FITNESS EQUIPMENT SPECIFICALLY dedicated to ab workouts doesn't exactly have the best reputation. That's unfortunately for good reason—back in the days of the infomercial, a parade of sketchy products promised miracle results for people looking to trim down and shred up their midsection. The gear rarely fulfilled these claims, and the rec rooms and garages of America were filled with unused junk. But there is one simple fitness tool that you can use for real results: the ab wheel (also known as the ab roller).
Today's ab routines are more versatile than ever. Core workouts incorporate tools like Swiss balls, medicine balls, dumbbells and kettlebells. And if you're looking for one more way to mix up that ab training, then it's time to consider the ab wheel.
What Is an Ab Wheel
The ab wheel is relatively simple. While there are multiple different versions of the device made by different manufacturers, the basic design remains the same. It's a wheel with a handle, so that the user can grip with both hands and roll along the floor.
If you don't have access to an ab wheel, you can almost always DIY one, using a barbell with rounded plates for "wheels," or even using a towel or sliders on a super-smooth floor.
Muscle Worked With an Ab Wheel
Perhaps more than any other core workout gadget, the ab wheel gives you a chance to train your entire core (abs, glutes, lower back muscles, and obliques) as a unit. Your core functions this way in real life, so any opportunity to train it that way is beneficial.
The ab wheel rollout, the most common movement you can do with the tool, targets everything from the spinal extensors and obliques to the rectus abdominis. You'll also face a shoulder mobility challenge when you do the movement properly. That means you'll hit your mid-back muscles like your rhomboids, along with your rotator cuff muscles.
The Benefits of Using an Ab Wheel
The best thing about the ab wheel is how it trains something called "anti-extension." Your core, as a unit, is responsible for a quintet of key actions. It helps rotate your torso (as you do during Russian twists). It resists rotation, an idea called "anti-rotation," which you fight during Pallof holds. It also braces your spine (think: planks and hollow holds), and it flexes your spine, too (as it does during classic situps).
Then there's the idea of "anti-extension," and that's all about keeping you from over-arching your back. Yes, arching your back can be a good stretch, and in some situations, you want to do it. But it's a set of strong abs and obliques that prevent you from living in that arched-back position, and in doing so, they protect your spine and let you build shoulder mobility. If it wasn't for your abs keeping your back from arching constantly, you'd constantly be stressing your lower back on every exercise.
Anti-extension can be trained in other ways, too (think of plank walkouts and weighted hollow holds). But the ab wheel lets you challenge that anti-extension in new ways.
The ab wheel rollout isn't easy to do, though—or at least it isn't easy to do correctly. Take your time to work through a proper progression for the rollout; it will protect your back in the long run while building critical core strength.
Ab Wheel Rollout Progression
The key mistake people make when they do ab wheel rollouts: They over focus on rolling out as far as possible when they first get started. That's a recipe for lower back pain, though. You have to learn to feel your abs battling lower back extension before you do the full ab wheel rollout; if you don't, you place undue stress on your spine.
Incline Bench Rollouts
Avoid that by starting with an incline bench progression. Set the bench to a 30-degree incline to kick off your rollout practice. Get into a strong standing plank position, with your glutes and abs engaged, holding the ab wheel on the bench's seat. Extend your arms straight out to roll the wheel up the bench slowly over a five count, maintaining the solid plank position as it moves upward.
Keep a soft bend in your elbows and go only as far as you comfortably can. If you're somebody who who has shoulder issues, don't straighten your arms all the way. The ab wheel rollout shouldn't cause shoulder pain.
Throughout the movement, focus on keeping your core tight and keeping your in an ever-so-slightly rounded position. Keep tightening your abs, and the farther you roll your arms forward, the more you should tighten your abs. Doing so actively teaches your abs how to work for "anti-extension."
After you feel comfortable with that, lower the bench until it's in the standard flat position. Get comfortable with that. Once you are, you can move on to the full version of the exercise.
Rollout to Weight
Another progression you can use is to perform the exercise with a shortened range of movement. Set a weight in front of your work station, then only extend out until you're stopped by the weight.
How to Do the Ab Wheel Rollout
- To save your knees, you'll want a yoga mat or pad to kneel on to start. Sit with a wide stance holding the ab wheel with both hands.
- Keep your head in a neutral position, looking at the ground directly in front of you. Squeeze your shoulder blades, abs, and glutes to create tension.
- Turn the pits of your elbows forward to activate your lats and putting your shoulders into external rotation.
- Round your back, then press into the floor to roll out as far as you can. Keep your back rounded and avoid any arch.
- Pause for a brief count in the fully extended position and squeeze your abs.
- Round your back to begin rolling the wheel back slowly. Make sure the wheel is moving before you shift your hips back.
How to Add the Ab Wheel Rollout to Your Workout
The rollout, performed properly, is really tough. This is an advanced exercise, so make sure you work up to it. That also means that this isn't a high volume movement. Try three sets of six to 10 reps per workout, taking four to six seconds for each rep.
