How To: Ab Wheel Rollout
You’ve heard the saying that abs are made in the kitchen, right?
What that means is that their visibility boils down to proper dieting in order to strip the layers of fat covering them.
Well, as true as the underlying message is not to focus solely on exercise for a chiseled stomach, the abs are also a muscle — and because the abdominals are a muscle, they should be trained for hypertrophy like any other muscle. For direct ab work, there probably isn’t a better movement or device than the ab wheel. It’s the perfect tool for not only creating killer abs but also the sort of killer abs that’d attract a legion of murder groupies to them. We’re talking hybristophilia here!1High-profile criminals, such as serial killers and rapists, often receive fan mail from admirers who profess their love for them. Sometimes, these admirers even get married to the incarcerated object of their desire. This is known as “hybristophilia”, a perverse sexual attraction to people who commit gruesome crimes. In other words, there are people in prison getting more play than you right now!
INSTRUCTIONS
1). Kneel on the floor and grab the handle on each side of the wheel with an overhand grip.
2). Position the wheel near the front of your knees and lean over the wheel so your wrists are under your shoulders while your arms are fully extended and supporting your entire upper body.
3). Tuck your chin and pelvis, brace your core by imagining that you’re touching your belly button toward your spine, and squeeze your glutes as you lower your body to the floor by slowly rolling the wheel away from you.2Make sure to keep your arms straight and back flat! Also, when you lower yourself, don’t go so low that your thighs or upper body come into contact with the ground. There should be about an inch or two of space between you and the floor.
4). When your body is extended, use your core — NOT your arms or hips!!! — to roll yourself back to the starting position.
5). Repeat.
Seems pretty simple, huh?
Now, while all you do is roll yourself out with an ab wheel, looks can be deceiving. Very, very deceiving.
Successful use of the gadget isn’t as easy as it appears!
As such, if you can’t already hold a plank for at least 30 seconds with good form, you’re going to be extremely humbled when you jump into the water headfirst by trying your hand at performing an ab wheel rollout as per the given instructions, let alone trying to roll out from a standing position or doing any other difficult variation. Instead, you’re more than likely going to have to set up on all fours with the ab wheel about a foot away from a wall. Then with the wheel directly under your fully extended arms, tuck your chin and pelvis, brace your core, and squeeze your glutes as you roll out until the wheel touches the wall. Next, use your core — NOT your arms or hips!!! — to roll yourself back to the starting position. Once you’re able to maintain your form, move back from the wall a little and repeat the process.3Another alternative to help beginners train the movement is to perform ab wheel rollouts up an incline. After doing that for a while, you’ll be able to roll out fully from your knees without faceplanting. Then standing on your feet. Then doing all kinds of crazy shit that you can find videos of on Youtube!
NOTE: Do not use the ab wheel if you have preexisting lower back issues or a history of hernias!!!
For a workout routine that possibly includes ab wheel rollouts, as well as other exercises geared specifically to your goals, training experience, injury history, and available equipment, then find out more HERE
Glossary: abdominals, abs, arms, diet, exercise, fat, glutes, goal, hypertrophy, muscle, plank, routine
