WHETHER you’re after a chiselled six-pack, you want to ditch your stomach paunch, or your aim is to simply tone up a little, then you’ll likely be familiar with sit-ups and crunches.
While I’m a big fan of an at-home bodyweight ab circuit incorporating these moves, like many of us, I want quick results.
And to do this, I’ve got to make it a little harder for myself.
Enter: the at-home ab gadgets.
I found a selection of products said to add an extra challenge to ab workouts, targeting the entire set of muscles that make up your core.
We often think of our core as just the six-pack we dream of, but there’s a lot more to it.
There’s also the internal and external obliques, which run down the side of your core, and the transverse abdominis, which wraps around your entire core.
There are several other muscles too, including the pelvic floor, which spans the bottom of the pelvis and supports organs such as the uterus and bladder.
Together, these muscles help you to move comfortably, as well as support posture, balance and stability.
As a personal trainer, I often get asked: “How can I get abs?”
Well the reality is, we all have them already, they’re just often hidden under a layer of fat.
A combination of losing fat and working the abs and other core muscles is the secret to a toned middle.
Because, just like any other muscle, if you train the abs muscles, they’ll grow and become more pronounced.
While at-home ab gadgets won’t help with fat loss, I was keen to see how much they would challenge my core so I put four to the test. Let the burn begin…
1. Core Master
- Price: £109.95, The Core Master
- Best for: A challenge
I had to give the Core Master a try. On the website, it’s described as a unique fitness product “developed using science and engineering to work your core more intensely than anything you’ve ever done before”.
Despite the £100+ price tag, I was sold.
Essentially a circular board with a dynamic central ball, the instability of this home exercise gadget is what makes it such a good core machine.
It forces the core muscles to stay engaged the entire time.
You can roll, tilt, and rotate while performing loads of different exercises.
After unpacking and screwing the handles into the main board, I decided to put my abs through their paces.
To say I was humbled would be an understatement. I consider myself relatively strong, but this made me work to another level.
It’s like the extreme version of a bosu ball (the half inflatable ball on a flat circular platform), except the central ball rotates, which means I was slipping and sliding all over the shop.
Performing a plank was hard, so instead I kept my hands on the Core Master and dropped to my knees instead of my toes, for extra support.
Much like the ab wheel, which I tested later, I could also roll the Core Master forwards and back, engaging all my core muscles.
This was hard and I feel like I have met my match with the Core Master.
If you feel like you’re already quite strong in your midsection, then this one is for you as it will take your workouts up a notch and activate muscles in your core that you didn’t know even existed!
2. Les Mills slider set
- Price: £19, Les Mills
- Best for: Versatility
These circular discs add extra instability to your core workouts when you place them under your hands or feet.
This means your core has to fire up more than usual to keep you balanced and in control.
Sliders literally slide over most types of floor. The foamy side is made for wood or tiled floors and the wooden side works on carpet.
Just flip the slider over to the appropriate side and voila!
I find that just five or six reps of the ab wheel is enough for me to notice my abs firing up
Lucy Gornall
I started off simply with mountain climbers, stepping my feet onto the sliders and sliding my feet up towards my chest, one by one. Honestly, the core activation is instant.
Imagine that feeling in your abs when you’ve done 20 crunches. It’s that, but straight away.
I also did double knee tucks in a plank position, as well as plank pikes – driving my hips up as my feet slid towards my chest, creating an upside down ‘v’ shape.
The beauty of sliders is that you can use them for so many moves. In fact, they’re a bit reformer Pilates-esque as the controlled sliding motion is similar to the feeling on a reformer machine.
These are also made of bamboo, so they’re eco-friendly too. And they’re great for throwing in your suitcase when you go away, should you ever wish to stay active on holiday.
I love these sliders. And for me, they offer the most bang for buck; they’re versatile, light, easy to move around and pack away, and they really do work your core.
3. VIP Rota Ab Roller Wheel
- Price: £8.20, Amazon
- Best for: Lightweight and affordable
Many gyms have ab rollers, but have you ever used one?[/caption]
If you’re a gym member, you might have seen one of these small, wheely things hanging around the gym floor.
But, whether you’re at the gym or at home, an ab wheel is a really handy core-boosting piece of kit.
This particular ab wheel comes in separate parts but it’s extremely simple to put together so there’s no excuse not to get those muscles working.
You need to start in a high kneel position with the ab wheel on the ground by your knees.
This one comes with a handy knee mat to save the pain of hard floors.
Place a hand on each handle, either side of the wheel, then engage your core as you roll the wheel out as far as possible in front of you. And then roll it back to the start position.
Sounds easy right? It is not.
The P.ball is loved by Jennifer Aniston. It’s essentially a small inflatable ball held in place by a heavy resistance band
Lucy Gornall
But, if you want to build your core muscles, then you do need to challenge your muscles.
I find that just five or six reps of the ab wheel is enough for me to notice my abs firing up.
It doesn’t just target the abs muscles, but also the entire set of core muscles, including the obliques.
To hit the oblique even more, you can steer the wheel out to one side, which forces the obliques to work a little harder as you roll yourself back up.
To sum up, this is the best low-cost abs gadget.
There are limited moves you can do, but they’re hard and they’ll work your core.
4. Pvolve P.ball
- Price: £71.49, Healf
- Best for: More than just your core
So, this is where things changed a little.
The P.ball (loved by Jennifer Aniston, FYI) is essentially a small inflatable ball held in place by a heavy resistance band.
By placing a leg inside each side of the band, the ball rests between your legs.
This claims to target the inner and outer thighs, fire up the glutes and engage the core. I’m in!
The band can be tightened and it also comes with a pump to inflate or deflate the ball.
To be honest, when I squatted and lunged with the ball between my upper thighs, I felt it work my thighs and glutes a lot more than my core. Squats and lunges are after all, predominantly lower body.
However, my core had to remain switched on throughout the workout, so it wasn’t getting off scot-free.
I also placed the ball between my lower leg and did some little kickbacks which burned my glutes while forcing my core to stay engaged to keep me upright.
When I dropped into a plank, still keeping the P.ball between my thighs, it added an extra level of difficulty as it forced my pelvic floor and lower abs to engage as I squeezed the ball.
Essentially, the P.ball really helps to work on stability and a strong core is vital for stability; after all, it’s the core muscles that keep you upright.
Overall, the P.ball is great and it’s certainly different to other at-home workout gadgets.
But if it’s just an abs burn you’re after, you don’t need this.
If you want to strengthen and tone that entire pelvic area (think lower abs, pelvic floor and thighs) though, then this is a godsend.
The 5 best exercises to lose weight
By Lucy Gornall, personal trainer and health journalist
EXERCISE can be intimidating and hard to devote yourself to, particularly at this time of year, when the rain is as relentless as your craving for carbs.
So how do you find the right workout for you?
As a PT and fitness journalist, I’ve tried everything.
I’ve taken part in endless fitness competitions, marathons and I maintain a regime of runs, strength training and Pilates.
Fitness is so entrenched in my life, I stick to it even at Christmas!
The key is finding an activity you love that can become a habit.
My top five forms of exercise, especially if you’re trying to lose weight, are:
- Walking
- Running
- Pilates
- High-intensity interval training (HIIT)
- Strength training
