Finally! An abdominal exercise machine
that actually works!
Learn about an innovative new piece
of home training equipment
that can shred your abs AND provide
you with a total-body workout
quickly and efficiently.
Now,
I'll be the first person to tell you
that it's VERY rare to find a piece
of abdominal training equipment that
REALLY WORKS. Most of the entries into
the abdominal training market are specifically
designed to maximize their profit, NOT
your midsection.
To
really hit a home run with me, an abdominal
training machine must satisfy four basic
requirements:
1.
It must be able to effectively work
not only the rectus abdominus (the six-pack
muscles) but also the obliques (the
side ab muscles) and the transverse
abdominus (the deep ab muscles that
wrap around your core to stabilize it).
2.
It must work the abdominal muscles in
a functional manner, i.e. not just assisted
muscle contraction, like an ab roller
or ab folding chair.
3.
It must be convenient enough to use
that a person will actually use it regularly.
4.
It must hold some advantage over doing
bodyweight ab exercises alone.
**
BONUS - It would be ideal if you can
also use it to effectively work OTHER
bodyparts as well!
---
Recently,
I've had the privelege of testing a
new piece of abdominal equipment called
the "Lean Abs Machine." Truth
be told, I'd been searching for quite
a long time for an abdominal machine
that met all the requirements that I
listed above. Most abdominal equipment
(especially the infomerical type of
stuff) can barely be classified as training
equipment, in my opinion, and none of
it ever close to meeting all those requirements
I listed above.
But
the "Lean Abs Machine" turned
out to be a big step above the rest!
It is the ONLY piece of ab equipment
I've used that met all four requirements
AND the bonus requirement.
The
mechanism by which the "Lean Abs
Machine" works is actually quite
simple. The easiest way to explain it
would be that it is a lever with resistance
bands attached near the base. You push
or pull against the lever using the
bands for resistance. It's a simple
concept but the elegant design results
in great versatility compared to other
abdominal training equipment.
Here's
how it stacks up to the four requirements
I laid out above:
1. Working all parts of the core
effectively
The
"Lean Abs Machine" is simply
one of THE most versatile pieces of
ab equipment available. Instead of just
focusing on one single function of the
abdominal area (as most ab training
products do - generally it's a crunch
type of movement) and then telling you
to add a bit of shoulder rotation to
work the side abs, the "Lean Abs
Machine" actually allows for very
specific, separate exercises for all
functions of the abdominals.
With
this machine, I was able to perform
exercises that worked a crunching type
of movement (against resistance), a
direct side movement (to work the obliques),
a rotational movement (to work the deep
transverse abdominus), as well as a
leaning movement (similar to the ab
wheels where you roll out forward then
back). This level of variety is simply
not possible with any other abdominal
training machine.
And
the best part is, those exercises are
not "tacked on" in order to
try and artificially inflate the number
of exercises you can do with the machine.
Not at all - these are challenging exercises
that work the abdominals HARD.
2. Working the abdominals in a functional
manner
One
of the biggest criticisms I've always
had of abdominal training machines is
that simply don't train the core muscles
in a functional manner. And by functional,
I don't mean you have to stand on one
leg on a Swiss ball and wood chop with
a medicine ball. By functional, I mean
using the core in ways that your body
normally moves in the course of the
day.
For
a normal person, functional core strength
means being able to stabilize in typical
patterns of movement, like squatting,
leaning, standing, walking, etc. For
an athlete, functional core strength
means being able to apply considerable
force through the core area while maintaining
strength and balance. An ab roller will
not do any of these things for anybody.
But
the "Lean Abs Machine" DOES.
Because
your body is not locked into position
(which will force you to work your abs
in isolation) the "Lean Abs Machine"
allows for a more integrated abdominal
activation. In plain English, it means
that it works the abs as a unit rather
than by themselves. If you want to optimize
your abdominal strength and power and/or
develop an extraordinary eye-catching
midsection, this is CRITICAL! You teach
the body how to properly activate the
core muscles rather than just making
individual muscles contract.
3. Convenient to use
If
a machine isn't convenient to use, it's
not going to get used, no matter how
good the intentions of the person. It's
as simple as that. If it takes too long
to set up or it's too complicated to
easily work with, a machine will just
collect dust (and laundry!).
Honestly,
because the "Lean Abs Machine"
does involve resistance and moving parts,
it's not as straightfoward as simply
grabbing an ab roller and lying underneath
it. That being said, considering the
number of options you have in terms
of exercise, it IS quite easy to get
set up and get started. And once you
get the machine set up, you can actually
do a number of different abdominal exercises
using the same settings and resistance.
As
with any new equipment, my recommendation
is always to set aside some time and
just play around with it and the options
it provides. Once you are comfortable
with how the machine works and the resistances
you need to use, getting the machine
ready for your workout is extremely
easy.
The
"Lean Abs Machine" also features
a vertical stand attachment so you can
store with a very minimal footprint.
When you're ready to use it, you just
lay it flat and you're good to go.
4. Advantages over bodyweight abdominal
training
The
final requirement that a piece of abdominal
training equipment must have is that
it should hold some sort of advantage
over bodyweight abdominal training.
This is a requirement because, in my
experience, most abdominal training
"equipment" doesn't give you
many benefits over and above a good
set of crunches.
If
you can get the same results with crunches,
why would you want to buy a piece of
ab equipment?
The
"Lean Abs Machine" DOES offer
significant advantages over bodyweight
abdominal training.
