get your heart rate up and warm up and loosen your muscles before beginning to decrease the chance of incurring an injury. Stretch again after your warm-up exercises.

Get situated on your cruncher, hands gripping the overhead handles. Make sure your feet are anchored as well if your machine features somewhere to do this.

Next, exhale, pull your stomach in and pull yourself forward with your abs, trying to use only your abs rather than your arms or neck muscles to propel you forward. If you don't work your abs in isolation, you fail to get a thorough workout and will see less than optimal results. Do 20 reps of this exercise, with three sets of 20 if at all possible.

Initially, you may not be able to do this many, but don't worry. Stop and rest between repetitions as needed. As your abdominal muscles get stronger, you will work your way up to doing this many. And once you've achieved that, you may want to add more repetitions to each set or add weight to increase your resistance. Most ab cruncher machines allow for this option. The best ones let you gradually increase the resistance for the best results.

Plan to work on your abs intensely three times per week. It doesn't do any real good to work out more often than that because your muscles need time to rest and recover between workouts. But three times a week will get you great results. And if you're really sore and you need to, add an extra day off for recovery time before you work out again.

In addition to using the ab cruncher machine, doing other exercises can also help improve your ab workout and get better results. For example, exercises that strengthen the lower back muscles are ideal. Abdominal and lower back muscles are antagonistic muscle groups, and working both sets of muscles in a single workout helps you build a strong solid core.

Now, I know not everyone has an ab cruncher at home, so if you have an ab bench instead, just follow this same plan. The only thing you need to be aware of is that for resistance, you may need to hold a weight on your chest, or use ankle weights if working on your lower abs.