Top 10 Ab Wheel Exercises For Targeting And Building Your Core Muscles

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Ab wheel exercises are some of the most effective workouts for building strong core muscles, including the obliques, rectus abdominis, and the erector spinae.

While ab wheel exercises may not suit some beginners, incorporating them into your training regimen can help target and strengthen your core muscles for a healthy lifestyle. And the good thing is the ab wheel for the exercises is one of the cheapest pieces of equipment you will need for your gym.

Ab wheel exercises require a good level of core strength, so they may not be suitable for some. Such exercisers and athletes can make the movement more manageable by limiting the range of motion at the beginning and gradually increasing them as their core muscles get stronger.

Top Ab Wheel Exercises For Working And Strengthening Your Core Muscles

If you are wondering what exercises you can do with the inexpensive ab roller, below are some of the top ab wheel exercises to include in your training regimen to help build chiseled core muscles.

Required Equipment: You will need an ab roller, and ideally, an exercise mat or a soft pad for your knees for the ab wheel exercises

Ab Wheel Plank

The plank is a popular core and yoga exercise. Modifying it to use the ab roller makes it more challenging.

The ab wheel plank is one of the exercises for progressing to the traditional plank. It is also one of the best ab wheel exercises that can help stabilize the core muscles.

Ab Wheel Plank exercises can train your muscles for other demanding ab roller workouts. Thus it is the best place for novices to start.

Steps to follow

• Get into the plank pose with your hands on the ab roller handles and toes on the floor.
• Ensure you fully extend your arms with elbows locked. Your body, from head to heels, must form a straight line.
• Remain in the pose for 30-60 seconds and return to your starting position.
• Repeat 3-5 reps for a set with 30-40 seconds rest in-between sets and 2-3 sets to complete a session.

Ab Wheel Glute Bridge

The glute bridge is one of the most effective exercises for strengthening the glutes and the hamstring and boosting core stability.

The exercise becomes more challenging when you use an ab roller, helping you to work your midsection muscles, including your core better.

The glute bridge with an ab roller is one of the best ab wheel exercises for beginners that can help condition your core and other muscles for other demanding exercises.

For the exercise, you will need an ab roller with foot straps, such as the Lifeline Power Wheel. Alternatively, you can strap your feet to the ab roller with a pair of resistance bands or something similar.

Steps to follow

• Strap your feet to the ab roller. Lie on your back and place your arms on the floor by your sides
• Pull the ab roller toward your glutes by raising your hips until your legs and the floor are roughly at right angles. Ensure you flex your glutes, keep your legs stiff, and tighten your core to help keep your spine neutral.
• Hold the position for as long as you can drop your hips gradually to return to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps

Ab Wheel Knee Tucks

The ab wheel knee tucks involve strapping your feet to your ab roller and rolling it toward your midsection.

The unstable ab roller forces your stabilizer muscles to work harder, and the concentration of the exercises on your lower body allows better targeting of your lower abs, making it one of the best ab wheel exercises for beginner to intermediate exercisers.

An ab roller with foot straps will be best for the ab wheel knee tucks.

Steps to follow

• Strap your feet onto the ab roller handles and get into the plank pose with your feet on the roller handles and your arms fully stretched.
• Brace your core, bend your knees and pull the ab roller as far as possible toward your upper body. Hold for a second.
• Roll the ab roller slowly back to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps per set and 3-4 sets to complete a session.

Ab Wheel Pikes

The ab wheel pikes are like the tucks, but your knees stay locked when rolling the wheel toward and away from your upper body, making them more challenging.

The unstable nature of your pose forces your stabilization muscles to overwork to keep you stable. That makes the pikes some of the best ab wheel exercises that allow you to target your lower abs and deep core.

Steps to follow

• Strap your feet onto the ab roller and get into the plank position.
• Stretch your arms fully with your elbows locked and position them directly under your shoulders.
• Ensure your body, from head to heels, is straight.
• Engage your abs, and keeping your knees locked, lift your hips towards the sky and slowly pull the ab roller with your feet as far as you can toward your upper body. Your torso and lower body should form a V-shape. Hold for a second.
• Slowly lower your hips to roll the ab roller back to your starting position
• Repeat 8-12 reps for a set and 3-4 sets per session.

Ab Wheel Roll-Out

The Kneeling Roll-out is one of the best ab wheel exercises for building strength in your midsection.

The exercise requires your entire core to work together, making it one of the best for building and strengthening the abdominals.

It may be better for beginners to start with the ab wheel planks or a limited range of motion to help strengthen the core muscles.

PS: The kneeling ab wheel roller exercises may not suit those with hernias or lower back problems.

Steps to follow

• Place the ab roller on the floor.
• Kneel and grasp the ab roller handles with both hands.
• Start breathing in, engage your core, and roll the ab roller forward while stretching your body. Ensure you look straight ahead.
• Roll the ab roller as far as possible without your tummy touching the floor.
• Pause, start breathing out, and roll back slowly to your starting position. Ensure your abs remain tight.

Ab Wheel Roll-Outs With Lateral Band Resistance

The lateral rollouts are some of the best ab wheel exercises for targeting your midsection from different angles.