The
first advantage is the ability to add
RESISTANCE to the exercises. One of
the biggest things holding people back
in developing their core is lack of
resistance. A simple bodyweight exercise
such as the crunch can typically be
done for MANY MANY reps. This low-intensity
of exercise does very little for strength,
power and abdominal development.
If
you want fast results and you want a
strong core you simply MUST train the
abs with resistance. The "Lean
Abs Machine" accomplishes this
with the use of rubber resistance bands
of different tension levels. By adding
these bands to the machine, you can
specify EXACTLY how much resistance
you want to use for an exercise and
you can ADD resistance whenever you
need to for progression.
You
wouldn't try and build your chest by
just trying to bench press the same
weight more and more times...why would
you try and develop your abs just by
doing more and more crunches? There
is no progression and no reason for
your body to change.
The
second major advantage over straight
bodyweight ab training is the varying
body positions and patterns of movement
in which you can put tension on your
abs. You use the machine as a tool AND
as resistance.
The
third major advantage is that you're
training your core while standing up.
It may sound strange but think of it
this way...when you're playing pretty
much any sport (other than wrestling
perhaps!), how often are you lying on
your back? There are very few, if any,
strictly bodyweight exercises that can
be performed in a standing position.
The
standing position is a more natural
position to work the core in and it
really helps with the carry-over of
core strength to daily life and athletics
because it teaches you how to activate
your core (and manipulate your body
position for optimal core function)
while standing.
BONUS - The ability to perform exercises
for other bodyparts
Even
though this is not technically a requirement
for a good abdominal training machine,
the ability to perform exercises for
other bodyparts on the machine is a
very nice bonus!
A
few of the exercises you can do include:
- front squats
- curls
- lying rows
- chest press
- shoulder press
- leaning calf raises
- glute extensions (i.e. butt blaster)
- lunges
- standing dips/pushdowns
- many more!
The
versatility of the simple design of
the machine and the included equipment
(the single handle and the moveable
pads and handles) means you can very
easily perform a total-body workout
on the "Lean Abs Machine."
In
fact, included in the introductory instructions
is a 6 exercise circuit that uses all
the same settings on the machine (so
you don't have to make any changes in
setup while training) and covers every
major bodypart! It's a very effective
circuit and it means you can get an
excellent workout in a very short period
of time.
As
a side note, if you're interested in
developing your glutes, the Butt Blaster
type of movement that is possible with
this machine is actually very comparable
in effectiveness to the Butt Blaster
machine you'll find in a commercial
gym!
---
POTENTIAL
DRAWBACKS
While
reviewing the "Lean Abs Machine,"
I did come across a few minor drawbacks
that I want to be sure to mention. None
of these interfere with the effectiveness
or functionality of the machine and
are, in my opinion, quite minor.
1.
Initial setup time
From
opening the box to having the machine
fully assembled, it took me about 30
minutes. While the assembly instructions
are very good, if you're not familiar
with putting together training equipment
(as I am), it may take you a bit longer.
To put it in perspective, a few years
ago I put together a multistation home
gym and it took me approximately 3 days
(not straight through but spending a
number of hours each day)!
For
the number of exercises you can perform
with the "Lean Abs Machine,"
the set-up time is pretty reasonable.
2.
Having available floorspace
If
space is VERY limited where you're training,
you may find the machine's footprint
when laying flat to be a little constricting.
At it's largest setting, it does cover
about 4 feet of floorspace in length.
It's definitely smaller in size than
a Total Gym, though. To really have
this be a serious problem, you would
have to have EXTREMELY limited floorspace
- the machine itself will even fit in
a hallway without a problem, if that's
your only option. Again, this is a minor
drawback that can normally be worked
around quite easily.
3.
When performing certain exercises, you
must step on the machine to keep it
anchored down
In
a few of the exercises (most specifically,
those exercises where you're pushing
up against the lever arm of the machine
against a heavier resistance), you will
need to stand on the frame of the machine
to keep it from lifting up.
For
the most part, this is a minor thing.
Standing on the machine is natural for
most of those exercises, especially
the abdominal exercises. But there were
a few where I had to adjust my stance
in order to stand on the frame to keep
it from moving. These were actually
exercises for other bodyparts, so as
far as abs go, this drawback didn't
affect the training at all.
4.
Cost
The
"Lean Abs Machine" is not
a cheaply-made piece of equipment, therefore
it does cost more than other abdominal
training equipment. The frame is solid-gauge
steel and the rubber bands are well-made
and practically unbreakable. So even
though it does cost a bit more than
the typical "impulse buy"
infomercial ab machine, it's a machine
that is built solidly to last a lifetime.
---
BOTTOM
LINE:
The
"Lean Abs Machine" is a VERY
effective piece of abdominal training
equipment. It meets all the requirements
for an effective piece of ab training
equipment AND allows you to work other
bodyparts very effectively as well.
If
you're looking for a functional abdominal
training machine, the "Lean Abs
Machine" is an excellent choice.
I would recommend it above any other
abdominal machine on the market today
in terms of properly targeting the entire
core area (including the "deep"
core muscles), allowing for a great
variety of exercises, and in overall
quality of construction.
If
you'd like to see the "Lean Abs
Machine" in action (or if you're
interested in getting one), I've got
pictures and video of it on the following
page:
http://www.fitstep.com/Misc/Newsletter-archives/issue49-lean-abs.htm
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