do things like ab king pro work?

[tilatequila]

My birthday is coming up soon and i want to ''get the body ive always dreamed of''. Ok im lame, but seriously summer is coming up in november-december for australia, and i want some build to my body so im less ashamed to take off my tshirt when out at the beach and pools etc.

So i had in mind of getting a ''ab king pro'' or something like that for my birthday which is in a month or so, but can anyone tell me if they actually work? or if theres better alternatives to getting abs? (dont really care about arms/biceps)

[Badpaladin]

They're aboslutely no different from doing regular situps and crunches. Just work out all parts of you body and do reguar cardio. Moved to appropriate forum.

[tilatequila]

Oh sorry i didnt realise there was a health and fitness forum

And how do you know that? have you had one before? or are you a gym junkie or something like that haha

[Cleisthanes]

Im no gym junkie by any means but take it from me good ol fashioned push ups, sit ups, and all kinds or routines that don't require any kind of equipment will tone your body.

First off make sure to cut out bad foods out of your diet. When you work out a lot you want to make sure you are taking in proteins and carbs as well as a steady supply of fluids(gatorade or something like it not sodas).

Secondly any cardio will help tone your body by losing fat. Running is really a great example. Be motivated enough to get up everyday and run a couple miles or whatever is a steady increase in distance(e.g. if you can only do a quarter mile do that but increase to half a mile, a mile ,2 miles, and so on and so forth).

Lastly there are tons of exercises you can do just on the floor that will increase your muscle mass. If you're are looking for certain target muscles to show off just google exercises that work those muscles. I know you mentioned abs, there are a dozen work outs I can think of that work out your abs considering they are broken down into different sections.

The only piece of equipment that I know I have gotten use out of is one of those things that attach to doors that allow you to do pull ups (sorry can't think of what it's called) because there is not always things around the house that you can use for pullups without breaking it.

It's late so my mind is all over the place but I hope that this helps at all. I commend anyone who looks to improve their mind or body.

[Deleted]

Getting defined, "Six-pack" abs is all about having low bodyfat.
You could do crunches until you're blue in the face but if you still have a layer of bodyfat around your abdomen they won't be visible.
Also it's impossible to "Tone" a specific bodypart, you can only lose overall bodyfat not just on your legs, abs or whatever.

So if that's your goal then it's really all about diet and cardio. (Not sure how you feel about weightlifting)

There are roughly 3500 calories in one pound of bodyfat.
So if you ate at a calorie deficit of 500 (Cardio will help you reach this) then that would equal losing one pound of fat per week (500x7=3500)
Note that everyone's bodies are different so the results will be off a little.

You could add some bodyweight exercises in there too if you wanted, and instead of buying an ab-king-pro, buy a Pull-up bar that fits around the door-frame like Cleisthanes recommended.

[Swiftstryder]

Not in the way you're hoping that they do sadly.

If you're serious about changing etc you've got to take the leap and change up the diet and be more active

[Radux]

What your going for is spot training -- you want the six pack without wanting to work everything else. This doesn't work. Ever.

What I've noticed in the past is that a sexy stomach/core is the first thing to go away and the last thing to really show up. You've got to get yourself eating right and working out every part of your body if you want to look like you're imagining.

[Badpaladin]

Oh sorry i didnt realise there was a health and fitness forum

And how do you know that? have you had one before? or are you a gym junkie or something like that haha

I wouldn't call myself a gym junkie, but I usually go daily. Doing crunches and situps increases your abdominal strength by a lot, but it doesn't really cut fat. That comes from good 'ole fashioned running.

[Deleted]

I wouldn't call myself a gym junkie, but I usually go daily. Doing crunches and situps increases your abdominal strength by a lot, but it doesn't really cut fat. That comes from good 'ole fashioned running.

running is not fun, i prefer swimming

[Badpaladin]

running is not fun, i prefer swimming

Also a great alternative. I like running, but swimming, hiking, rock climbing, jumping jacks, etc...they all work.

