I have received quite a few emails from people inspired by my various posts on the Ab Rocket
and how effective it has been in giving me stronger and leaner abs. If you want a little background, you can read a couple of my previous posts on my quest to lose weight as well as look and feel better:
In many of the emails I typically get the same questions:
- How often did you and do you use the Ab Rocket?
- How long did it take to see results?
- Did you follow any nutrition guide?
Those of you who have purchased an Ab Rocket will probably be excited with my answers, because I didn't spend all day on the Ab Rocket and I didn't make a huge change in my diet. You don't need to go crazy and devote your life to exercise. You just need to be patient and stay the course. As always, talk to a physician before starting any workout or fitness program to make sure you don't harm yourself.
How Often Did You and Do You Use the Ab Rocket?
Like any new exercise, I start out slow. I am probably a bit too cautious, but I am pretty much a fan of the saying “better safe than sorry.“ The abs are a core muscle, which to me, means you use them in just about every activity. Last thing you need is to pull or tear a muscle in the abs and get a hernia. Seriously, hurting your abs will pretty much negatively impact any exercise or activity you plan to participate in. It ain't worth it!
When I first started using the ab rocket I did 1 set of ab crunches every other day and I did not do that set to exhaustion. I did as many ab crunches as I could do comfortably and I really paid attention to my form. When you first start using the Ab Rocket start slowly and take it easy. Put on a motivating music video or tune and concentrate on the following:
- Breathing. Extremely important that you breathe during the entire exercise. Never, ever hold your breath. Ever :) Breathe out during the crunch. Breathe in on the way down.
- Completely relax your head and neck against the backrest. This will take practice as we are all in the habit of thrusting or pulling are neck and head to complete a situp / ab crunch. The beautful thing about the Ab Rocket is that it takes the pressure off your neck and head. Embrace it!
- Slow and Steady Movements. As with any exercise we don't want any sudden or jerky movements.
- Squeezing Abs. This may sound weird but a lot of people push their abs out while doing an ab crunch and develop a little pooch in the front. This may be in part to incorrectly holding their breath. Don't develop this bad habit. It will make you look “fat“ when you are not. Abs must be squeezed while using the Ab Rocket. This takes practice and patience.
- Listen to Your Abs. If you feel any pain, discomfort, or even the slightest twinge in your abs while using the Ab Rocket. Stop! As I mentioned, this is a core muscle and will take awhile to develop. Start slow. Do not go to complete exhaustion. Patience is key.
When you first start using the Ab Rocket you really want to concentrate on developing proper technique and not on the number of ab crunches you can accomplish. Proper technique is key to developing stronger and leaner abs and you must accomplish that first. No sense doing ab crunches if you are doing them wrong, because you will end up 1) not doing them effectively, 2) hurting yourself, and / or 3) developing bad habits that will be hard to break later. First learn to use the Ab Rocket and do ab crunches correctly and then start a comfortable path that slowly and safely adds more and more challenging repetitions and sets to your ab workout over time.
As mentioned, I started with 1 set every 2 or 3 days and gradually at my own pace increased the number of sets and frequency of the workouts. I continually focused on proper technique and avoided trying to get in one or two more ab crunches if it meant I would use incorrect form and possibly hurt myself.
A year later and I am using the Ab Rocket everyday and doing 3 sets of about 30-40 ab crunches. I rest no more than 1 minute between sets. This takes me less then 10 minutes to accomplish with my eyes closed and my iPod playing. Note that this is a year later, so you do not start at this pace. I still do not go to complete exhaustion and never will. If I hurt my abs now they will turn to mush and I do not want that :)
How Long Did It Take To See Results?
This is a hard question to answer because the results snuck up on me. One day, I just noticed that my abs were rock hard to my disbelief. I remember being so amazed that for about a week I kept asking my wife to poke me in the abs and hoping she was impressed as I was :) She was impressed, but admittedly, was getting a little tired of having to go through the evening ab poking ritual :)
If I had to guess-
- 3 Months - Strong abs. Waist smaller. Clothes fitting better.
- 6 Months - Hint of a 6 pack thanks to Portion Control. Chest bigger than Abs which is a requirement for me :)
- 9 Months - Small changes to diet to break through some weight barriers. Six Pack.
Unfortunately, you won't see that six pack if you are overweight. You will need to focus on portion control and nutrition, which was by far harder for me than doing ab crunches :) However, I personally think a 6 pack is overkill for most of us. I think a lean and strong core is more than fine and in many ways much more attractive. I think with a consistent workout, most people will be happy within 3 months and delighted in 6 months. Focus on proper technique and consistency and the results will follow.
Did You Follow Any Nutrition Guide
I am just starting to focus more on nutrition now that I have been working out consistently for 1 year and have successfully maintained 160lbs for 9 months. Of course, I have never eaten poorly, just too much at times :) Fruits, vegetables, green tea, water, lean meat, etc. has always been a part of my diet. I am not addicted to carbs, sugar, or high fat foods - never have been.
My focus has mainly been on portion control with some small changes to my diet. For the most part I am eating about the same foods, but less of them. This was and is a huge step for me and I am happy to say that I am accomplishing this with flying colors.
I do not believe in commercial diets and I do not believe in drastically changing your eating habits. Just as with exercise, I think one is better off making small changes and allowing the body to properly adapt to those changes.
If you truly feel you have a bad diet or want quicker results, however, I highly recommend you talk to a professional.
Conclusion
I hope this helps. Keep in mind I am no expert and learning as I go. The best I can recommend is that you take it slow and focus on long-term results. Develop those healthy habits and don't get frustrated if things don't happen as quickly as you prefer. Time will still go on and results will happen as long as you are consistent in your efforts.
As always, don't risk your health. Talk to a physician, nutritionist, and personal trainer for professional advice. I am no expert and mainly just want to encourage you to live a better lifestyle!
If you have yet to purchase an Ab Rocket, I recommend reading the comments from others on Amazon before making a purchase. Other than an Ab Wheel, which I just started using, my only experience has been with an Ab Rocket to help strengthen my abs. If I had the money, I might try an Ab Circle Pro
, which looks interesting, but the budget doesn't allow me to do that at this time :)
Stay healthy!
David Hayden