How to Make a Six-Pack from a Gallon Jug:
Best Exercises for Your Abs
The American Council on Exercise (ACE) recently conducted a study of popular abdominal exercise equipment and determined that exercising with this equipment is no more effective than exercising without it. Researchers monitored 30 healthy men and women with electromyography (EMG) while they performed 13 abdominal exercises. The researchers found that the most effective exercises were modified versions of a standard type of sit-up, the crunch.This study, which was mentioned in Time Magazine (August 13, 2001), included products such as the Torso Track, Ab Rocker, Rol-A-Flex, Ab Roller Plus, and the Ab-Doer. Most of these products were found to be less effective in building and shaping abdominal muscles than crunches. The Torso Track was slightly more effective, but some study subjects reported low back discomfort while using it. The Ab Roller was found to be up to 80 percent less effective than crunches.
The only product that was determined to work significantly better than crunches was the exercise ball. This simple piece of equipment "targeted the abdominal muscles far more effectively than the more faddish and expensive equipment."
The researchers employed EMG equipment which monitors the actual amount of activity generated in the abdominal muscles by each exercise. The test subjects' own reports, such as comfort levels with different exercises, were also obtained.
Back pain is one of the leading causes of disability in the United States, and strengthening the abdominal muscles improves back fitness, thus lowering one's risk of injury.
Source:
Journal of Physical Education, Rehabilitation and Dance (JOPERD, August 2001).
Link to the ACE web page where you can find instructions on how to do the top abdominal exercises as determined by the study. You can also read the ACE news release about their study or go directly to the following articles:
Crunch Your Way to a Stronger, Tighter Midsection
Strengthen Your Abdominals With Stability Balls
Updated 04/19/03
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