Quote:
Originally Posted by the_only_one
I want to verify if the things I acknowledged today are sound...Today, I changed routes instead of heading towards the leg tonning machines first, I used the one and only abdomenal machine in the old crappy gym that i have recently joined. the sad part was I couldnt lift the machine at all. (it had zip weight on it).For my ab workout, i usually use the "ball". So, my friend helped lift the tip end to make it easier on me to crunch, but i was only able to crunch half way; i could feel it more at my back than my lower or upper abs..
`so how does it work if my ab muscles arent fully developed, my back will suck up all the pressure from the crunches
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You might just want to steer clear of that machine and just do regular machine-less crunches. I think I know what machine you're talking about. It looks like this:
EXCEPT
it's flatter like this one, meaning you can come back down even further
It's pretty intense and I didn't really start using it until after working out my abs a lot without machines. But now I built up to 20 lbs on this thing. It does work on your back a little, but remember, feeling the work out burn is very different from feeling straight up pain.
I would suggest you do a normal ab routine every other day for a month and try it again.
A combination of regular crunches,
bicycle crunches,
crunches with feet on a step or table (tables harder, start with a smaller step. also one of those big balls will work too),
leg crunch up (you focus solely on your lower abs and bring your legs slowly up and back down but not low enough to touch the floor so the lower abs are working the entire time. also you can kinda sit on your hands while they're on your sides for more support,
ball crunches, and the crunches using the smaller weight ball I explained to Variable, should be a good mix although oblique work is lacking but you can do that after the first month is over. Do at least 15-20 mins of solid ab work every other day combining any of these exercises or others you like or know of having to do with abs and you should see a pretty significant difference in strength after a month is over. Generally 3 sets of 12 per exercise. If you get bored alternate the sets for one exercise with another so you'll be doing different things and stay focused. Oh and also, cardio before/after is a must for full effect. You might want to warm up with 10mins of cardio, do this routine, and continue your remaining cardio afterwards. This way your abs will be warmed up so you won't feel as sore when you do the routine, and afterwards when you're doing your longer cardio your abs will be working extra hard because they're tired already.