Cruches, sit-up, ab rolls, all of these are exercises we do to try and flatten out tummies and increase our ab strength. Many do this purely for vanity reasons-they want a nice flat, ripped, washboard stomach to show off when their shirt is off, or when their bikini is on. Regardless of your reason for working out your stomach muscles, using a crunch bench is an efficient way to get stronger, more defined stomach muscles.
When you look to getting a crunch bench it is nice to know what exercises you can do on your crunch bench, and which of your abdominal muscles it targets.
Most exercises on a crunch bench are going to target specific abdominal muscles, as well as some of your back muscles. For example, the following exercise is used to strengthen the rectus abdominus. The rectus abdominus is responsible for the striated look of the abdominals known as the ‘six pack’. Everyone wants this look, but many perform the exercise wrong. Proper execution of this exercise requires a slow controlled movement with full extension and a tight contraction. The nice thing about this particular exercise is that it is not just the rectus abdominus that get some exercise, the obliques and transverse abdominus play a big supporting role in this movement as well, and get some extra strength.
So how do you perform this helpful exercise?
– Start out in the following position: Lie on a crunch bench (or mat, though results are better on bench) with your knees bent.
– Cradle your head in you fingers or place your hands on your abdominals.
– Movement: Slowly lift your shoulders and move your rib cage towards your pelvis.
– Do not bend at the hips.
– Slowly lower back to starting position.
– Keep your knees bent and your feet closer to your body. Doing this will make the crunch more effective, and it will protect the back during this movement.
As you can see this exercise is not difficult, but having a crunch bench makes it more doable, and it will likely give you more motivation to work toward that nice flat stomach.
The following are a few crunch bench options to consider:
The Ab/Hyper Bench
This crunch bench gives you terrific core strength, ripped abs and powerful back muscles when used properly and regularly.
This particular bench is so effective because it allows you to work your upper and middle abs in four crunch positions ranging from flat to a 30 degree decline. With simply the pull of a pin, you can quickly and easily adjusts the angle of the bench to increase or decrease your workout intensity, and target specific muscles you want to work to strengthen. Another nice thing is that the Ab/Hyper Bench’s thigh support adjusts to fit your leg length, and the pivoting foam rollers hold your ankles securely so your body is aligned in the correct workout position, thus it is difficult to do your workout wrong when you use the Ab/Hyper Bench.
Some of the features of this particular crunch bench include:
– High-density foam pads add comfort and support.
– Stitched, vinyl covered upholstered bench.
– Contoured bench adjusts to 4 levels.
– Support pad adjusts to 4 levels.
– Frame and undercarriage constructed from 2 inch steel.
– Folds for easy storage.
– Non-slip frame caps.
– Pivoting ankle pads.
Adjustable Ab Bench (Strength Performance Series)
The Strength Performance Series Adjustable Ab Bench gives you terrific core strength and ripped abs. This particular crunch bench allows you to work your upper and middle abs in eleven crunch positions. Adjusting the positions is easy, and makes it simple to determine the intensity of your workout.
Some of the nice features of the SPS Adjustable Ab Bench include:
– 3″ thick padded bench with durable, stitched vinyl upholstery.
– Adjusts to 11 positions-8 decline positions, parallel, and 2 incline positions.
– Heavy-duty 3″x 2″ steel frame construction.
– Vinyl covered foam rollers hold your feet and lower leg in place.
– Non-slip frame caps also protect floors.
– Wheels for easy portability.