A smooth yet rotund stomach was all the rage some centuries ago.
Unfortunately, you live in this century, when the flat, toned, washboard abs are the most sought after in the gym or at the beach.
While a six-pack is the ideal for most, having a flat, smooth stomach and abdomen will do for many of us.
If you want to trim that area in the privacy of your own home, here are some important points to remember when creating a home gym with facilities that are designed to help you maintain your abs: Go cardio.
Sorry, but the best way to lose those love handles and beer gut is to perform cardiovascular exercises.
These are exercises designed to increase your heart rate so your body becomes more efficient in burning calories and shedding excess fat.
Before you purchase a home gym equipment that targets the abs, consider investing one that allows you to perform cardio routines.
To maximize your exercise time, look for equipment that offers both upper and lower body workout.
Good choices include ellipticals, stair climbers and rowing machines.
With a minimum of 20 minutes of mid- to intense workout, you should be able to trim down your abdominals to make way for more target-specific routines.
Abs equipment If you have a multigym or total gym, you probably have bench options that allow you to stretch out and perform dips and crunches.
If you do, then you have everything you need in a home gym.
If you have other types of cardio equipment or much simpler ones, there are machines you can buy that offer excellent workout for the abs.
Generally, these abs exercise equipment are smaller and shaped like chair lounges.
They function by offering you resistance and a range of motions in the form of springs and rollers.
Since they are designed low, they offer more stability so you can sit back and rock back and forth to work out your abs.
An advantage to abs equipment is that they not only target the abs, they also allow you to work out your thighs, hips and butt.
Simply by modifying your position or the resistance on the equipment, you can already make use of multiple workouts.
Most abs equipment in the market also come with a DVD or CD to help guide you on how to perform the routines.
For building core strength, these are excellent equipment to include in a home gym The price of these machines starts at around $60.
More expensive ones cost around $250.
Free weights A must have for your abs home gym are free weights.
These dumbbells and weighted materials are carried and held in your hand as you work out.
They serve a double purpose: they strengthen your arms and also increase resistance.
The heavier the weight is, the more resistance it will offer so you will have to exert more effort.
These are excellent when you're doing floor exercises to keep your abs strong and toned.
Bench Inclined benches are excellent for doing crunches, exercises that specifically target your abs.
If you're quite capable of doing the exercises on your own, consider buying a bench to supplement your cardio routine.
Once your strength has increased, use weights to allow for more resistance.
Stability balls Stability balls look like overweight beach balls but they're very sturdy and offer you excellent back and stomach supports when doing your abs exercises.
They're often used for Pilates workouts and work very well for abs-specific routines.
Stability balls are excellent for use in personal home gyms, especially for people who want to work out their abs.
On their own, they can offer multiple exercise variations that will work out the abs, hips, thighs and butt.
Paired with weights and a few routines courtesy of exercise videos, they can produce very good results.
That is, if they are coupled with a healthful diet.
Pilates workout A tested and proven means to trimming abs, waist, hips and thighs is a good Pilates workout.
It's also relatively cheaper and does not require a lot of equipment.
For basic routines, an exercise mat is all you need.
A Pilates workout video will guide you on the steps to strengthen your abs and keep it taut and toned.
For more resistance, consider a resistance band.
These are elastic bands that you can do Pilates workouts with to increase muscle strength.
They're also excellent for making leaning back and stretching a lot easier.
Pilates workouts are a favorite among many people with home gyms who not only wish to lengthen their muscles but also tone their abs.