A six-pack may be the ideal body aspiration for both men and women but how do elite athletes get a set? Diet and exercise are vital to attaining the body you want, but in some cases, the right exercise tools could be that secret sauce to achieving your desired results.
A list of ab wheel benefits is a persuasive one but is it worth investing in the device, not to mention the energy? Let’s look at how it works to see if an ab wheel is the right solution for your search in toning the core and even getting the perfect abs.
Ab Wheel Benefits – Making Your Decision
Here’s what you need to know about the ab wheel. It can get you over your workout plateau to a six-pack even if it’s under a layer of unwanted fat. Some care in deployment should be attended to first.
How Does The Ab Wheel Work?
There are two basic types of core work — trunk flexion and stability. The first type uses your core muscles as a flexor to build muscle (think crunches), much the same as lifting weights. The second uses your core for stability for long term strength. An example of this type is planking.
Using the ab wheel helps combines both types into one exercise. As you move through the exercise, you’re expanding and contracting your ab muscles while also engaging them for stability through the roll.
As you move your body to the prone position, your ab muscles must work incredibly hard. It’s challenging to remain stable while horizontal but even harder to move with control from the horizontal position back again.
What Are The Benefits Of The Ab Wheel?
The ab wheel provides a smooth exercise that engages more than just your ab muscles. You’ll have to use your entire core and muscles in your lower back to remain stable.
The exercise is tough, but once you get the hang of it, you’re pulling out more effective resistance than simple crunches alone.
I’ve always hated crunches as I felt the only way to gain any benefits was to force myself up as much as possible which then put a lot of pressure on my back which became sore.
The ab wheel provides even exercise of multiple muscle groups at once. Using an ab wheel or ab roller is more efficient than other core activities as they target these groups without multiple exercises, and you’ll tone more evenly if you’re able to use an ab roller in the correct manner.
An ab wheel fits right into a home gym, storing out of sight in your closet or underneath the bed. If you don’t have the room for large equipment, but want to up the ante on your core, the ab roller provides some serious workout power.
As a gift for someone who seriously wants to get a toned stomach, an ab roller is an excellent idea as they are inexpensive and do the job.
If you perform the exercises correctly, you could see these ab roller benefits:
- Works multiple muscle groups at once
- More challenging than traditional ab workouts
- Helps reduce back strain through core strengthening
- Improves overall stability
- Helps shed inches from your trunk and waist
What Are The Downsides Of The Ab Wheel?
The ab wheel is deceptively simple, but you may need some support if you’re a beginner at working out. Ab wheel effectiveness depends on proper control. This is not the type of exercise you start doing with no prior training.
In the beginning, you may need to heavily modify your form to support your core and back properly. Pay attention to the fatigue in your lower lumbar region as well to prevent overextending yourself.
If you’re a true beginner, it could be a while before you can even use the ab roller safely. You’ll need to build strength in your core and back before using the roller. Investing in the roller now but having to wait to use it could be frustrating.
Using The Ab Roller Correctly
The ab roller can get you over your workout plateau to the abs of your dreams. Before that, you’ll need to work up to it. Here’s how to start.
Total Beginners
Skip the ab roller for now and concentrate on building up core strength. You may want to begin with simple crunches, barely lifting your head and shoulders of the mat.
And planks, targeting both flexion exercises and stability exercises. Either full planks, resting on your hands and toes with arms extended or initially on your forearms and maybe knees – get that core working!
For more details on strengthening the core pre ab rollouts check out the video.
Test the ab roller each day by placing your knees on the ground with feet extended. Roll out slowly and check your stability. When you’re able to roll out and back again in this position safely, you can begin integrating the ab roller into your routine.
Ab Wheel Beginners
If you’ve got a pretty stable core developed, you can begin training on the ab wheel itself. The key here is not to roll out completely and overarch your back. Instead, begin with exercises that teach your body to recognize something called anti-extension.
One of the core functions of your abs is to hold your lower back in place. Your trunk muscles provide stability for your spine and keep you from slouching. The ab roller helps develop that function adding further strength and stability.
Begin with the ab roller on your knees and concentrate on keeping your back straight, a lot like what you do when performing planks. You can also try the ab roller on an incline if you have that capability.
The more the incline the easier the action. You can gradually decrease the incline until you are doing it on the floor.
Slowly work up to full extensions without overarching your back, and you’ll be ready for the next phase.
Ab Wheel Variations
Using the ab wheel to its fullest capability will allow you to build the trunk muscles you’ve dreamed about. Progress to a standing, full extension with just a single rep to ensure proper positioning.
Work up to multiple reps going slowly and checking in with your body form during each movement.
You can also get creative with how slow you roll out and how long you remain in the prone position. These variations help keep up interest and ensure you’re getting the most from your ab roller workouts.
Rolling With An Ab Roller
Ab rollers can add a new layer of effectiveness to your workouts if you’re mindful of your body and understand proper form. Work up to it slowly, and you’ll see a transformation in your abs through a complete, comprehensive workout.
Ab roller effectiveness and getting the benefits from an ab roller depend on careful, thoughtful training. You must consider your own ability levels before starting and ensure that you remain mindful of proper form at all times.
From there, the ab roller can provide stability and strength in more than just your abs. I remember when my local gym manager at the time (I don’t go to the gym anymore) threw me one of these new-fangled things and told me to have a go.
Fortunately, I had a good core at the time from other activities and was able to roll out and back. But I could immediately feel the core muscles being fully engaged without any unwanted tension in the back. Loved it!
So the benefits were obvious and I was hooked. Use it correctly, get rid of any belly fat and uncover the abs you’ve wanted.
