A CAUTION ABOUT THE AB DOLLY! GREAT ALTERNATIVES!

[Iron_Monkey]

Serpent-

We are talking about an abdominal exercise machine. Most versions of this design have the user extending their upper body out from their knees starting from a down on all fours position. The idea is to slide out and back in, using your abs and arms to keep you off the ground. They work pretty well. The machines themselves can be anything from a wheel with handles that moves freely, to a machine with a place to put your knees and handles which slide back and forth along a track.

[This message has been edited by Iron_Monkey (edited 08-24-2000).]

[Ryu]

Mata! LOL!
I can't believe you posted this here too! [img]/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img]
I guess it is a serious post then. You know what? I have a question. Just how effective do you think the "ab dolly", "ab tiger" etc are? I do weighted crunches and they seem to work well. I have tried doing the movement with just a dumbell, and I do feel it in my stomach, but I get more of a burn in my shoulders and triceps.
What do you think?

Ryu

[Mata-Leão]

Yes, Ryu, it is serious. Not only do I think it works, but from what I've been able to gather, so do many long-time, hard-core fitness buffs like aerobics instructors and such.

The barbell excercise you describe is similar but not exactly the same as using the dolly. Your version is more like using the Ab Wheel. The problem with doing it this way is that the barbell or wheel gets extended way out in front of you. This puts a lot of strain on the muscles of your upper arm, pecs, lats, and delts. It also puts unnecessary strain on your lower spine.

The dollies work better for people of average strength. You can rest your elbows on them, or you can kneel on them with your hands on the floor and extend your legs.

Of course, after you've built up your strength, you can grasp the dolly with your hands and use it like the wheel or dumbbell.

[Mata-Leão]

Serpent, the best way to describe the Ab Dolly, for someone who's never seen one, is to simply say that it is like an automechanic's "creeper." You know, those padded boards on wheels that that automechanics lay on so they can slide around underneath cars.

The way it works is like this: You kneel down on the ground and then place your elbows on the dolly (this is already easier and safer than the Ab Wheel or barbell method). You sorta look like you're on all fours. Then you extend you body forward allowing the dolly to roll. As you do this, your hips extend, your upper body gets closer to the ground, and you have to flex your abs to keep from falling face down on the ground. Fully extended, you end up in something that looks lik the "push-ups" position only with your elbows still on the "creeper". Once you've extended as far as you have strength, you flex your abs to pull the dolly back toward your knees, and you go back to "all fours." The overall motion makes you look something like an inch-worm, skooting out and then back.

You can also roll the dolly off at angles to either side of you, and make circular motions with it. This will build up your transverse and obliques.

Once you gain enough abdominal strength, you can increase the difficulty of the exercise by grasping the dolly with your hands instead of resting your elbows on it. Then you use it like you would the Ab Wheel, more or less. Even here, though, the dolly is safer, more stable, more versitile, etc.

One thing you can do with the dolly that you can't do with the Ab Wheel, is you can kneel on it, place your hands on the ground, and then skoot your knees away from you and then back. Doing it this way gives a completely different feel, and does a great job of working the abs as well.

This type of excercise is widely regarded as the BEST way to work your abs, and some kind of dolly (not necessarily THE Ab Dolly™) is the best way to do this type of exercise.

Ryu, I'm sure that situps, crunches, etc. WORK. The question is, does the dolly work BETTER. I don't know. I honestly don't. However, I know a lot of people who've been doing fitness and exercise as a full-time job who say that the dolly thing is better.

Like I said, I'm off to Home Depot this weekend to check out some of the less-expensive creepers and dollies.