[Deleted]

running is not fun, i prefer swimming

Which comes with the awesome bonus of being amazing for your joints in general.

Nothing beats swimming and running, though.

[Swiftstryder]

The ability to see your abs comes solely from your bodyfat%, which comes from dieting and proper training.

[Shik Valentine]

I wouldn't call myself a gym junkie, but I usually go daily. Doing crunches and situps increases your abdominal strength by a lot, but it doesn't really cut fat. That comes from good 'ole fashioned running.

Diet is what's going to get those results. Running is not necessary, it will increase your deficit.


Edit: also the post above mine..

[Acquilae]

Diet is what's going to get those results.

This; there's a common saying in fitness that abs are made in the kitchen and not the weight room because simply put, it works and you don't need any fancy machines to work out abs; there's more than enough effective ab exercises where you just need your body weight.

I work out abs every other day (M/W/F) and my current routine has really been showing results over the last few weeks. What I do is after warming up, I go straight into abs and do circuits(3-5 different exercises without rest between them) before the rest of my workout and I spend 3 days of the week doing strictly cardio. Just treat your abs like any other body part, work them out hard, do high reps(25-30) and hit every part(upper, lower, obliques/serratus); abs take lots of hard work and patience to develop.

Also when you do ab exercises, remember to use a full range of motion. Example: when you do crunches, arch your back to get the full stretch before contracting back up and do the same for all the other ones. I like to put a pillow under my back whenever I'm at home or do crunches with a BOSU or exercise ball to help arch.

[Deleted]

They give you a nicely toned and slimmed down wallet.

[Drunkenfinn]

My family actually has an Ab King Pro and it definately is a wonderful piece of training equipment, but... it does definately not work the way the commercials make it out to be.

It's great for toning and such, especially for your sides (laterals). I used it daily at one point before and after I went to the gym and it was really easy to get that nice "burn" going. It might not be that much different from normal sit-ups and such, but it makes it easier and more enjoyable to work on the spots you want to work on.

But as said before me, the best way to get some abs showing is to run and then run some more to get a low body fat %.

Also, if you want "big" abs so to speak, I suggest you do sit-ups and crouches with extra-weights. Loads of reps with no weight = toning/endurance/static strength and small amount of reps with extra weight = muscle building and strength.

[Deleo]

Sticking to the workout, whatever you choose it to be, works. Expecting some machine to stick to you and do it for you doesn't. It doesn't matter what worout or method you choose as long as you stick to it. The hard part is doing the workout every day, not what you are working out with.

[Bamboozles]

Short answer: No.

Long answer: Diet and cardio. You're talking about getting abs, which is actually a lot harder than most people think it is. It's a lot easier to get big arms, chest, etc. but abs are usually the last thing to show. If you're serious about it, I have a meal plan I can get you on, but I'm not sure if you'd be that dedicated. It's meant for athletes, so there's lots of protein shakes / "smoothies" (that's not what they are, but it's the only word that's coming to me right now) and fruits / veggies. I don't mean to sound like your mom, but you have to eat right. That's not saying you can't have aaaaanything bad, but it's about portion control and self control. Maybe instead of getting the bag of chips, you make yourself a quick fruit smoothie and have a quick jog.

There's no one way to do it, I can think of about ten exercises to work your core, but you have to work other things as well. You can't have abs and flappy arms and a weak chest, it's just not going to work. Things like BowFlex don't work either, so don't waste your money. Try getting a gym membership if you can, but you have to stay with it if you're really looking to change. If you have any specific questions, you can PM me or ask away here. <- Not just OP, I know what I'm talking about when it comes to health and etc.

[Waylander]

http://www.scoobysworkshop.com/liar.htm

and check the rest of the website, it will help you with your goals a lot.

[Ilara]

Not worth the money. It's very important you do your crunches the right way though.

This guy has some great vids on bodybuilding.





EDIT: baww guy above me beat me to it.