Ab Wheel Exercises and Benefits to strengthen your core – Joyfit
Have, you have always imagined having a simple but effective tool to improve your body flexibility?
And, that’s the only reason today I am going to introduce you to a simple effective exercise tool used by beginners and advanced professionals to boost their flexibility.
And,
The name of the tool is ABS ROLLER or ABS WHEEL
It’s a simple but effective exercise tool. Ab roller routine will help you to strengthen your abdominal muscles and gradually improve flexibility.
So, let’s know first…
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What is the Abs roller wheel?
Abs roller wheel is a simple gym/bodybuilding equipment used to strengthen the abdominal muscles and improve flexibility.
It’s like a wheel with a handle attached in the center on both sides of the wheel, such that the wheel can move freely.
Abs roller wheel is used in a way that it holds almost your whole body weight.
It makes your abdominal muscle core go through a full range of motion, causing your spine to both stretch and contract thus making them stronger and preventing your back from arching at the same time.
The movement created by the abs roller wheel provides a huge challenge to your rectus abdominus, the six-pack muscles.
This is the reason it is a great tool for people looking to build six-pack abs.
Now, we have known about What is ab roller, let’s know some benefits about it…
Benefits of Abs Roller wheel
Abs roller has a lot of health and fitness benefits in your body. It’s a ticket to six packs abs and is considered to be the best core workout equipment.
Traditional planks are also good for core workouts but most people find them boring.
If that’s you, the abs roller wheel will add more fun to your workout routine. At the same time, it is also more effective than planks.
Abs wheel workout strengthens a lot of muscles at the same time (almost 20 muscles) compared to other core exercises like crunches, they work only on certain muscles.
Your core works as a unit (abs, glutes, lower back muscles, obliques). With the abs wheel, you can train your entire core at a time.
Besides strength training and bodybuilding, using the abs wheel improves your health and fitness in a lot of ways.
By regular use of the abs wheel, you can increase your stamina, prevent a lot of diseases, balance your weight, strengthen your muscles to prevent injuries, and it also reduces anxiety.
Even if you don’t get six-pack abs, an abs roller wheel is beneficial to your body in a lot of other ways.
According to Harvard Health Publishing, strengthening your core helps you in a variety of ways including in your everyday tasks like bending to put on shoes, turning to look behind you, etc. on the job tasks, reducing back pain(if any), sports activities, Balance and stability, and good posture.
A good posture is not only healthy for you but it also makes you look good and thus builds your confidence.
Fantastic, hope you are enjoying it….
Different types of Abs Roller
ABS roller are primarily classified into two different types:-
- TWO WHEELER ABS ROLLER
- FOUR WHEELER ABS ROLLER
Benefits of Two Wheeler Abs Roller
- Portable and lightweight design for Abs training in the gym or simply use at home.
- Build strength and definition to your abs
- The wider stance of the ab roller gives more stability and control, especially helpful for beginners.
Benefits of Four Wheeler Abs Roller
- It strengthens abdominals, shoulders, arms and back all at once, so you get an efficient all-in-one toning workout
- Dual wheels allow for greater stability than models with just one wheel, so you can focus more on safely strengthening your abs and less on trying to control the movement with your arms.
- Dual wheels make your abs work hard to keep you straight and balanced, your arms and back muscles engage as they work to keep you stable and controlled
- It is fast and easy to put together, so you can get to exercise your core and abdominal muscles right away!
Difference between Two Wheeler and Four Wheeler Abs Roller
The only real difference you’ll find between a dual and single ab wheel is how stable it feels. The two wheels on the dual version make the roller run slightly more smoothly, while the single wheel version is more likely to veer off course. For beginners, this may mean that the dual wheel is a better option as you get to grips with the technique, allowing you to focus on building up the initial strength you’ll need to progress. The instability of the single wheel makes this version a little more difficult, thus making the move more taxing on your core and shoulder stabilizing muscles. It may be too much for beginners, and you might be unable to use the correct form.
How to use Abs Roller
Like there are a lot of exercises you can do using an abs roller, there are a lot of ways to use an abs roller wheel.
Here’s the most common and standard way to use an abs roller.
Doing this exercise with an abs roller will strengthen your abdominal muscle and improve flexibility.
- Before doing the exercise, make sure the surface is smooth and unobstructed. Also, there must be clear space equal to your height.
Sit down on your knees and grab the handles of the roller with your hands on both sides keeping the roller on the ground. Be prepared to roll now.
- Start rolling forward while engaging your core, arms, and slightly move the roller forward until just before you feel like you can’t pull yourself back.
Keep your hips stable, keep the abs tight and lower back muscles contracted. Don’t let your bottom sag towards the ground. Keep your head down and don’t let your back arch.
- Hold the position for a few seconds. Ideally the longer you hold that position, the more intensive exercise becomes.
In starting hold the position for 2 to 3 seconds. With time after some practice gradually increase the holding time.
- Now return to the starting position. Keeping the same pace, slowly pull yourself back with the roller by using your core muscles. Remember this is the exact mirror opposite of what you’ve done in rolling out.
