The ab wheel is an excellent exercise tool for engaging the muscles in your core. Ab wheels play a crucial role in enhancing overall fitness and performance in many areas such as balance, strength, and cardiovascular fitness. Incorporating ab roller exercises can activate deep core muscles and contribute to overall muscular development.
By enhancing your core strength through the use of ab wheels, you will develop the main core muscles such as the internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, and the transverse abdominis. Below you’ll find 7 of the best core movements that can be done using an ab wheel and why you should incorporate these movements into your next workout.
Key Takeaways
Core exercises with the utilization of ab wheels will help develop your midsection, specifically the internal and external obliques, rectus abdominis, and the transverse abdominis, which will carry over to strength in compound lifts such as pull ups, dead lifts, and squats.
Learning to properly brace and engage your core will work in your favor when it comes to longevity and carry over to everyday movements. It is common for people to compensate for a weak core by using their lower back as a primary mover, when in fact the low back is supposed to be a main stabilizer of the core during various movements.
Everyone, from beginners to advance lifters can benefit from improving their basic core strength. Unfortunately, sitting for long periods of time is the norm in today’s society, which leads to poor posture, which is counter productive to our natural anatomy and to building core strength. Performing core roller exercises helps to combat this unnatural alignment while keeping the core musculature strong.
During an ab roller workout, it is crucial to maintain proper form and technique. Ensuring a neutral spine and controlled movements enhances the effectiveness of the exercise. This not only improves core strength and endurance but also increases the visibility of abdominal muscles when performed correctly.
7 Best Core Roller Exercises With Ab Wheels
1) Kneeling Oblique Roll Out
When performing oblique rollouts, focus on engaging your midsection and then slowly roll your torso to the point where your body curves to stabilize your core muscles.
Steps
Get into a kneeling position on the knee pad and place the ab wheel on the ground in front of you.
Bend forward at the hips and hold tightly onto the handles of the ab wheel, lining it up directly beneath your chest.
Crunch your abs, tuck your tailbone beneath your torso, and squeeze your glutes.
From here begin to roll forward and immediately rotate your body to one side
Only extended out as far as you can without arching your low back
Alternate sides and perform this movement for 2-3 sets of 10-12 reps
Modifications
Too Challenging?
Perform a plank twist as a warm-up or substitute.
Too Easy?
Hold the contraction at the outstretched portion for 2-3 seconds for every rep.
2) Oblique Twist With A Staggered Leg Rollout
This movement variation requires more intention and abdominal recruitment to execute correctly. When done with proper form, the stabilizing needed for balancing your body will increase recruitment in your external and internal obliques.
Steps
Get into a kneeling position on the knee pad and place the ab wheel on the ground in front of you.
Bend forward at the hips and hold tightly onto the handles of the ab wheel, lining it up directly beneath your chest.
Crunch your abs, tuck your tailbone beneath your torso, and squeeze your glutes.
Shift your weight to stabilize one side of the body and extend the opposite leg
Begin to roll forward and rotate toward the outstretched legs side maintaining a tight core
Return to the starting position and repeat.
Alternate sides and perform 3 sets of 8-10 reps on each side.
Modifications
To Challenging?
Performing plank mountain climbers as a warmup or substitute will be slightly easier to do.
To Easy?
Perform 1 pulse for each rep or hold the contraction for 3-5 seconds.
3) The Kneeling Ab Rollout
This is the first movement that comes to mind when people normally think of an ab rollout. If you’re a novice ab wheel user or someone who trains regularly with ab wheels, there are tremendous benefits that follow this basic rollout. Engaging your abdominal muscles, including the rectus and transverse abdominis, will enhance strength and flexibility.
Steps
Get into a kneeling position on the knee pad and place the ab wheel on the ground in front of you.
Bend forward at the hips and hold tightly onto the handles of the ab wheel, lining it up directly beneath your chest.
Crunch your abs, tuck your tailbone beneath your torso, and squeeze your glutes.
From here begin to roll forward and extend your body as far as you can without arching your low back.
