Ab Lounger Guide

With so many abdominal fitness machines and mechanisms on the market today, I’ve noticed that each company tries to distinguish its product with a unique claim (in addition to giving you flat abs in just minutes a day, of course). For the AbLounge chair, this is a “biomechanically-advanced Jack Knife ab crunch that’s clearly more effective than standard crunches.” Clearly. But what does that even mean?

The theory behind the design of this particular device is to provide support for the upper and lower body, while allowing a range of motion from over 180 degrees (beyond the flat start you would have with floor crunches) to a complete pike position. Since the typical crunching motion targets primarily the upper and middle fibers of the rectus abdominis (the six pack muscle), and the chair also incorporates contraction of the lower fibers, it must, indeed, be more effective than standard crunches.

With all the research on abdominal exercise techniques that has been done in the last few years, most exercisers today know that standard crunches are among the least effective abdominal workouts they can do, because they target such a relatively small area of the midsection. So is a machine whose best claim is that it’s “clearly more effective” than a clearly not very effective exercise, even worth our time?

If you have an AbLounge chair exerciser and use it consistently, then you’re already doing better than the people who use home exercise equipment for hanging towels to dry, or as makeshift bookshelves. If you’re one of those people who simply can’t bring yourself to exercise without equipment and want an in-home abdominal workout option, this one probably won’t cause you any harm.

Do keep in mind that any time you spend money on home fitness equipment, you’re making an initial investment. Without the continued investments of time and effort, however, your new toy will have been a waste of money. So when considering your personal health and fitness investment, choose something you’re most likely to actually do, and follow through. Maybe you’ll get those flat abs in no time, after all.

Like most abdominal exercise equipment on the market today, the AbLounge—we’ll get to its specifics in a moment—promises to flatten and tone your beer belly in just minutes a day. (Ok, confession: I added the “beer” part in myself.) All you have to do is climb in, hold on, and fold yourself into the combination lounge chair/ hammock device a few hundred times, and they promise that you will see results.

In case you’re not already familiar with the concept, the AbLounge is an exercise device built kind of like an angled cot, with a hinge in the center so that you can squeeze your upper body toward your lower body in a massive display of abdominal strength… over and over again. Essentially it’s a crunch machine that starts you not quite flat and connects the upper and lower body with a central hinging motion so that you don’t strain yourself trying to move each part separately.

The unique element that makes the this product stand out (so they tell me) than other abdominal exercise equipment is its “jackknife” movement, and fuller range of motion: from hyperextension to super flexion of the torso. The standard advertisement states that the jackknife crunch is “clearly more effective than standard crunches.

Ok, I can see how that could be true. By bringing the upper and lower body toward one another simultaneously, it works the upper, mid, and lower fibers of the rectus abdominus (the six pack muscle), where a regular crunch wouldn’t effectively hit the lower part. But when you consider that a standard crunch is one of the least effective all around abdominal exercises you can do, I’m not sure what to make of this claim. Is it just better than that, or is it actually good?

Though I’ve never actually tried the device, my first impression is that it looks quite awkward. Furthermore, the combination of position maintaining elements (“handles”) for hands and lower legs combined with the hinging “jackknife” movement of the device make me think it’s probably pretty easy to cheat and use upper or lower body strength, instead of core strength, to perform the exercise. Finally, the AbLounge is just too big (in my opinion) for an in home piece of equipment. I know it can fold underneath the bed, but at my house, it would probably just stay there.

If you have one and love it: great. You should be proud of yourself for working out and ignore everything I’ve said here. After all, I’ve never even tried the thing.

Here’s a great question I received from a reader about whether he’s really working his abdominal muscles optimally. The original email is in italics, my reply is below.

About a month ago, I started doing ab workouts. Since then, I have tried a variety of exercises and have shaved it down to a routine. The reason I am e-mailing is because I have a question over the effectiveness of my workouts. During the workouts, I feel all the normal stress and fatigue as is expected, but, literally 5 minutes after, I feel fine and not sore at all. Is this a problem? Right now, my exercise is this:

30 slow crunches
12 leg raises (flat back, knees bent; lift feet off ground and slightly get the butt off the floor, then lower)
12 side crunches (obliques) (both sides) 24 total
12 bicycle crunches (both sides) 24 total

All of those immediately follow one another, I take a 30 second rest and repeat it 5 times.

Then, after the x5, I do the plank (or bridge) for 30 seconds 2 times.

I do this everyday and have gotten to the point where I just do not feel sore anymore. Any advice?

If it helps, (I don’t know if this matters) I am 18 years old, 6′1″, 150 lbs.

Thank you,
Jack

My reply:

Hi Jack,

It’s normal to recover a few minutes after a workout. The goal with resistance training (including abdominal training) is short, intense workouts that break down muscle and cause it to rebuild when you recover.

The workout you’re doing looks quite effective for abdominal endurance – it’d be useful for physical activities like sports and martial arts.

However if you’re training for visible abdominal development (the “six pack”) the training you’re doing should be a few sets of intense work, two to three times per week.

Here’s an example of a good routine to develop your six-pack:

4 sets of weighted crunches – add weight by holding a 5lb plate or dumbell behind your neck, and increase the weight every week. Aim for burnout at 10-12 reps. Rest 1-2 minutes between each set.
3 sets of leg raises (10-12 reps). Rest 1-2 minutes between sets.
4 sets of side crunches – 2 sets per side, 10-12 reps. 1-2 minutes rest.

If you have a chinup bar I’d replace the leg raises with hanging leg lifts, which are much more taxing. The main exercise here is the weighted crunches. That’s what’s really going to develop your abs. If you add a few lbs each week, and do the crunches with slow, controlled form, you’ll see great progress I’d say do this workout two or three times per week.

Also, remember that abdominal training only develops abdominal muscle…it doesn’t remove abdominal fat. You need an effective weight loss diet and regular cardiovascular exercise to shed bodyfat.

Hope that helps. It’s a great question, and with your permission I’d like to post it on the blog, along with my answer. I’ll remove your email and just use your first name if you like.

Thanks for writing,
Rich