Sit up bench - For beautiful abs and no love handles!

If you want to build strong and defined abdominal muscles,a sit up bench will help you get there faster.

The problem

But as there are lots of different types of sit-up benches you may become a bit confused as to which one you will need.

The solution

To help you, we will look at what a fitness sit up bench is, why you should use one and then move on to the different types (including examples) to get you started. Let's begin with what exactly a sit-up exercise bench is.

What is a sit up bench?

A sit up bench is a bench that you use to perform sit ups and other exercises on. You may wonder why you have to use one and whether you will need one. To answer that question, we'll move on to the next point:

Why use a sit-up bench?

Sit up benches can help one improve their form during sit-ups and other abs exercises and can also enable the person to perform exercises that would previously have been nearly impossible to do . If you have back problems and you are unable to do abs exercises on the floor, doing them on a sit-up bench can help a great deal.

What different types of sit up benches are there?

If you thought there is only one type of sit up exercise benches, then you are mistaken. There are quite a few different types, let's see what they are all about:

An adjustable sit up bench

This is the type of sit up bench that will give you the most freedom in movements , as it is adjustable - it can be flat, with an incline and declines of different angles to exercise different muscle groups and also to increase the intensity of your exercise.

The decline sit up bench and incline sit up bench

This sit up exercise bench is in a declining or inclining position to increase the intensity . The disadvantage of this type of bench compared to the adjustable sit up bench is that it can only crunch up in decline or incline position, and you cannot adjust the incline to suit your needs.

The inverted sit up bench

This is just another fancy name for the decline sit up bench and looks pretty much the same.

The roman chair sit up bench

The Roman sit up bench is not traditionally a sit up bench but it is rather a bench used for a hyper back extension (exercises the lower abs).

But the Roman bench can also be used to exercise your obliques (the place where love handles live).

The folding sit up bench

If you have limited space available and need to store your fitness sit up bench away after use, the folding sit up bench will be able to assist. It can be folded and stored away when not in use.

The curved sit up bench

For those of you struggling with back pain and wanting to still be able to do abs exercises, the curved sit up bench will help with that.

Its board is curved to fit your body contours and may assist in relieving back pain. An example is the Crescendo Fitness Curved Sit Up Bench With Dumbbell Rack.

How to use a sit up bench - tips to help you

• Read - Read the instruction manual - you will find helpful info there
• Don't come up fully - Coming up too high with a sit up may hurt your back
• Tuck your abs in - Keeping your abs tucked in will help you to crunch more effectively
• Crunch to the side - Crunch to the side will help you to work those obliques and to get rid of love handles.
• Reps or circuit - You can either do an ab circuit where you repeat different exercises or you can do 3 reps of 12-15 each.

What are the most popular and best sit up benches?

Here are a few sit-up benches to consider:

The weider sit up bench

The weider sit up bench is not a typical bench, but it does assist in sit ups. It fits under most doors and has foam padding and adjustable lengths to suit everybody. If you want something to train your abs without having to give up lots of space, this one may be for you.

The Marcy sit up bench - Marcy SB-410 Crunch Board

The Marcy sit up bench adjustable sit up bench can adjust to a flat and decline position and also has a handy dumbbell rack to store your dumbbell weights. Its dimensions are 43.5 x 22 x 20 inches and it weighs 31 pounds. Here is what other people say about it (extracts from the actual sit up bench reviews).

• "The Marcy bench was perfect." - Actual user comment from Amazon.com
• "I bought the Marcy Ab bench because of its low price tag" - Actual user comment from Amazon.com
• "This is a great bench for working out your Abdominal muscles." - Actual user comment from Amazon.com

The Apex JD-1.2 Slant Board

If you need a basic and inexpensive sit up bench, the Apex Slant Board is the one for you. It is less expensive than the rest and can be folded away for storage. Its dimensions are: 52.5 x 14 x 23.5. Here is what others have said about it (from the actual reviews):

• "Low price in comparison to it's competitors, easy to assemble" - actual user comment from Amazon.com
• "It is light weight enough, and does exactly what it is meant to" - actual user comment from Amazon.com
• "I have just ordered the Apex JD 2.1 Flat Bench and can't wait to test it out! " - Actual user comment from Amazon.com

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench

The Stamina Ab / Hyper Bench is a combination of a sit up exercise bench and a back exercise bench. You can tone your abs and your lower back with this bench (just what you need to get rid of love handles). It can be folded for storage and can be adjusted to either flat or with an incline. Its dimensions and weight are: 53-1/2 inches long x 27 inches wide x 28 inches high and weighs 44 pounds.

Here is what others say about the bench:

• "The Ab/Hyper Bench, however, is easy to use and has several purposes."- Actual user comment from Amazon.com
• "I was very pleased with this purchase."- Actual user comment from Amazon.com

Conclusion

A sit up bench can help you achieve your goals - but only if you use it regularly and you also follow a healthy low fat diet and exercise regularly. To burn stomach fat you will also have to include other weight training and do some interval training. But fitness sit up benches are a great tool to help you achieve your goals.