Techniques For Using The Ab Wheel

The ab wheel is a basic piece of fitness equipment that has handles attached to a rotating wheel, which is roughly 3 inches wide and 6 to 8 inches tall. Exercises performed on the ab wheel require a large amount of abdominal stabilization and bracing. This works your transversus abdominis muscles, which wrap around your waist and support your upper body and spine. Your rectus abdominis and obliques must work, as well. Incorporate three exercises on the ab wheel that are extremely difficult but highly effective at targeting your transversus muscles.

Foot Pulls

To perform foot pulls, place your hands flat on the floor, shoulder-width apart, with your arms fully extended. Straighten your legs and body with the ab wheel situated between your feet. Place one foot at a time onto the ab wheel handles. Draw your feet toward your head by lifting your butt upward and keeping your legs straight in a pike position. Continue pulling until you form a 45-degree angle between your hips and legs. Hold this position for two to three seconds and then slowly roll your legs backward and allow your butt to descend.

Inch Worm

While foot pulls require the movement from your lower body, the inch worm requires it from your upper body. Assume a standing position with your feet together and the ab wheel located at your feet. Bend over at your waist and grab the handlebars of the ab wheel with each hand while keeping your legs straight. Slowly roll forward with the ab wheel, keeping your legs and back straight while lowering your butt. When you form a straight line from your legs to your head, slowly inch your feet toward your hands while keeping the wheel stationary. When your feet are next to the wheel, begin another roll out.

Pushups

Pushups on the ab wheel combine the abdominal stabilization required to use the ab wheel with the upper body strength needed to perform traditional pushups. Start by kneeling on the floor with the ab wheel located near your knees. Grab the handlebars of the ab wheel with each hand and extend your legs behind you so your body is straight from your ankles to your upper back. Your feet should be together with the balls of your feet supporting your lower body. Bend your elbows so they glide across the sides of your rib cage until your chest is 1 to 2 inches away from the ab wheel. Push down on the handlebars of the wheel without making the wheel move. Continue pushing until your elbows move from beside your rib cage to a fully extended position.

Considerations

In terms of difficulty, the foot pulls exercise is the hardest, while the inch worm is the easiest. Each of these three ab wheel techniques should be performed for a total of 20 repetitions. The pacing for each exercise should be relatively slow with each repetition taking around eight to 10 seconds to perform.
If you have had an abdominal tear or hernia recently, these ab wheel techniques should be avoided because they place a heavy load on the abdominals and can cause further injury to these two conditions.
Individuals who carry much of their weight in their abdominals will find these exercises extremely difficult and should perform the inch worm and pushups exercises from their knees while avoiding the foot pulls exercise.