Ab Lounger Guide

At first glance I see nothing inherently wrong with the Ablounger chair (also called the Ab Lounge) as an aid to abdominal exercise. The theory behind the machine is fairly simple: support the upper and lower body and provide a smooth fulcrum to reduce muscle strain and make the traditional crunch easier for the average person.

Manufacturers of the Ab Lounger chair, however, do not want this machine to be seen simply as an assistant to the crunch (because that would be boring, and possibly not worth $100 and up). The device’s signature move— the jackknife— takes an exerciser from a hyper-extended position (back slightly arched) to a full pike. I should note that most users will have to work for awhile, and probably incorporate a separate stretching regimen, to be able to use this full range of motion.

As an assistant to fairly basic abdominal exercise movements, the Ab Lounger chair does a pretty good job. Its design is simple enough to be easily understood by the average consumer, and if you don’t mind having to drag it out from under the bed (because it folds flat for storage) when you want to work out, it’s not a bad piece of equipment.

Is the Ablounger chair a necessary addition to your home gym? Well, if you really have a home gym and can afford one (they come in a few different models, so weigh the options against your budget): sure. If you don’t have a home gym but really want an ab exercise machine because you’ve been hearing about how important that “core strength” is: maybe. If there’s no way you’ll ever get a good abdominal workout without a piece of equipment, and you’re absolutely positive that you’re going to use it every single day until it breaks or your house burns down (and even under such extreme circumstances, you’ll do your best to save the Ab Lounger chair first): sure.

Keep in mind that the best and worst exercise equipment is only as good as the amount of time and effort you put into using it. So go forth and be fit.

This entry was posted on Monday, November 3rd, 2008 at 9:46 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.