Effective Exercises: Ab Wheel Rollouts
The other day a client of mine made an interesting comment when I brought out the ab wheel. He looked at me and said, “I’m surprised you actually use something from an infomercial.”
The funny thing is, a lot of us did mock the ab wheel when it first came out. But as we began to better understand the body and realize that the abdominals are designed to resist lumbar extension (rather than simply flex the spine, as with crunches), we began to come around on the ab wheel.
You see, when done correctly, an ab wheel rollout does just this: It teaches the abdominal musculature to prevent the lumbar spine from extending as the body becomes a longer lever and the force of gravity becomes harder to resist. But the key is to roll out slowly, and only as far as you can control without having to arch your back to get up:
(BTW, that’s my coworker Carolyn demonstrating at the Focus facility. Thanks Carolyn!)
KEY CUES:
- Brace the abs and keep the glutes tight
- Let your hips and trunk come forward together as one unit
- Roll out only as far as you can control without arching your back
Like a crunch, the rollout is classified as an “anterior (i.e., front, as opposed to lateral, or side) core” exercise, but it’s safer for your spine and a lot more effective at flattening your midsection. (Who doesn’t want that?!) It’s probably also worth noting that the eccentric nature of this exercise can make your midsection extremely sore, as well…but a lot of people seem to like that too.
I’d advise starting with about two sets of just 5-6 good reps through a controlled range of motion and working up to about three sets of 10 until you can roll all the way out with a neutral spine. If you need an easier variation, you can start higher up by using a stability ball. Otherwise, give the “As Seen on TV” ab wheel a try and see if you still need those crunches!
Filed under: exercise instruction, exercise programs, workout tips
