7 Best Machine Exercises for Six Pack Abs

With many options available for working out at the gym, it can be hard to determine which is the best ab exercise machine for you. There are so many types: elliptical machines, treadmills, exercise bikes, weight benches, and more. But if you’re looking to add strength training workouts to your fitness routine – or if you’re already getting in great shape with weights – you’ll find one of these 7 machine exercises perfect for your own ab-flattening results.

Effective Machine Exercises to Get Six-Pack Abs

1. Cable Machine Crunch

Cable machines provide a wide range of exercises for working the ab muscles. For this exercise, it’s not necessary to increase the weight of the machine too much; you can adjust the resistance so that it’s challenging just enough as you go about the routine maintaining proper form.

How should you do it?

Start in a kneeling position facing a cable machine.
Grasp the handles with both hands and anchor behind your head.
Press your hips off the floor, then engage your core to crunch your torso straight down toward the floor, keeping your hips and lower body still.
With control, lift your torso back up to the starting position.

2. Rowing Machine Knee Tuck

The rower is great for your core muscles and the rest of your body, too. Your rectus abdominis, transverse abdominis, and obliques all get a workout.

How should you do a proper plank?

Start at the back of the machine, facing away from the console.
Place your hands on the floor and then place both feet on top of the seat.
Make sure that you keep your shoulders over your wrists and have a flat back before engaging your core muscles to drive your knees towards your chest.
Once this is done, extend your legs back out straight to return to plank position.

3. Pull-Up Bar Knee Raise

Pull-up bar knee raises are one of several exercises that target the abs and external obliques. To do them, make sure that your back is straight and that you're not using momentum to raise your legs. Then move as slowly as you can while maintaining control. Feel the burn!

How should you do it?

Start by stepping or jumping up and grasping the pullup handles on a cable machine, the high bar of a power rack, or the bar of a pullup machine.
With your arms long and upper back engaged, engage the core and exhale to lift both knees up toward your chest.
Inhale and extend your legs back down to the floor, keeping them straight.

4. Incline Bench Sit-Up

The first thing to know about incline benches is that form is everything. Don't start out on the most difficult incline until you've mastered the easier ones.

To do this exercise:

Lie back on a weight bench and place your feet between the round foot holders at the top of the bench.
Engage your core as you lift your chest off the bench, bringing your head close to your knees.
Slowly lower back down until your body forms a straight line from shoulders to ankles. That's one rep.

5. Glute Hamstring Developer Sit-Up

The glute-hamstring raise is a great exercise for strengthening the hamstrings and glutes, but it also involves the erector spinae muscles of the lower back and abs muscle.

To do this move:

Place your feet between the footpads and sit tall on the big cushion.
Wrap your hands across your chest and keep your spine neutral.
Engage your core, slowly lowering yourself until you form a straight line from head to knees.
To come back up, use your abdominal muscles to slowly bring yourself back to the starting position.

6. Ab Wheels

The ab wheel is a simple device that anybody can use to tone their abs, but it’s got a lot more going on underneath the surface. It looks like a small dumbbell with wheels attached to each end. It works almost all of your core muscles, including the upper and lower abdomen, obliques, lower back, arms and shoulders, waist, thighs, and legs.

To perform the exercise:

Get down on your hands and knees.
Hold onto the abs wheel and roll yourself forward to form a straight line.
Put your knees down and crunch up your abs. Hold this position for 30 seconds as you continue to use only your abs.
Then use those same ab muscles to pull yourself back to the starting position.

7. Captain's Chair

The captain’s chair is a piece of exercise equipment that can be used to strengthen abdominal muscles, back, arms and legs. It consists of a suspended backrest and armrests on either side. The work out focuses on your rectus abdominis, obliques, and pelvis.

To perform this exercise:

Sit on the captain's chair with your feet flat on the floor and back straight.
Bend your knees together and raise them toward your waist.
While performing this exercise, be sure not to move your upper body and contract your abdominal muscles consciously.

Takeaway

Maintaining a balanced routine is the best way to succeed in your goal of getting six-pack abs. Exercise and diet are more effective when they are paired together. For this, exercise is very important part for your whole body. There are many exercise machines that can help you build your core muscles and develop the needed strength, but it will take weeks or months before you can start seeing the results.