Everything You Need To Know About Ab Roller Workouts For Beginners

Ab rollers are one of the most exciting ways to build your core strength. All you have to do is get into the right kneel down position and extend your arms further and, at the same time, maintain your body posture.  Hare are some different ab roll-out exercises that will help you get started.

What Parts Do Ab Rollers Focus On?

As the name suggests, ab rollers focus mainly on the abs, but they also work on your shoulders, triceps, latissimus dorsi, and hips. By performing different exercises with ab rollers, your muscles start to build up as you concentrate more on mass and power.

I always used to wonder how my abs started to build up with ab rollers. It is pretty simple actually, but it does require a lot of muscle power. For instance, when you start with the plank position, the core is the main point that will help you to push the ab rollers forward. As you push, both the spine and abs contract together.

Types of Exercises to Perform with Ab Rollers

Before sharing tips about how to use the ab roller effectively, here is a table to help you know the different ab roller exercises:

· The Kneeling Position

This is one of the most common positions performed with the help of ab rollers. You can start by placing your knees on the floor and keeping your abs tight to maintain a straight back position. Once you’ve gotten yourself into the right position, it is time to roll the wheel as far as possible, keeping your chest to the ground and your arms fully extended.

This exercise is quite painful, so always begin with small pushes and then keep increasing them gradually. I always start with three sets of 8 reps.

· Complete Abs Roll-out

This exercise is one level harder than the kneeling position and includes much more of your muscle strength. For this exercise, you will place yourself in a pushup position with your knees off the ground, getting all the support from your toes.

Hold the roller under your shoulders, and gradually roll it further in front of your body, and bring it back by moving your hands underneath your chest. This exercise is pretty tricky; hence, it takes quite some time and practice in order to perform it properly and effectively. Always start slowly with three sets of five reps.

· Single-Arm Abs Roll-Out

Once I start getting into the depth of working out, I love giving myself different challenges. For a more challenging ab roller workout, you can try out a single-arm abs roll-out. For this exercise, you can choose to either stand or kneel on the ground and lay the ab roller in front.

Slightly bend the waist and get a tight grip of the ab roller with one hand. Continue by rolling out the roller slowly, keeping your core intact. This exercise puts all the pressure on the abs, helping to achieve some killer-looking abs.

· Single-Leg Abs Roll-out

This is another challenging abs roll-out exercise that requires using only one leg and will help you increase your muscle strength more. To start this exercise, you have to first stand straight with your feet joined and the ab roller in front.

Next, gently bend the waist and get a tight grip on the ab roller. Continue keeping the back straight, and roll forward by extending your arms. As you begin to roll forward, lift one leg slowly and then roll backward. This exercise may be a bit challenging, but it is best to repeat this for at least 6-9 reps.

· V Abs Roll-Outs

This exercise is quite similar to the knee abs roll-out exercise; it just uses a bit more muscle energy. For this exercise, you first have to kneel and get a good grip on the handles of your ab rollers.

Next, by keeping both the arms extended, slowly roll out to your right side by creating a 45-degree angle. Get back to the starting position and repeat the same process on the left side. For best results, do at least five reps or more on each side.

4 Steps on How to Use an Ab Roller Correctly

Here’s how to make sure you’re using the ab roller correctly in order to achieve killer abs:

1. Start off by getting down on your knees and place the roller in front.
2. While keeping your back straight, slightly lean forward to allow the roller to come under the shoulders.
3. Keep the glutes tight and push forward with the ab rollers.
4. Push back while bringing the roller behind slowly; do at least 5-8 reps.

· Get In the Right Position

Getting in the right position is very important, as only this way can you use the ab roller effectively. I always start by bending down on my yoga mat, holding the ab roller with both hands by gripping it properly. Then, I gradually move my hands, arms, and torso forward as much as I can, and bring it back up once I can no longer pull any farther.

While performing this step, I always make sure to keep my hips, abs, and lower back muscles intact to get that perfect burn and stretch. I make sure to maintain my body structure by always facing forward, keeping my head down, and keeping my back as straight as possible.

If you’re a beginner, try to maintain this position for at least 3 seconds.

· The Build-Up

After getting the hang of the initial position, I change my direction and roll further. For this step, I use all my muscle energy, which helps me to gain more muscle strength and mass.

I get into a plank position and roll a bit longer than usual, keeping my back straight and my knees off the ground. I start with small forward rolls, and then gradually increase the length by putting in more muscle power. It is essential to improve the rolling length in order to use the ab roller correctly.

· Boost Your Muscles

These steps include a little more of an advanced version of the classic ab roller position, which everyone can easily pull off once they get comfortable with the traditional position.

I enjoy making this more challenging, so hence, in this step, I get into the standard plank position, keeping my knees off the ground and my back straight. I start rolling my abs roller forward slowly, and instead of pulling it back, I turn it to the left and then bring it back and do the same thing by rolling it to the right.

This step requires a lot more muscle energy, but once I got used to the initial two steps, this modified version became much easier for me. The added turn in this step is more like an added feature that helps us to use the ab roller more effectively.

· Routine Build-Up

I started to build up my routine and ab roller reps to achieve faster and stronger results. The best way to build-up a routine is by doing ab rollers three days every week. The number of weeks you set depends on you.

I set my goal for about five weeks, and when I started seeing faster results, I gradually increased the weeks up to 8 weeks. For each position, I would do about 8-10 reps. For standing position, I would start with three reps per set, and then move on to 10 reps for three sets.

Also, I would begin to roll out for longer in a plank position. Always remember to maintain strength and a good grip as pushing too hard may cause a tear in the tendons and muscles, which could lead to a permanent health injury.

How to Know When Abs Roll-Outs Aren’t Good for You?

One thing that everyone should be aware of before using ab rollers is that it’s not meant for everybody, and sometimes it may not agree with your body type or your health. When it comes to using ab rollers, you have to have to get in a plank position and have good core strength. You also have to make good use of your upper body strength, which comes mainly from the forearms and back.

If you fail to get into the right position, you may be inviting a lot of trouble that could cause some major damage to your muscles. The most strain you may feel will be on your back. Anytime I feel like I am putting too much pressure on my back, I switch to other core strength exercises like walkouts or planks.

People who have suffered or are suffering from a bad injury should not try using ab rollers as this may erupt the pain in that specific area, making your condition worse. You can always regress the exercise whenever there’s a sensation of strain in a particular part of the body.

Final Words

Ab rollers may seem quite frightening and tough for many of us, but once you get the hang of it and start seeing some results, there’s no turning back. Always make sure to stay in the correct position to avoid any injures. Choosing the correct ab roller wheel when starting out can be a daunting task due to the plethora of different products online.  The “Ab-Roller” by Spectral Body is preferred by many beginners and experts because of its sturdy double-sized wheelbase and comfortable grips.  Accept no substitutes, this ab wheel pays for itself many times over and won’t break down over time like other cheap imitations.

Ab Roller Wheel Features:

• Double wheel mobility
• Ultra lightweight
• Molded handgrips
• Includes floor mat for kneeling position

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