As you are back in the starting position, you’ve completed one rep of the abs roller wheel workout.
- Repeat the same process a few times. Remember to do it gradually otherwise you can injure your muscles. If there is any pain in moving forward, reduce the range of motion.
Exercises with abs roller wheel
There are a lot of exercises you can do with the abs roller wheel.
Some exercises will help you get six pack abs fast, some will strengthen your calf muscles, some will strengthen your spine while almost all of them will strengthen and benefit your core muscles.
Here are some of the most effective workout you can do with the abs wheel.
Ab wheel Plank
If you are just starting with ab wheels, you should start with this easiest one.
It’s a great exercise for beginners. It strengthens your core muscles. With this exercise, you will develop an understanding of how to use an ab wheel.
Once you have done this for a considerable amount of time and you are confident of using ab wheel, you can move to the advanced exercises.
V Roll-Outs
If you have those stubborn love handles, V-Roll-out can prove to be a very effective workout routine for them.
By regularly doing the V roll-outs you can make your oblique stronger, firmer because of a lot of pressure put on oblique during this exercise.
Single Arm Roll-out
For this exercise, you will need an ab roller with the handle between the two wheels.
And it is good if you can get some strength exercise before starting this exercise as in this exercise your arm supports your body weight.
That’s why it’s a bit more challenging exercise than the previous ones.
This exercise is very good for building contralateral strength as your one arm at a time supports your body weight and rolls out at the same time.
One Leg Roll-Out
This is another very effective and challenging exercise. It builds your core muscles and strengthens your calf muscles.
Some fitness experts also say that doing this exercise 5 times a week will give the same result as leg day in a gym two times a week.
Once you start you can see some changes in your calf and core muscles in just two to three weeks.
Bridge hold
As the name says, this exercise actually looks like making a bridge of your body.
To do this exercise you will need some strap or suspension to hold your feet on the abs wheel.
By doing this exercise, you can strengthen your spine and increase the endurance of your core muscles as it engages your entire core.
Plank to Pike
Like the Bridge hold, this exercise also needs an attachment for your feet.
But this exercise is very effective in building abs and strengthening calf muscles.
This is a bit of advanced ab wheel exercise which needs a firm grasp on the roller handles, so it is not advised for the beginners to start this exercise.
Of course, there are plenty of other exercises you can do with the abs roller wheel. These mentioned above are just the most common and effective exercises you can do.
Now, as we are very much familiar with abs roller exercises, let’s know is it effective and how it can help lower and upper abs….
Do Abs Roller work?
Now comes the question “Are Abs roller wheels effective?”
Well, a study in 2006 showed that among different core exercises, the Abs roller wheel was one of the top performers when it comes to the strength of muscle contraction.
According to a study conducted by California State University, An ab wheel exercise produces more muscle activity in your abs and obliques than traditional crunches.
Actually, Abs wheel exercise engages core muscles more than any workout gadgets.
It trains the entire core (abs, gluteus lower back muscles, and obliques) at the same time.
But for using the abs wheel you should have strong back muscles to prevent the arching of your back muscles when you roll forward.
What makes it more effective for use is that it brings a variety and fun to the daily exercise routine.
Abs roller wheel is inexpensive, small, and portable, you can use it anytime at any place. All you need is some clear space and a smooth unobstructed surface.
These factors make it extremely effective and the best choice for the people who want to work on their abdomen muscle strength. And for people who want six-pack abs.
How abs roller can be used for lower abs or upper abs
A study looked at the most common ab exercises in the gym.
In the EMG analysis of various ab exercises, it was found that the Power wheel workout is one of the most effective exercises for upper and lower abs
Also, the power wheel rollout showed the least stress on lower back muscles.
Here’s how you can use abs roller wheel to do Power wheel rollout:
Set up on your knees with your hands holding the handles of the abs wheel. Pull the abs wheel under your shoulders so you are in a modified pushup position on your knees.
Keep your arms straight and roll the power wheel out with your abs braced. When you roll out, make sure your hips do not sag.
After you have rolled it out enough that your body lengthens and lowers towards the ground, keeping your arms straight, roll in the power wheel back using your back and triceps.
In the whole process, your abs and legs should keep your body in a straight line. Your butt should not go back first when you return to the plank position.
When you have returned in the starting position, you’ve completed one rep of power wheel rollout.
Now repeat the same process a few times. Lesser in the beginning and gradually increase once you have some practice.
During this exercise, keep your abs and glutes engaged all the time.
So, that’s how you can use the abs roller wheel for your lower and upper abs.
Of course, there are other exercises as well, but this particular exercise is the most common and most effective.
As we have understood by now that ABS roller is a super exercise tool, now let’ s discuss different types of abs roller…
CONCLUSION
If you are bored of the traditional exercises for getting those perfect abs – Then ABS ROLLER is the perfect machine for you. Wheel your way to the perfect abs. But remember you need to be consistent in your exercise routine and getting those perfect abs will require a lot of hardwork.
