Ab Roller Exercise | Ab Roller Exercise Variations Workout

A great way to increase your confidence and performance on the road or trails is to improve your posture and balance. Incorporating ab roller exercises in your routine can help you do just that by strengthening your core and upper body—shoulders, triceps, and lats.

“These are important muscles for runners to develop,” Noam Tamir, C.S.C.S., CEO and owner of TS Fitness in New York City tells Runner’s World. “They keep the trunk upright and the spine supported.” By practicing different variations, he says ab roller exercises will improve your overall running game.

Tamir designed the following ab roller workout with all kinds of runners in mind. For beginners, he says, the alternating single-arm slide glider is a great move because you can focus on mastering your form. For advanced runners, the dolly circular rollout will provide more of a challenge because the motion focuses on building core strength and truck stability. Even the towel rollout—a basic move—will provide challenge for everyone because it strengthens your muscles as you glide the towel across the floor.

How to do it: Perform each exercise below for the number of reps listed. Repeat the full circuit a 2 to 3 times, resting for 30 to 40 seconds in between each set.

You will need an ab roller, core sliders, and a dolly. If you don’t have access to a dolly, you can also use a stability ball. Each move is demonstrated by Tamir in the video above so you can master the proper form.

Traditional Rollout

Kneel with your body upright, holding onto the handles of the abs roller, then lean over, resting the wheel on the ground—keeping your pelvis tight. This will help protect your lower back. Then, maintaining this form, lead with your hips as you roll out and engage your glutes. Go out as far as you can into a flat-back position, then roll the wheel back in toward your knees to the starting position. Complete 6 to 8 reps.

Lateral Rollout

Kneel with your body upright, holding onto the handles of the abs roller, then lean over, resting the wheel on the ground—keeping your pelvis tight. This will help protect your lower back. Then, maintaining this form, lead with your hips as you roll out to the right and engage your glutes. Go out as far as you can into a flat-back position, then roll the wheel back in toward your knees to the starting position. Repeat, rolling out to the left side. Complete 6 to 8 reps in each direction.

Towel Slide

Kneel with your body upright, then lean over and rest your hands on top of a towel on the ground in front of you—keeping your pelvis tight. This will help protect your lower back. Then, maintaining this form, lead with your hips as you push the towel out in front of you, engaging your glutes. Go out as far as you can into a flat-back position, then bring the towel back in toward your knees to the starting position. Complete 6 to 8 reps.

Alternating Single-Arm Glider Slide

Kneel with your body upright with two core sliders on the floor in front of you. Put one hand on top of each slider, place your full weight on the sliders with your elbows straight and your shoulders over your wrists. Slide your right arm forward and extend as far as you comfortably can, keeping your lower back flat and core engaged. Return to starting position, and repeat the same motion with your left arm. Complete 6 to 8 reps on each side.

Dolly Circular Rollout

Kneel with your body upright. Place both hands on the dolly in front of you, holding onto the handles. Put your full weight on the dolly with your elbows straight and your shoulders over your wrist. Make a circle on the mat with the dolly going clockwise. Then make a circle on the mat with the dolly going counterclockwise. Complete 4 to 6 circles in each direction.

Monique Lebrun

Monique LeBrun joined the editorial staff in October 2021 as the associate health and fitness editor. She has a master’s degree in journalism and has previously worked for ABC news and Scholastic. She is an avid runner who loves spending time outside.