'I'm Obsessed With A $9 Tool That Makes My Core Quake Like Nothing Else.'
Of all the ways to train your core—abs challenges, plank workouts, lifting weights—one of the best is by using a simple piece of workout equipment that often goes overlooked: an ab wheel, also known as an ab roller. As the name implies, it's a small wheel with a handle on either side that you can can use to roll yourself out into a plank and back. Simple, right? Well, don't let that fool you.
"The ab wheel can 'look' like it's super easy when done," says certified trainer Angela Gargano. "But it’s not at all because it takes much more control and technique than a typical abs exercise." You have to really squeeze your butt, engage your core, and keep your shoulders seriously stable to see gains, she says.
Because it requires you to be able to hold a plank while you extend your arms forward of your shoulders, you'll mainly targeting your transverse abdominis, the core muscles that wrap around your stomach and stabilize your torso, and your lower abs. But if you do variations on the standard move, the ab wheel can serve as a total-body workout, targeting your back, shoulders, legs and more, depending on how you work with it. That's why we tapped Gargano to detail the benefits of the ab wheel and program a circuit training routine that she says will work the wheel (and your body!) to the max.
How to do a standard ab wheel rollout
Start in a kneeling plank position with wrists under shoulders, arms extended straight, hands gripping ab wheel, and body forming one long line from knees to head.
Engage abs, squeeze butt, and slowly roll the ab wheel away from body keeping arms straight and back flat the entire time.
With control, reverse the movement to return to start. That's one rep.
Pro tip: Do not let your belly sag down. The more you can keep your core engaged by drawing your belly button toward your spine, the better your results will be.
How to tell if you're strong enough to try an ab wheel rollout? "Once I feel like my clients can hold a solid plank for at least 30 seconds, the ab wheel is a great way to test core strength and begin to use it functionally," Gargano says.
10-Minute Ab Wheel Workout
Gargano put together this ab wheel workout combining six of her favorite exercises. She recommends doing this circuit once or twice a week. "You need to be consistent for at least four weeks to really see and feel the results," she says.
Time: 10 minutes
Equipment: Ab wheel
Good for: Triceps, shoulders, lats, and core (including lower abdominal and obliques which are hard areas to hit)
Instructions: There are six moves below. Do each move for the prescribed amount of reps, then continue on to the next one without stopping. Rest for one minute after completing the sixth exercise before starting the entire circuit over from the top. Do four full rounds.
Ab Wheel Slow Roll Outs
How to: Start in a kneeling plank with wrists under shoulders, arms straight, hands gripping ab wheel. In a count of five, roll arms forward of shoulders as far as you can lowering torso toward floor but not touching it. Reverse the movement in five counts to return to start. That's one rep. Do 5.
Ab Wheel Fast Roll Outs
How to: Start in a kneeling plank with wrists under shoulders, arms straight, hands gripping ab wheel. As quickly as possible with control, roll arms forward of shoulders as far as you can lowering torso toward floor but not touching it. Reverse the movement at the same speed to return to start. That's one rep. Do 5.
Ab Wheel Plank Hold
How to: Start in a kneeling plank with wrists under shoulders, arms straight, hands gripping ab wheel. Hold for 10 seconds.
Side Ab Wheels
How to: Start in a kneeling plank with wrists under shoulders, arms straight, hands gripping ab wheel. Without moving knees, roll the ab wheel out at a 45 degrees to the left, return to start, then switch sides. That's one rep. Do 5.
Ab Wheel Walks
How to: Start on all fours with toes tucked, knees under hips and lifted off floor so hips are in line with shoulders and back is flat, wrists under shoulders, hands gripping ab wheel. Now, step one foot forward and then the other, letting wheel move forward but keeping wrists under shoulders. Continue alternating sides for 10 steps.
Full Extended Ab Wheel Hold
How to: Start in a kneeling plank with wrists under shoulders, arms straight, hands gripping ab wheel. Then roll arms forward of shoulders as far as possible. Hold for 10 seconds.
Where to buy an ab wheel online
There are different types of ab rollers—the standard style or ones that look more like dumbbells but with wheels instead of weights, for example—Gargano recommends buying a basic ab roller if you're new to working out with one.
Here are three of the top-reviewed options up for grabs on Amazon and at Target right now.
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