You will need a resistance band, in addition to the exercise wheel or ab roller, for the exercises.

The resistance band will act as a lateral element, forcing you to resist all attempts to pull the ab roller sideways as you roll forward and backward.

The lateral band resistance rollout compels you to stabilize in the transverse and lateral planes, making it possible to target the anterior, lateral, and rotary core muscles.

Steps to follow

• Place the ab wheel on the floor.
• Attach the resistance band to the lower section of a stable object on your side.
• Kneel on the floor, loop the resistance band around one hand, and grasp the handles of the ab roller with both hands. The resistance band and your body must be at 90 degrees, and
• Position yourself at a distance that leaves no kink in the resistance band. The further you are from the anchor point, the more challenging the exercise will be.
• Engage your glutes and roll the ab roller forward as far as possible until your back is flat, but do not allow your tummy to touch the floor. Roll ahead in a straight line, ensuring you resist any tendency to divert. Use a partner or a marker to help keep you on course.
• Roll back to your starting position by following the same path.
• Repeat 6-10 reps on one side. Change positions and go through the movements with the other side of your body.

Standing Ab Roll Out

The standing rollout is one of the best ab wheel exercises that target the abdominals, obliques, anterior deltoids, lower back, and triceps. The exercises will also work your glutes, pecs, hamstrings, and quads.

The standing ab rollout is more suited to intermediate to advanced exercisers and lifters. You will need strong sore muscles for the exercises and should be familiar with the plank pose.

Steps to follow

• Stand upright, holding the handles of the ab roller in each hand in front of you.
• Keep your feet at hip-width
• Bend at your hips and stretch your arms until you place the ab roller on the floor.
• Exhale, engage your core, keep your shoulders tight, and slowly start rolling the ab roller forward. Ensure your hands remain stretched and keep your back rounded.
• Keep rolling the ab roller forward until you get into a plank position.
• Start inhaling and roll back slowly onto your feet to your starting position.
• Repeat 8-12 reps for a set and 2-3 sets in a session.

Lateral Rollout

The lateral rollout, or Oblique Wheel Roll Outs, allows you to target each side of your body, especially the oblique muscles, one at a time.

The lateral rollout is one of the best ab wheel exercises for targeting and strengthening the oblique muscles.

Unlike the traditional ab rollout, the lateral version involves rolling sideways in a V-shape.

Steps to follow

• Place the ab roller on the floor, or an exercise mat, in front of you.
• Kneel on the exercise mat and grasp the handles of the ab roller.
• Extend your arms, ensuring your elbows are locked.
• Engage your glutes, and leading with your hips, roll sideways as far as possible until your back is flat, but do not allow your tummy to touch the floor.
• Roll back to your starting position by following the same path.
• Repeat, but roll sideways to the opposite side to complete one rep
• Repeat 8-12 reps by alternating from your right to the left side.

Ab Wheel Crawl

The crawl exercise with an ab roller is one of the best ab wheel exercises for the entire core muscles.

The exercise requires strong core stability and will also force your stabilization muscles to work together to keep you balanced throughout the movement.

Crawling with an ab roller is also one best ab wheel exercises for strengthening the oblique muscles.

You will need ample space in front of you for the ab wheel crawl exercise.

Steps to follow

• Get on all fours, with your arms on the ab roller handles and your knees on the floor.
• Stretch your arms to lock your elbows and directly position your shoulders over your hands
• Lift your knees off the floor by about two inches, supporting your body on your toes and the ab roller. Keep your feet more than shoulder width apart to keep you balanced.
• Engage and draw in your core to make your spine neutral.
• Start walking forward on your toes with small steps while rolling the ab roller. Ensure you keep your arms and body stable and resist any tendency to sway to your sides. Keep your body tense and move with intent.
• Keep the forward movement for up to 20 yards and pause.
• Repeat up to four reps per session.

Quadruped Bird Dog Ab Wheel Rollout

The bird dog is a simple but effective core stability exercise for strengthening many lower body muscles, including the hips and lower back.

Using an ab roller with the bird dog exercise makes it challenging and forces your stabilization muscles to work harder to keep you stable. They are some of the best ab wheel exercises for correcting imperfections in your core.

You will need an exercise mat or a soft pad for your knees to keep you comfortable.

Steps to follow

• Position the ab roller in front of the mat.
• Kneel and grasp the handles of the ab roller.
• Extend your arms to lock your elbows and position them directly under your shoulders.
• Slowly raise one leg and extend it behind you. Keep your spine neutral
• Push the ab wheel slowly forward while lowering your body to the floor. Do not drop the raised leg, and keep your spine neutral throughout.
• Lower your body as far as possible but stop before your chest touches the floor.
• Pause and slowly roll back to your starting position
• Repeat 8-10 reps on one side.
• Switch legs and go through the movements with the other side.

Final words from LiveLIfe

The ab roller is a lowly priced and simple gym equipment, but it is also one of the most effective tools for working and strengthening your core muscles.

Ab wheel exercises can be challenging and may require strong and cable core muscles. But the results can be phenomenal if you do them with the correct form.

Like all exercises, it is always good to start from the basics and build from there.

Incorporate these ab wheel exercises into your workout to help achieve your fitness goals.