# Ab Wheel Rollout: how to do it

- Main muscles: abs
- Also works: lats, front delts
- Equipment: ab wheel
- Level: intermediate
- 3D demo (side view): https://media.trainaq.com/exercises/ab_wheel_rollout/481d745f00/side-m-720.mp4

## Steps

1. Kneel on a soft pad and hold the wheel on the floor under your shoulders.
2. Tighten your stomach and buttocks so your body is straight from knees to head.
3. Roll the wheel slowly forward, keeping your arms straight and back flat.
4. Stop before your lower back starts to arch.
5. 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.

## 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

- Knees stay planted; lower back keeps the same shape from start to end.

## Sources

1. [ACE, "Roll Out"](https://www.acefitness.org/resources/everyone/exercise-library/309/roll-out/)
2. [NASM, "Best Abs Exercises: Science-Based Core Training That Delivers Results"](https://www.nasm.org/resource-center/blog/training/best-abs-exercises)
3. [StrengthLog, "How to Do Kneeling Ab Wheel Roll-Out: Muscles Worked & Proper Form"](https://www.strengthlog.com/kneeling-ab-wheel-roll-out/)

Source: https://trainaq.com/exercises/ab-wheel-rollout