Abs exercise
Ab Wheel RolloutHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Main muscles
- Abs
- Also works
- Lats, Front delts
- Equipment
- Ab wheel
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Ab Wheel Rollout?
- Kneel on a soft pad and hold the wheel on the floor under your shoulders.
- Tighten your stomach and buttocks so your body is straight from knees to head.
- Roll the wheel slowly forward, keeping your arms straight and back flat.
- Stop before your lower back starts to arch.
- Pull the wheel back towards your knees to return.
Cues
- Ribs down, buttocks tight.
- Go only as far as you control.
- Pull back with your arms, not your hips.
Common mistakes
- Lower back sagging: shorten the roll and tighten your stomach harder.
- Hips sticking back on the way in: keep your hips pressed forward.
- Bending your elbows: keep your arms straight throughout.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
The version in our demo
Kneeling rollout on a pad, partial range (body stops about 20° above the floor), hips kept straight throughout. Kneeling is the common and safer version; the full standing rollout is advanced. ACE describes the same move with a rolling barbell.
Starting position
Kneeling on a soft pad, knees hip width apart (15–20 cm), toes on the floor or feet relaxed. Both hands on the wheel handles (about shoulder width), arms straight and vertical, wheel on the floor directly under the shoulders. Hips pressed forward so knees, hips and shoulders form one straight line; abdomen braced, buttocks squeezed, ribs down, head in line with the spine.
The movement
Keeping the arms straight and the knee-to-shoulder line rigid, let the wheel roll forward in a straight line along the floor while the body lowers as one piece, hinging only at the knees and shoulders. Stop at the furthest point where the lower back still does not arch, pause, then pull the arms back down towards the thighs to roll the wheel back to the start. The hips never sag or pike.
Breathing
Brace and breathe in before rolling out; breathe out as the wheel comes back.
Tempo
2 s roll out, 0.5 s pause, 1.5 s roll back (4 s).
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
- Knees stay planted; lower back keeps the same shape from start to end.
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Ab Wheel Rollout is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
Sources