Now maintain this position and return to the start before repeating.
Perform this movement for 4 sets of 10 reps.
Modifications
To Challenging?
Perform body weight planks.
To Easy?
Hold the contraction at the outstretched portion for 2-3 seconds for every rep.
4) Ab Wheel Plank
The Ab wheel plank adds an extra layer of tension and stability to your traditional ab rollout, by drawing out an isometric (static holding) stimulus which can be done before you start your main lifts, or as a finisher to end your workout routine.
Steps
Get into a kneeling position on the knee pad and place the ab wheel on the ground in front of you.
Bend forward at the hips and hold tightly onto the handles of the ab wheel, lining it up directly beneath your chest.
Crunch your abs, tuck your tailbone beneath your torso, and squeeze your glutes.
From here begin to roll forward and extend your body as far as you can without arching your low back.
Now maintain this position.
Hold this position for about 45 seconds to 1 minute before returning to the starting position snd repeating.
Modifications
To Challenging?
Practice with body weight planks.
To Easy?
Try extending one leg behind you and maintain proper positioning.
5) Standing Wide Stance Ab Wheel Rollout
This advanced exercise variation requires your body to be stable , mobile, and strong all at the same time. This is a challenging move that would not be recommended for beginners.
Steps
Stand with your feet shoulder width apart and place the ab roller wheel on the ground in front of you.
Bend forward at the hips and hold tightly onto the handles of the ab wheel, lining it up directly beneath your chest.
Crunch your abs, tuck your tailbone beneath your torso, and squeeze your glutes.
Maintain this position and start to roll forward.
Now stabilize your self and begin to roll back to your starting position.
Complete 3 sets of 6 – 8 reps
Modifications
To Challenging?
Try the kneeling roll out first.
To Easy?
Try standing with your feet closer to together and maintain this position throughout the movement. You can also try a unilateral standing roll out for a greater challenge of strength and stability.
6) Ab Wheel Knee Tucks
Now were really mixing and matching. This variation requires a great deal of stability and coordination compared to the more novice movements. By placing the wheel on your feet, you’ll really light up the hip flexors, lower back, obliques , and your upper body.
Steps
Your starting position will be in a quadruped (kneeling on all four limbs) position.
Place your feet on the handles and have your legs start at a 90 degree position.
Make sure the back is neutral and the arms are straight.
Lift and stabilize your top half in a tall plank position while knee tucking the bottom half
Be sure to fully extend and flex the lower body placing emphasis on the flexion portion for proper stimulus.
Repeat this movement for 3 sets of 10-12
Modifications
To Challenging?
Perform some standard tuck ups from the floor, this way you can learn to really embrace the crunch during the wheel tucks
To Easy?
Laterally rollout the wheel as you tuck out in the extended position.
7) Single Arm Ab Wheel Rollout
The one arm ab wheel is one of the most physically demanding ab rollout variations you can achieve. In order to do this movement, your execution needs to be near flawless calling on every inch of your body to work in unison.
Steps
Begin with your feet and legs shoulder width apart.
Hinge at the hips with your arms angled vertical to the floor
Have the wheel placed a few inches from your starting position
Hold your opposite arm to the side and begin to extend your body forward keeping your core engaged.
Go as far as you can before your form begins to compromise and return to the beginning position.
Repeat this movement for 3 sets of 6 – 8 reps or as many as you can in one go
Modifications
To Challenging?
If this is to challenging, then practice on your wide stance standing position with both hands, and work on engaging your core more.
To Easy?
If you can do this movement with a full range of motion effortlessly, incorporate isometric holds at the bottom position
Why Use An Ab Wheel?
Convenience
Ab wheels are a compact piece of gym equipment that are easy to take with you on the go. Additionally, most ab wheels are easily assembled and dissembled, allowing you to reduce the overall width of the apparatus temporarily if less space is available to you when storing or packing. Lastly, you can use an ab wheel in almost any setting since not much space is required to perform the movements described above. All you’ll need is a few feet of available space and you’re good to go.
