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This study was conducted by Peter Francis, Ph.D., and Jennifer Davis, M.A., at the San Diego State
University Biomechanics Lab. The study was not supported or funded in any way by equipment
manufacturers.                                
Many of the exercises tested proved to be relatively effective at working the
abdominal muscles—some are just more effective than others. The important
thing to remember is that you don’t need to purchase a piece of exercise equipment
to strengthen your abs. If, however, you find that an ab device inspires you
to stick with your exercise program, then it may be valuable.
It’s also important to remember that everybody does ab exercises differently,
and people need to get out of the mindset that all exercises work for all people.
As expected, the effectiveness of each exercise varied from subject to subject
depending on factors such as athleticism, familiarization with the exercises
and past injuries.
 
For best results, Dr. Francis recommends choosing several of the exercises
that landed in the top-third of the list and try doing a five-minute exercise session
daily. If an exercise is uncomfortable or doesn’t feel right, try another one.
This will help train different muscles and combat boredom.
 
No matter which exercises you choose, take the time to train and strengthen
your abdominal muscles. Strong abs help with good posture, alleviate lower
back pain and are essential for long-term health and well being.
 
 
NOTE: EMG values are listed as a percentage of the activity generated
by a traditional crunch. For instance, a Long Arm Crunch
yields 19 percent more activity for the rectus abdominus than the
crunch; and a Vertical Leg Crunch yields 116 percent more activity
for the obliques than the crunch. Statistically, only those exercises
that generate at least 25 percent more activity than the crunch are
considered notably more effective.


RANKING EXERCISE     MEAN % OF ACTIVITY 
1 Captain’s Chair                   310%
2 Bicycle Maneuver              290%
3 Reverse Crunch                 240%
4 Hover                                    230%
5 Vertical Leg Crunch           216%
6 Exercise Ball                       147%
7 Torso Track                          145%
8 Crunch with Heel Push      126%
9 Long Arm Crunch               118%
10 Ab Roller                            101%
11 Traditional Crunch           100%
12 Exercise Tubing Pull        77%
13 Ab Rocker                         74%