The Total Core comes complete with a 10-day quick start guide, common sense meal plan, slimdown workout DVD, and a balance ball with pump to use for the additional exercises. As an extra bonus, you will receive a convenient Total Core Computer to keep track of your progress!

The Total Core Extra is small and compact making it easy to store away in a closet, corner or under your bed. Since the system provides good back support it is suitable for all users. The price is much lower than many of the other “as seen on tv” type ab machines. Overall, the Total Core Extra is THE BEST ab workout on the market today.

The Ab Trainer and Back Stretcher is great product created by the well known and, often found in large malls, Brookstone company. The trainer is a dual purpose machine to provide a workout for the abdominals and help stretch the back. You can decompress your spine, stretch your back, and tone your abs all in one with this Brookstone back stretcher and ab trainer. The Brookstone device excels at lengthening your body: as you lean backward on the stretcher, it slowly expands your discs, helping reduce backaches, realign your spine, and improve your posture.

The Brookstone device stretches your back and exercises your abs simultaneously.
However, as you gently lower yourself back down, you’ll also challenge your abs, helping you firm up your stomach muscles. Combine the features and you have a terrific device for people who want to work their core and improve their flexibility at the same time. The chair is comfortable and supportive, with soft rolls of foam and rubber that cradle your back and spine while providing the firm support you need to relax comfortably. The chair also protects your neck during ab exercises, with a head support that keeps your upper body in a position that it won’t strain your spine–unlike with traditional crunches. Perhaps best of all, the device is small enough to fit in your closet when not in use. The back stretcher/ab trainer carries Brookstone’s one-year warranty.

The ads you’ll see on TV state:

“Focus your abdominal workout strictly on your stomach muscles with the Ab Lounge sport, a comfortable, effective ab machine for people of all fitness levels. The Ab Lounge sport offers a sturdy floor-based position that helps you experience a total range of motion, making it easy to work muscles in the upper and lower abdominals and obliques. At the same time, the chair supports your body, head, neck, and back throughout the entire exercise, so you won’t accidentally strain a non-ab muscle through poor form.”

Bottom line, there are way better (and cheaper) alternatives to the ab lounger. Try looking at the Total Core Extra; it’s cheaper, smaller and works better.

The Ab Rocket is a complete system which includes a low-calorie meal plan and an instructional DVD with five-minute ab workouts, a cardio workout, and a Pilates assister. The ab workout you get from the Rocket isn’t terrible, but it is left to be used only by those that are already somewhat in shape.

If you are a heavier user then this piece if definitely not for you. The platform you are rolling on it made of plastic and the knee cups are not padded. So in the end, you’ll have a warped platform that is missing paint and your knees will be killing you.

Lastly, to properly engage the core your body needs to “cruch” forward. The Ab Circle simply has your rocking side to side which will only target your obliques and not your actual core. This could also be a dangerous movement for someone with back problems or damaged discs as the twisting side to side could further aggravate such issues. It’s also not for people with knee issues as your are kneeling down on a hard surface.

These things, coupled with the fact that the machine does nothing to target the abdominals properly means it is a Do Not Buy on our list.