Ab Rollout
Kneeling with an ab wheel under your shoulders, you roll it forward until your body is long and nearly flat, then pull it back with your abs while your lats and triceps help.
- Primary muscles
- Abs, Lower abs, Obliques
- Secondary
- Lats, Triceps
- Difficulty
- Intermediate
- Logged as
- Reps
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Why do it
The rollout trains your abs to stop your lower back from arching as your body gets longer, which is a very different job from crunching. It's a hard core exercise for the price of a cheap wheel, and it suits anyone who can hold a solid plank and wants more challenge. Start with a short roll, or roll toward a wall to cap the range, then lengthen it as you get stronger. Standing rollouts are an advanced step most people never need.
How to do it
Kneel on a mat and grip the ab wheel with both hands under your shoulders.
Brace your core and squeeze your glutes so your lower back doesn't arch.
Roll the wheel forward as far as you can while keeping that flat line from knees to head.
Pull yourself back with your abs. If your back sags, shorten the roll or do them facing a wall to limit the range.
Common mistakes
Letting your lower back sag
When your hips drop toward the floor, your back takes over from your abs. Brace, squeeze your glutes and only roll as far as you can keep a straight line from knees to head.
Piking your hips on the way back
Shoving your hips up and back first lets your hip flexors drag you in. Keep your hips moving with your torso and bring the wheel back by curling your ribs toward your pelvis.
Bending your arms
Bent elbows shorten the lever and turn the rep into a pressing drill. Keep your arms straight so your abs and lats do the pulling.
Sets, reps and progression
How many sets you do and how close to failure you take them depend on your goal and your week, not on the exercise. These guides cover it:
Alternatives that train the same thing
Same movement, a different angle or piece of equipment.