Improved Core Strength
Improved core strength is appealing both functionally and aesthetically. A strong core is essential to improving strength in main compound lifts, such as pulls up, dead lifts, and squats. Additionally, core musculature plays an important role in maintaining proper sitting and standing posture, which has been shown to have a positive correlation with increased confidence in the literature.
Ab rollers do a great job of targeting all of the major muscles of the core, however, they must be used consistently in a regimented workout routine, accompanied by proper nutrition, in order to see visible and functional gains.
Reduces Risk Of Injury
Proper movement throughout your daily life ensures you stay active and resilient. Having a strong core can help protect against injuries that are commonly seen in individuals of any age. These injuries include over-use injuries, muscle imbalances, and traumatic injuries. Luckily, the first two types are highly preventable, and building a strong foundation is one step towards prevention.
Utilizing Compound Movements
Ab wheels can be an effective tool to light up all areas of your midsection. Ab wheels can also be considered a full body exercise because muscles such as the glutes, shoulders, upper back, and erector spinae also have to work as stabilizers to maintain proper positioning during any of the ab rolling variations mentioned above. Expect enhancements with your mobility as well, since the various directional changes with ab wheels work on your cores mobility.
Ab Wheel Recommendations
Using ab wheels can make a great addition to your home or gym workout routines, but with so many on the market, it can be difficult to know which one to choose. Ab wheels have a wide price range and several unique features depending on their make and model. Check out 7 Best Ab Wheels to help navigate the pros and cons of our top choices for Ab Wheels on the market today to see what will best fit your needs before purchasing.
Beginners will benefit most from an Ab wheel with a wider base of support, such as the Ab Carver Pro or DMoose Ab Roller Wheel. More advanced lifters will be more appropriately challenged by a narrow base of support and may benefit from the Vinsguir Ab Wheel’s simplistic design.
As you get stronger, you can graduate to a more narrow wheel that provides an increased demand on your core muscles ability to stabilize your body as you roll forward and backwards.
Ab Wheel Alternative Equipment
If you’re someone who doesn’t have access to an ab wheel, or are just looking for a different way to stimulate your core, consider using a foam roller. Although foam rollers are normally used for mobilization and relaxation methods, they can become an even more valuable asset to your fitness routine by taking advantage of their versatility.
Check out the Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller. This product made by Gaiam is super light, has a comfortable textured finish for when you roll, and has a compact but forgiving foam density that can provide your core muscles with a great workout.
You can perform some movements as shown above, including the ab wheel tucks and planks. Foam rolling core exercises can be a bit more forgiving on the upper body, especially when extending the body in forward positions so this can be another good option for beginners.
Final Thoughts
By prioritizing these core movements, you will build foundational strength that will translate into tasks of everyday life. The challenge ab wheels can provide make their incorporation into your workout meaningful and fulfilling by inadvertently making your other exercises stronger and more efficient.
FAQ’s
Do ab rollers really work?
Ab rollers do in fact work. Incorporating Ab roller exercises into your training routine will improve more than just your core muscles. Since ab rolling is a full body exercise, other muscles such as the glutes, erector spinae, shoulders, and hip flexors are recruited, giving you not only a well rounded foundation of strength, but also a well rounded physique.
Is ab roller good for core?
Yes, this is the main function of ab rollers. Ab rollers effectively target both the deep and superficial core musculature, and when used correctly, has the potential to tone and strengthen your midsection.
Can you lose belly fat with ab roller?
Not necessarily. In order to loose belly fat you will need to follow a healthy diet that fuels your body with the correct nutrients. Using ab rollers along with a good diet will help you define your abs, but using an ab roller alone will not directly shred belly fat.
Is Plank or ab roller better?
Planks and ab rollers are both effective full body core strengthening exercises. Both exercises require the use of other muscles in the body to maintain proper positioning. The main difference between the two is that planks are static and have a a greater base of support, while ab rollers are dynamic and have a smaller base of support. Why not do both? Adding both of these movements into your ab routine will maximize your core workouts to a greater degree, give it a try!
