9 Ab Roller Benefits: How Effective Is It?

An ab roller is among the most basic pieces of equipment for strength training. There are multiple ab roller benefits, from it helping you develop ab muscles to your being able to perform a variety of exercises with it.

What Muscle Does Ab Roller Work?

Every fitness enthusiast wishes to have a ripped body with abs showing. But, the journey is indeed difficult as you are advancing and becoming better, stronger and getting acquainted with using complex machines at the gym. One such piece of equipment is an ab roller, but it is a magical tool since it is highly effective and has various benefits. Best of all, it works out your entire upper body, it makes your core stronger, and also helps in improving balance and stability of your spine.

As the name suggests, an ab roller helps work your abs out. It also targets your hip flexors and transverse abdominis muscles while you perform the exercises. Since it requires your spine to be stable, it works out most of your upper body, including your chest, delts, back, and arms.

Ab Roller Benefits You Should Know 

An ab roller will help you in strength training and the development of your core muscles. You can use it for home workouts and even for intense sessions in the gym. If you want to know the answer to the question, “Are ab rollers effective?” The answer to that is yes.

Our ab muscles are extremely important, and having a six-pack isn’t the only good thing about them. A strong core helps protect the body against back pain, and for athletes, it helps improve their performance in sports.

Many people think of an ab roller as the king of all equipment. For those who don’t know how do ab wheels work, it is a piece of equipment like a wheel with handles to the side of the wheel. You have to grip these handles as they roll outwards while you perform crunches or situps. You can even use it while you stand and perform ab exercises. All in all, an ab roller makes ab exercises much more effective.

Ab rollers are extremely useful, and there are numerous ab wheel benefits that make them such a helpful tool. To dive deeper, here are some benefits of ab rollers that show ab roller effectiveness in the best way. Lastly, please note that although an ab roller is a great workout tool, it requires a lot of practice and technique to avoid injury and strain.

✅ Develops Core Strength

That is perhaps the most significant benefit of an ab roller. Since you have to work on keeping your spine stable while performing the exercises on an ab roller, it directly improves core strength. Also, it improves the balance, which is another great quality.

✅ Highly Effective Exercises

An ab roller workout is always going to be tougher than performing standard crunches or sit-ups, which means that an ab roller workout is going to be the better option for increasing strength and building muscle.

When you talk about what muscle does ab roller work, it basically targets your entire core, helping you build the six-pack you’ve always wanted. Many studies have also proven that an ab roller produces more core activity than the traditional sit-up.

✅ More of a Compound Equipment

For those who want to make the best use of an ab roller by using it to work all the muscle groups, they’ll do just that. Not only will you be burning fat with an ab roller, but you’ll be doing that while also intensely working out your core, delts, and arms. Here’s a brief of what all it works:

• Ab roller muscles worked: Core, shoulders, biceps, triceps, chest, lats

All in all, using an ab roller makes muscle targeting pretty simple as compared to using machines that target a specific muscle group at once or isolating your core with sit-ups.

✅ Cardiovascular Benefits

While an ab roller majorly targets the upper body, it also puts the lower body muscles to work, and since you’re performing an integrated movement where you’re rolling the wheel to and fro, it will keep your heart rate in the elevated range.

Therefore, you’ll also be burning some serious calories and working on your endurance while performing an ab wheel workout.

✅ Beneficial for Joints and Ligaments

Your ab roller indeed strengthens your upper body muscles and core, but it also works your lower back muscles. Since you have to maintain your posture while performing exercises on an ab wheel, you’ll also be working your ligaments and joints, which will make them more stable over time. Since they’ll be highly stable, they won’t be that prone to injuries.

✅ Easy to Carry

Unlike gym machines that aren’t portable and other exercise equipment that could be carried, but it’s always a hassle, an ab roller is lightweight and compact. Therefore, carrying it in your gym bag and taking it with you wherever you go is going to be a breeze.

Even if you aren’t near a gym, but you have an ab roller with you, you won’t need a lot of space to perform an ab roller workout. Therefore, not only is it portable, but it also saves you money, space, and time.

For those who are looking for an intense ab workout that they could instantly begin at their homes without a lot of space, an ab wheel is your best bet.

✅ Good for Increasing Blood Flow to the Brain

That’s not commonly heard, but it’s true. Since you have to keep your head and back straight and you have to maintain that position for a long period of time in an ab wheel workout, it keeps the blood flow going in these areas. It is good for the brain cells as they are being constantly supplied with oxygenated blood.

✅ Tones the Tummy

An ab roller has so many benefits that are correlated to this, it’s obvious that it will help you get rid of belly fat. There’s no spot reduction involved here, but an ab wheel workout will certainly boost your body’s metabolism, which will help you burn more calories.

While it strengthens your core, you’ll also be losing stubborn belly fat, which is why these are highly recommended for reducing fat.

