Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

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TechnicGeek
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Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

Hey everyone!

I am outside of US and wanted to have this one shipped to country by sea because the chance is low to find it in country, plus if I did, I would have to pay 4X price on Amazon. It has that resisitive spring that makes it easier to return to initial position compared to others that do not like from Iron Gym.

I have scoliosis mostly seen on upper back and while orthopedist adviced me to workout to strengthen back and especially swim a lot, I wonder if I should buy this device. I have been exercising with 2 1.5Kg dumbbels and noticed it just takes a lot of time. The goal is to get heavier dumbbells (4Kg or 5Kg for an upgrade?) as well as this carver all to save time and increase efficiency. I also considered yoga mat because I have ceramic floor and used blanket all this time so your advice on yoga mat would be appreciated as well. I could by locally and pay 2X - 3X more but why would I if I can import it with carver PRO?

Thanks
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MatthewCocking
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by MatthewCocking »

Hi There,

Nice to have you on the site.

initial thoughts would be that you do not need posh equipment to begin a fitness journey. This product, the "Ab Carver Pro" is simply a 'pretty' ab roller and I would say you can get a product that will do exactly the same for about a quarter of the price.

There are a number of exercises that are great for strengthening the core, one that I would suggest is the Plank. It helps to strengthen the muscles in your core and obliques and therefore will help with posture too.

Let me know your opinion! :)

Thanks!
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TechnicGeek
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

But other rollers do not have spring mechanism that makes it easier to return to starting position. They would certainly more likely to hurt lower back if not cause injury even. I also think returning to starting position using roller without spring would be a lot harder making it unpleasant. Plus regular roller does not allow leaning throughout exercise to have side muscles workout.
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MatthewCocking
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by MatthewCocking »

I would just like to clarify, are you saying that making the movement EASIER would be a BETTER workout?

I can't follow this logic unfortunately.
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TechnicGeek
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

MatthewCocking wrote:I would just like to clarify, are you saying that making the movement EASIER would be a BETTER workout?

I can't follow this logic unfortunately.
In case yes, when it comes to putting less strain on back due to scoliosis and reducing potential for trauma.
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MatthewCocking
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by MatthewCocking »

In all honesty friend, If i had scoliosis I wouldn't tempt fate and attempt an exercise like ab rolling. i would plump for simpler exercises to take the strain off of your back all together. :thumb:
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Boss Man
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by Boss Man »

Hi Technic, good to talk to you.

One of the ab carver things looks weird. It appears to have two handles on the side that look like tongues and it looks vaguely like some sort of "mature toy" for adventurous lovers :wowzer: .

On a more serious note abs rollers do often require the user to have a reasonable foundation of strength, as they have somewhat of a reputation for putting strain on the shoulders and traps area, potentially contributing to mild physical concerns.

You have scoliosis as you say and obviously I don't know exactly what degree of spinal tilting there is and in what direction it occurs, but I would concur with the sentiment of doing planks and avoiding abs rollers.

You might think an abs roller might take away strain on the back, but you're effectively to some extent stretching out the back, by elongating the arms in front of you and elongating the legs from a bent position and although I've never used one, you would to a minor extent probably be creating a small pulling or tugging motion on the base and top of the spine and with your scoliosis, this might represent some kind of risk to your cervical, lumbar and sacral vertebrae I would think and that's excluding any possible risk to the thoracic vertebrae or coccyx, which I couldn't say for certain would not be at risk from such a piece of equipment and the technique executed when using it.

Planks would be a better bet as they are a static exercise that target the abs and as long as you're keeping the back straight and avoiding spinal lordosis, you should be fine.

You will need to balance any strength increases in the abs out with increases in the lower back particularly, which you might be able to do with things like deadlifts and good mornings, but if you've not do those kinds of things before, then experiment with the technique without using any weight to determine if the range of motion is comfortable for you and it might be as well if needs be to consult a medical opinion or two about such exercises, to give yourself added piece of mind before you attempt one or more of them :).
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

Thanks Boss Man

I also wanted to buy hexagonally shaped dumbbells that have vinyl coating. They are said to offer good grip but I don't know how that coating performs on ceramic tiles floor which brings me to yoga mat or any mat that does not slip on ceramic floor and allow me to do push-ups with dumbbells plus other morning exercises. I wonder what weight for dumbbells should I choose (current 2x1.5Kg) to increase efficiency and gain same in shorter time (current morning exercuse time is 1 hour, doing more - gaining less and feels like I am wearing out body with same exercise routine). I think with heavier weights I will get tired faster and gains and efficiency will be not just same but better while saving me time. I also wonder what kind of yoga mat is good because there are many on Amazon I saw.
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by Boss Man »

This sticky I created some time back might be of help.

Home Exercise Equipment
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TechnicGeek
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

If I transition from 2 1.5Kg dumbbells to another 2 but heavier, then what weight should they be to take it to the next level while keeping in mind scoliosis? In your list I only saw 2 dumbbells weighing 2Kg so it does not make sense to take those.
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by Boss Man »

They weren't dumbbells I listed they were free weight bars.

You have them so you can add discs to them and have a flexible way to adjust the weight you use, without buying ever heavier dumbbells at greatly increased cost, over the free weight.
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TechnicGeek
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by TechnicGeek »

Boss Man wrote:They weren't dumbbells I listed they were free weight bars.

You have them so you can add discs to them and have a flexible way to adjust the weight you use, without buying ever heavier dumbbells at greatly increased cost, over the free weight.
But I won't be able to perform push-ups with them if they are not being hexagonally shaped and coated with anti-slippery layer.
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by Boss Man »

You can buy hexagonal free weight though :).

This is the sort of thing I mean and they're rubber coated.

Hexagonal Weights
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Re: Perfect Fitness AB Carver pro for at Home Workout?

Post by marcellanb1990 »

Hey! I also have scoliosis, and a simple abs workout on floor can give a terrible back pain for weeks. I'd recommend you this yoga mat: http://yogamatreviewer.com/gaiam-sol-studio-dry-grip/ i've been using since last year, and it helped me a lot. it has enough cushion to people feel comfort when doing exercises such as sit-ups, plank, and pushups.
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