A few months ago you interviewed a gentleman from Mens Journal who was trashing all the plastic ab exercisers (e.g., ABFLEX). My question is: What is the best exercise my wife and I can buy to firm up our abs?
I think many of the ab exercises are ok as a motivational tool. A comparison would be with weights — many people could really see some great results with their bodies through basic calisthenics (pushups, pullups, etc.), yet we love machines and weights, because to many, calisthenics are boring. So the ab machines may help us, but they do not live up to all of their promises regarding reduced body fat, etc. So you can use one that simulates the abdominal crunch, or do this exercise without the machine: On your back, feet flat on the floor with knees bent, hands behind your head, elbows to your side, slowly raise your shoulders off the ground 4-8 inches, exhale, hold and relax. Repeat. Remember, to reduce body fat it takes an aerobic program as well.
