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Exercise & Nutrition

ab-vice machine

24 years ago

This month's edition of Allure magazine describes a new study of abdominal exercises done by Quinnipiac University & it describes the results from using the Ab-Vice machine as being 35% more effective than crunches - anyone familiar with this machine or the study? Thank you!

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Comments (2)

MrsJim
24 years ago
that a lot of those 'articles' in magazines such as Allure, Self, etc. are nothing more than advertisements.

I haven't seen the article myself but I'd be willing to bet that the 'study' being quoted is not a published one; rather it is a study that the manufacturers of the device in question PAID to have done, in other words, they asked the university to do a study on their device that shows their machine to be more effective than crunches. I would take those studies with a GIGANTIC grain of salt!

The tobacco industry is famous for this - they have had hundreds of studies done by universities and independent labs over the years, showing that smoking cigarettes does not cause cancer and can actually be healthful! ahhh...riiiiight.

I advise you to stick with crunches, and be advised of this old bodybuilders' saying: "Abs are made in the kitchen, not the gym". In other words, you can have the strongest abs in the world but working your abs is not going to make you burn bodyfat. Most of those models with the six-packs in the ads are professional fitness models whose bodyfat is hovering around 6-8% (men) or 9-13% (women). Rest assured that they did NOT accomplish that low body fat through any of those devices you see advertised in infomercials and magazines!

In addition, abdominal fat is usually the most difficult and the last fat to be lost. Body fat loss is very much "first on, last off" - usually the stomach area is the first place that extra fat is stored by your body and it will be the last to go when you're losing it.

Given that, it IS a good thing to have strong abs as they support your upper body. The key is in good form and technique. Don't just do a bunch of fast sit-ups or crunches - while you're doing them concentrate on those ab muscles, try and push your bellybutton down to the floor while you're crunching. Don't jerk your head forward with your arms - try to make sure all the work is being done by your ab muscles.

The latest issue of Muscle Media is devoted to abs, you may want to go to Safeway and thumb through it. Some great workouts and tips in there - and a lot cheaper at $5.99 vs. spending megabucks on another overhyped device that will probably sit in your closet after the first couple of weeks.
Puterlady48
24 years ago
I read an article in Self a few months ago about ab machines. They were quoting a study that indicated the best way to strengthen and tone your abs is to lay on your back and pretend you're riding a bicycle. The closer to the ground your legs are, the better the work out. I tried it--it really works those ab muscles!
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chillilover, do what zl700 said. Or connect it however it makes sense, to the drain pipe under the sink, but above the P trap. chillilover, you can disregard what joed said. I'll explain why. An indirect drain is by definition already in existence when you connect something (like a dishwasher) to the pipe under the sink, above the P trap. Search on this term : "Dishwasher Wye" or "Dishwasher Tee" and you'll see how millions of dishwashers are plumbed to sink drain pipes without even going thru the garbage disposer. There is air, open to the room, and this is the definition of an indirect drain. You hear gurglng coming up thru the sink strainer. Go see your washing machine standpipe and you'll see another indirect drain. It has air, open to the room, so that when drain water comes in, air can leave the volume occupied by the water coming in. You hear it gurgle when it drains. That is it. Nothing more. So, yes, it is correct to say, " should not be connected direct to the drain line..." but this correct information was not given to you in a way that made sense. The only way to "connect direct to the drain line..." is if you had a separate (dedicated) P trap for it --- which you don't have! Then, when joed said "An air gap of some sort would be required ..." he is again 100% correct, but it's information given in a way that creates confusion not clarity. An air gap already exists when an indirect drain exists. An air gap is a space that lets air come out when water comes in, so it is not a product to buy but a space to maintain. Again go look at your washing machine standpipe and you'll see that nobody taped shut the air gap (spacing) that lets all the gurgling noise (air) come out when the washing machine drains itself. So, yes it is correct to say "air gap required" but it is doesn't help understanding. EEspecially true, since you already got the answer you needed in the preceding post, so it appears more as a contradiction than as a confirmation. Duh. Since you asked about "check valve" it proves that joed's post appears to you more as a contradiction than as a confirmation that zl700 was right. Don't overthink this: just go connect it. hope this helps.
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