Achieve the perfect six pack with the abdominal wheel

An ab wheel is a small, sturdy wheel with a bar running through the center that serves as a grip. It is also known as an abdominal wheel because its main function is to help with core strengthening exercises.

Developing a stable core helps us in all physical activities and reduces the risk of muscle injuries. It is effective for strengthening the core not only because it targets the abdominals but also because it works the lower back muscles. We need strong back muscles to counteract the natural arching of the back that occurs when we move forward on the wheel.

How to avoid injuries?

Even with a strong back and a well-balanced core, proper technique is essential to avoid muscle strain when exercising on the ab wheel. We will kneel on the ground and grab the handlebars. We will place the wheel on the ground under the shoulders and, with the arms and back straight, we will slowly roll it forward.

It is recommended to keep your elbows as straight as possible throughout the exercise. We will keep the abdominals contracted and avoid arching the back. We will take it as far forward as we can while keeping our torso straight. We will use the abdominals, not the hips, to return to the starting position.

If we feel that full deployment is out of our reach at the moment, we can perform the abdominal wheel exercise on an incline or even with the help of a band tied to the wheel.

rutina de abdominales con rueda de abdominales

abdominal wheel exercises

The most important thing about these exercise routines is to play it safe when it comes to these types of basic exercises. It is advisable to master each one before moving on to try more intensity or difficulty.

Iron

This exercise will help us learn how to grip an ab wheel while balancing our weight on it. Just like the standard version of the plank, this exercise will hit your entire core: upper, lower, and lats.

  1. We’ll start on our knees in a modified push-up position with our hands on the grips of the ab wheel.
  2. The arms must be fully extended.
  3. Once we have a good grip, we’ll lift our knees off the ground so that only the abdominal wheel and toes remain on the ground.
  4. There should be a straight line from the head and neck to the ankles.
  5. We will maintain this position for 40 to 60 seconds.

Crunch with the wheel on the feet

This is an ideal exercise to target the lower abs and deep core. And the fact that you can use your arms to stabilize your body as you move the abdominal wheel to and from your torso with your feet makes it a good exercise to start training with the abdominal wheel.

Note that this exercise requires an ab wheel or roller equipped with foot straps.

  1. We will place the feet in the straps.
  2. We will get into a plank position, with our arms extended and our body in a straight and strong line.
  3. We will position the shoulders so that the wrists, elbows and shoulders are aligned.
  4. We will put the knees towards the chest pulling the abdominal wheel towards us with the feet.
  5. We will slowly return to the starting position (where the body is once again in a straight line).

Pike up

This movement takes us to a higher level progression from the ab wheel. This version allows us to keep our legs straight while we turn the abdominal wheel towards the body. Like the knee, it also targets the lower abs and deep core with the help of being able to stabilize the body with the arms.

Note that this exercise also requires an ab wheel or roller equipped with foot straps.

  1. We will place the feet in the straps.
  2. We’ll get into a plank position, with our arms outstretched and our body in a strong, straight line from head to heels.
  3. We will align the wrists, elbows and shoulders directly below each other.
  4. Keeping our legs straight, we will pull the abdominal roller towards us with our feet.
  5. This will result in the hips rising upwards, creating a ‘V’ shape with the lower body and torso.
  6. We’ll hold for a second before slowly turning the ab wheel out to create a straight line with the body.

Rollout

Perhaps this is one of the most characteristic exercises of the abdominal wheel. All core, outer, inner, upper, lower, and side muscles are used.

  1. We will kneel on a mat.
  2. We will put the abdominal wheel in front of us, with our hands on the handles and with our arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your back and arms straight, we’ll slowly push the abdominal wheel away from the body, effectively extending the body from the hips into a plank position.
  4. The full version will have us fully extend the body so that the torso is close to the ground with your arms as far forward as possible before returning to the starting position.

We can test our range of motion capabilities before we do full deployment. It is quite possible to go past the point of no return in this exercise, during which you will most likely injure yourself trying to return to the starting position.

bird-dog

This ab wheel exercise reduces stability as we lift one knee off the ground on each throw. This helps with developing equal strength and mass on the left and right sides of the core as more concentrated tension is placed on one side.

  1. We’ll sit on our knees on a mat.
  2. We will put the abdominal wheel in front of us with our hands on the handles and with our arms fully extended.
  3. Keeping your back and arms straight, raise one knee off the ground.
  4. We will slowly push the abdominal wheel away from the body, lowering towards the floor and extending through the hips so that the body is in a straight line.
  5. We will try to fully extend the body so that the torso is close to the ground with the arms as far forward as possible.
  6. We will roll the abdominal wheel back to the starting position.

We can do all throws on one knee before switching sides, or alternate from left to right knee on the ground with each throw.

One Arm Rollout

This exercise is good for developing contralateral strength while using one arm at a time to extend and support the weight of the body. Keep in mind that we will need an abdominal roller (with a handle in the middle), instead of an abdominal wheel (with handles on the sides).

  1. We will kneel on a mat.
  2. We will hold the abdominal wheel with one hand and place it in front of us with one arm fully extended while being articulated at the hips.
  3. We’ll keep our spine neutral as we push the ab roller away from us, extending the body in a straight line, close to the ground.
  4. We will pull the abdominal wheel towards the knees until we reach the starting position.
  5. We will complete 8 to 10 reps on one side before switching sides.