There's a lot of bad advice going around about lower ab exercises. I just read an article from a personal trainer who suggested that people don't really need to work their abs. He believes that the lower abs get worked more than enough by doing crunches and other ab exercises.

Well, I suppose if all you want to do is to work your rectus, because that's the muscle that really looks the best when you take your shirt off, then you really don't need to think to long and hard about your ab workout. Get an ab bench or a swiss ball and do crunches to your hearts content.

However, this strategy isn't going to do much for your physical development. You'll end up with strong muscles on top of weak muscles. That's right, the rectus sits right on top and provides little in the way of a healthy core.  It won't help your posture, it won't improve your back, and it won't help your athletic development. In fact, it's lible to create an inherent weakness in your other muscles. So, don't listen to this idiot. Work your lower abs. You'll be a better athlete, you'll be much stronger, and you'll look more developed if you have balance.

So, with that my three  favorite exercises for the lower abs are as follows:

1. Reverse crunches. Easy to do, simply lay on the ground and bring your knees to your chest. The key is to hollow your stomach a bit and concentrate on bringing your lower body up one vertebrae at a time. If you have an ab bench, you can change the angle to get even greater resistance.

2. Captains Chair Hanging Knee Raises. Another great exercise, but it does require the Captains Chair. To do this exercise, climb onto the chair and bring your knees to your chest using your abs. The added gravity that the Captains Chair provides means you're getting a real intense workout. Just be sure not to cheat by using your hip flexors.

3. Crunches with an ab cruncher. One of the great thing about the ab cruncher machines is that you often can work the lower abs independent of the upper abs. And you can add weight to maximize your workout.

So, next time you're planning a vacation to the beach, just remember that to get truly great abs, you also need to work the often forgoten lower abs, too.

An ab back machine offers you the advantage of creating a strong lower back and powerful, ripped abs with just a single piece of equipment . If you haven't been using an ab back machine up to this point, they may seem a little strange - mayble even difficult to get used.  But, really all you need is the proper technique and knowledge of how to use one of these machines  and you'll be strengthening your abs and back in no time at all.

Before the Ab and Back Workout

It's  important to incorporate warm-up exercises before your workout. Now, you may think, why waste the time, but you absolutely do not want to skip this before you hop on your machine. A proper warm-up will get those  muscles loosened and help you avoid injury.

A few good warm-up exercises to use are jump roping, running on a treadmill for a few minutes, or even brisk walking. Once you've done something to get your muscles warmed up, then you can move to doing light stretching. Don't push your stretch, keep it light and easy.

During the Ab Back Workout

The first thing you want to check before you start your ab back machine workout is the amount of resistance or weights that you should use. First time users may not need any weights at all to start out, but might consider adding them as they progress in strength and learn the movements. If you do desire resistance as a first time user, however, I caution you to start out light. You don't want to get hurt your first time out - or anytime for that matter.

Now, decide which body part you're going to work first, your abs or your back. One mistake that I regularly see is that people often neglect their back in favor of their abs. After all, we all want that great six pack. But, your back is extremely important to every day movements and to a healthy spine.

Try to work on a balance between the two body parts. If you do 20 reps of your abs, do twenty reps for you back during the same workout.

In fact, a good strategy to really develop the muscles well is to do 3 sets of 20 reps of each exercise. And, keep track of your reps. Write down the weight you used because to create more strength and definition, you'll want to continually add weight.

That's one of the great things about these machines. A lot to the ab machines that you might see advertised are great for a few weeks, but they don't lend themselves well to adding weight as your progress. So, you're stuck with your own body weight as resistance the entire time. But, with most ab and back combo machines, you'll get to use the machine over and over again and still get a great workout every time.

Scheduling Your Workouts

A regular workout routine is a good thing to get in the habit of scheduling so that your body will become accustomed to the exercise and so that you'll achieve the best possible results. For ab and back workouts, using your machine a minimum of three times per week is recommended, but it's important to not overdo it. If your body is telling you it's sore, don't push it. Rest and recovery is as important to your muscle development as your workout.

As you become more used to using your ab and back machine, you can schedule mini-workouts at various times throughout the week and even add other exercises to your routine to give you a full body workout.

Check out additional Ab Back Machines

To get the most from your ab bench, you'll want to take advantage of the fact that the bench is adjustable. Not only is it adjustable to fit your body type, but the angle that you work your abs is also adjustable. This makes using an ab board both fun and more effective.

Before you hop on your bench, you'll want to make sure that you're warmed up. To prevent injury, it's best to do this. Start by doing a light jog or some other easy cardio work that will get the blood flowing. After about 5-10 minutes, then do some light stretching. You want the muscles to be stretched, but you won't want to force the stretch as that will potentially damage the msucle. So, keep it light.

You're almost ready to get on your ab board. Before you do, decide how to adjust your bench. You can vary the angle, and different models allow for different levels of adjustment. In general, the greater the angle, the harder you'll work your abs. So, it's best if you're a beginner to keep the board flat and build up your strength.

A stronger person will want to take advantage of the deeper angles. This will allow them to work their abs with more intensity. If you're unsure how strong you are, I would suggest starting with no decline. After a few workouts, change the decline to the next lowest setting and see how that feels.

Once your adjustments are made climb on the bench. Pull in your stomach, not hard, but you do want to move your belly button closer to your spine to get better results. Now, pull yourself up, exhaling as you pull forward.

Be sure not to swing your arms or your head to gain moment. Let your abs do the work. If you can't go all the way up to start, that's fine. Just go as far as you can. You'll build up to a complete range of motion, if you keep at it.

I'd suggest 3 sets of 20 repetitions. When you're done, move on to the next exercise which works the lower abs.

To hit your lower abs, you will find it easiest to change positions so that your head is where your feet normally are anchored. Hold on to the ab board by grabbing either the board or the foot anchors with your hands. Again, bring your navel to you spine, exhale and curl your knees towards your chest. That's one rep. Do this exercise 20 times for a total of 3 sets.

As you progress, you can add weight to your exercises. For the crunches and sit ups, you can hold a weight across your chest. For the lower ab exercise I described, you can add ankle weights to give you more resistance.

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