Train Yourself in Precisely the Right Form
Written: Jan 17 '05
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Puts me in the correct form; well made, effective.
Cons: An expensive purchase; I cannot reach the arm pads.
The Bottom Line: If you can afford it this is a nice piece of equipment to have. If you are prone to neck pain when doing ab work this should alleviate it.
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| jo.com's Full Review: Precise Ab Trainer Club Pro |
I have used the Precise Ab Trainer Club Pro so often I could not possibly count the times. However it was just a few days ago that I took a look at who made it and saw it was made by Precise and looked at the name written on it. That is when I realized I would check to see if I could review this abdominal exercise equipment. I can and I am.
What is the Ab Trainer?
I want to start by saying this is the Club Pro and retails for $320. Precise makes a model for the home that retails for $200.
The purpose of the Ab Trainer is not much different than other abdominal equipment designed to help make doing crunches easier. The crunch is considered one of the best exercises for your abdominal area especially the upper section which is called the rectus abdominus. If you have read other reviews of mine you may wonder why I even use this since much of the time I say that crunches can be done just as effectively without any equipment for free.
There are a couple of reasons I use this. One is that I like to vary my workouts and that includes abdominal workouts. The abdominal muscles are muscles just like any other. To work them the best work them differently. I have to explain what a crunch is in order to get into another reason I use the Precise Ab Trainer Club Pro. Once upon a time we worked out abdominal muscles (from now on called abs) doing sit ups. Some may remember the days of having someone hold your feet or putting your feet under the couch. You would go from the floor all the way up to a sit up position. Those days are gone. A small movement involving lifting your head and shoulders off the floor, tightening your ab muscles and then lowering back down is all that is needed to work your abs.
You can do 1000 crunches in improper form and get nowhere or 25 in proper form and tighten up the area. (Reducing the fat is another matter. You will not see a 6-pack if there is fat over your ab area. All the crunches in the world will not get rid of that. Proper nutrition and cardio vascular exercise will unless you are really genetically challenged and then you might never get a 6-pack but at least you will be toned.)
Now that you know what a crunch is I can tell you another reason I use the Ab Trainer. It puts me in perfect form. If your neck hurts you when you do crunches most likely you are doing them incorrectly. If you are not seeing results you are probably not doing them correctly.
The Ab Trainer is really comfortable to use. I am going to walk you through how I use it and as I do tell you about the parts of it I like or do not like. I lie down and put my head on the support. This support is padded, contoured and comfortable. It gives my head and neck support unlike what I can get from using my hands. The padding is made of urethane. We have two at my gym and they get a lot of use. Neither of them have cracks in the padding.
I then put my hands on the top part of the Trainer. Although it is made of steel, there is nice thick padding around this part of the unit making it super comfortable to hold. Here is a catch. I have not used any type of rocker abdominal piece of equipment on which I have been able to put my arms on the pads. The reason is the same reason I write often. Equipment is made for men who tend to be taller than my 5 feet 4 inches. That means my arms are not long enough to hold onto the top of the Ab Trainer while having my arms on the nice thick arm pads. Why not lower your arms you may ask? I do lower them a bit but if I lower them too much I will not get the rocking movement necessary for ab isolation. So I use the Ab Trainer and my arms do not reach the arm pads.
Once I am in this position I lift up slightly using my abdominal muscles (try not to pull too much with your arms you want your abs working) and the Ab Trainer rocks up with me in a small movement making me stop short of going up too high. The Ab Trainer positions me really well. Although my arms are not out to the side as I have said they should be when doing a crunch that is fine in the case of the Ab Trainer. The reason for this is the way the equipment is designed. Your head will be positioned correctly without your having to do anything but lie down. You will be looking up as you should be with a slight tilt to your chin downward as you should be.
Lift up 12 times, rest, and then repeat for 3 repetitions. You can easily work your oblique muscles. Those are the muscles on the sides of your body. Although you cannot spot reduce you can tighten up areas of your body. You will do this by having your feet on the floor so your knees are facing the ceiling and then dropping them down to one side. In this position do the same crunch, lifting the Ab Trainer as you did previously. Then drop your legs to the other side and continue. I can do reverse crunches on the Ab Trainer as well as front and reverse crunches at the same time so it allows me to do what I do without the equipment but in proper form. Also it adds variety as I said so I do not get bored. There are times my neck is sore particularly after a Pilates class. I find that using the Ab Trainer rather than my own body or other piece of equipment allows me to still work my abs without pain in my neck.
Additional Information:
The Precise Club Pro is made of steel, literally (one and one quarter inches worth) and will not break like the cheap imitations. If you are starting a club, physical therapy business or want the best in your home gym, this one will last forever.
It comes with an instructional video and poster but it is really simple to use. In spite of my saying it is simple please look at the video and instructions if this piece of equipment (I do not use the word machine because there is no machinery.) is new for you.
It also comes with a 30 inch by 48 inch foam exercise mat and a 10-day training and nutrition program. Neither of these is available at my gym. The Precise Ab Trainer is on a larger rubber mat and the training/nutrition component means hiring a personal trainer.
It also comes with two 3 pound weights for added resistance. However, please note that I saw on a website that the newest model of the Precise Club Pro does not come with weights and it will not accept weights. The weights we have are small gold pieces that fit on the sides. I have mixed feelings about doing abdominal work with weights in general although I do use weights on occasion. If you buy this and it cannot accept weights you can buy a plate and put it on your belly. Essentially you are getting the same amount of resistance.
It measures 27 inches by 24 inches by 32 inches and is 18 pounds. That translates into a piece of equipment that can be stored in a corner and easily carried from place to place.
the warranty on the frame is 5 years; the pads for one year.
My final thoughts:
Is this an essential piece of equipment? Yes if you are starting your own gym; no if you work out at home and are trying to keep the costs down. Is it effective? Yes, I like the Precise Club Pro Ab Trainer a lot. If you can afford it and want variety in your ab work I am not hesitating to recommend it. My only concern is that if you are shorter than about 5 feet 7 inches your arms will not reach the pads so you are paying for a nice feature you cannot use.
Please feel free to leave me a question, comment or e-mail me privately. If you would like me to review the home model I will seek it out and do so. Just let me know.
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Recommended:
Yes
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