✅ mproves Posture

If you’re recovering from an injury or suffering from pain in your joints and muscles, then an ab roller can be very useful for you. It makes your back stronger and increases stability, which will also improve your posture.

Drawbacks Of Using Ab Rollers

❌ Learning Curve

Mastering the ab roller isn’t really easy, as it requires a great deal of balance, patience, and of course, core strength. You’d have to push through a lot of pain, which means that although it’s a great tool that targets all the muscles, it’s not the easy way out. There’s no easy way out in fitness.

❌ Could Lead to Injury

An ab roller is something that will make you less prone to injuries, but if you don’t use it properly and don’t take care of the form, you’ll be more prone to injury. So, it is always best to perform these exercises under expert supervision until you learn how to properly use an ab wheel.

❌ Could Be Ineffective

The logic is simple. If your form is perfect, you’ll reap the benefit of an ab roller. But if it isn’t, then it won’t be that helpful for you. You need to make sure that you’re performing full reps in the perfect form. Only then will you see good results, given that you’re consistent and your nutrition is also on point.

The Importance of Using a High-quality Ab Wheel

When the question is, “do ab wheels work,” the answer is that they all do, but you need to make sure that your form is correct and the product you’re using is of good quality. The thing about ab wheels or any other fitness equipment is that they’re all made from different materials. It is why it is essential to conduct your research and then purchase an ab wheel according to your budget and requirements.

For instance, you need to make sure that the center of the ab wheel is metallic since that will handle your weight and not break down while performing exercises. Next, an ab wheel with foam covering on the handles would be better for you to grip. Similarly, there are various other aspects to consider that make an ab wheel high-quality.

Ab Roller We Recommend

Talking about high-quality ab rollers, we highly recommend using this ab wheel kit from EnterSports. Best of all, it is an entire kit that also includes knee mats, push-up bars, and resistance bands. Considering the price, you’ll be getting the best bang for your buck with this purchase.

The ab roller is strong enough to withstand 600 lbs, as it has a stainless steel shaft. Also, it’s pretty easy to set it up and carry it around in a gym bag or wherever you go.

The Importance of Using a High-quality Ab Wheel

Now, there are many exercises like crunches and planks that greatly work the core, but let’s directly compare them with an ab roller and see which exercise has the upper hand.

1. Ab Roller vs. Plank

If you’re comparing ab roller vs planks, I’d say that it’s pretty much similar, mainly because your spine needs to be stable in both conditions. But, since ab rollers are generally harder than the traditional plank, ab roller gets the edge here. It will work your abs better, and if your goal is to have an advanced ab workout, an ab roller is the better option.

2. Ab Roller vs. Crunches

Now that we’re comparing ab roller vs crunches, what’s good about crunches is that they’re extremely popular and, of course, easy to perform. They’re easier than planks, and certainly, they’re easier than an ab roller.

However, if you’re looking to have an intense core workout that will also improve your physical performance and target multiple muscle groups, then an ab roller is better than simply performing traditional crunches.

FAQ

How Long Does It Take to See Results with The Ab Wheel?

For those who ask, “is an ab wheel effective?,” and if they are, then “how effective are ab rollers?” Well, you’ll get the most practical answer to your questions when you perform exercises with an ab roller 3-4 times a week. After 4-6 weeks, you’ll start noticing a difference in your core from a visual perspective. You’ll also see an incline in core strength, balance, and spine stability.

Should I Use the Ab Roller Every Day?

It is agreed that once you start seeing results, you’ll be tempted to use an ab roller daily, but that’s not the best thing to do. It is recommended not to overtrain your muscles and give the body ample time to recover with adequate rest and nutrition. So, include ab roller workouts 2-4 times a week with your strength training routine.

Does Ab Roller Reduce Belly Fat?

As mentioned earlier, an ab roller will indeed help you lose your belly fat by increasing your metabolism and helping you burn more calories while toning and strengthening your muscles. So, stay consistent with the workouts, click images within spans of weeks, and you’ll see in an abs roller before and after compilation that you’ve lost a significant amount of belly fat. Also, do not forget to have a good diet and ample rest.

Conclusion

As we come to an end, we took a look at how an ab roller works, how beneficial it is, and what kinds of hurdles it could pose for you if you do not know how to use it properly. If you’re a beginner, perform these exercises under the guidance of a personal trainer, and to see the best results, be consistent and supply your body with enough nutrients and rest.

If you have any pros and cons of ab rollers that you’re aware of, let us know in the comment section.

Also Read:

• Best Ab Rollers
• Best Kettlebells For Home

References:

1. How Effective Is an Ab Wheel Roller? 9 Benefits of Doing Ab Rollouts // Dmoose:
   https://www.dmoose.com/blogs/workout-training/effectivenes-of-ab-wheel-roller-and-9-benefits