Ab roller exercises for beginners, women and men

A gymnastic roller, also called an ab roller, is a fitness device that combines ease of exercise and high performance. This is the optimal equipment for women and men, especially those who have to maintain decent physical shape in conditions of lack of time for long training sessions and visits to the gym.

What is a gymnastics roller for the press and what is it for?
What muscles work in roller exercises?
How not to make a mistake: practical tips for choosing a “wheel with handles”
How to properly exercise with a roller, a set of exercises for weight loss
Where to start: simplified ways to work with a video
Training with a gymnastic roller in the classic version
Roller rental from a standing position
Lower body workout using a roller trainer
Video: Training options with a gymnastic roller
Benefits of exercising with a gymnastic roller

Choosing the right video

The structure of the gymnastic roller is extremely simple: a metal disc with handles on both sides. The edge of the disk is covered with a dense rubber rim, the surface of the handles is also covered with a material that does not allow your hands to slip.

When choosing, you should pay attention to the diameter of the disk: the larger the diameter, the less the load. The roller version, consisting of two disks fastened together, is more stable. It is suitable for beginners. A fitness trainer will provide recommendations on choosing the correct disc size.

How to choose a gymnastic roller

If you decide to purchase a wheel, pay attention to the following recommendations:

Choose models with rubberized handles. They are more comfortable to hold in your hands.
If possible, purchase rollers with additional fasteners for the feet. This way you will expand the range of useful exercises.
For home training, choose a wheel with a rubber working surface. This projectile makes less noise.
If you have never played sports, we recommend models with a return mechanism. Such videos will “help” during execution.
Pay attention to the build quality. Under load, there should be no play between the parts. Otherwise, the risk of the apparatus breaking under the weight of the athlete increases, which can lead to injury.
Beginners and girls are recommended to purchase rollers with a wide surface or with a double wheel. Such models are more stable.
Don't go for cheap. Good models start at a price of 600 rubles. These rollers are equipped with ergonomic handles and a rubberized wheel made of high-quality plastic. Models in the price category of 200–300 rubles often offer low-quality thermopolyethylene instead of rubber wheel edging.
Some inexpensive models have restrictions on the weight of the athlete. Therefore, in the store before purchasing, be sure to consult the seller about such characteristics.

No matter how you pump your abdominal muscles, you won’t be able to achieve the desired relief without reducing the fat layer. Therefore, we recommend, in addition to exercises on the wheel, to carry out intense cardio training and adhere to the principles of proper nutrition.

Gymnastic wheel for girls

Every girl and woman dreams of a beautiful figure with a flat and toned stomach. But not everyone can regularly visit a gym or fitness club. For busy girls, a gymnastics wheel will replace a trip to a sports club, and the results will be no less noticeable.

But exercise alone is not enough to lose weight. When starting classes, you should reduce the calorie content of your menu, giving preference to protein foods and fiber. Stay hydrated by drinking up to two liters of water per day. It is better to switch to 5 meals a day so that your blood sugar is more or less stable and the feeling of hunger does not bother you much.

Exercise technique

Some people mistakenly believe that a roller skate is suitable even for beginner athletes, but in reality everything is different. Some exercises are difficult, even for experienced athletes. Therefore, this tool requires preliminary preparation and strong hands. With this crane, the correct technique remains important: without it there will be no point.

Movements should be slow, without sudden jerks or relaxation of the muscle corset during exercise.
Strong bending in the lumbar region is not allowed: this can lead to injury.
When moving forward, do not touch the floor with your body.
The reverse movement should be performed using the abdominal muscles, and not the weight of the whole body.

The whole point of the basic exercises with a roller is to work the abdominal muscles. If everything is done correctly, the effect of such gymnastics will surpass even the popular bar.

Exercises for Beginners

Exercises with a gymnastic wheel for beginners are included in the basic complex. When performing exercises, watch your breathing: inhale when bending down, exhale when lifting. You should not immediately do heavy loads, increase them gradually.

An approximate basic complex for beginners:

We sit on our knees, hands on the handles of the roller. We push it forward, bending over, but without lifting the pelvis from the knees. The body rests on the hips. We return to the sitting position on our knees.
Get on your knees and hold the roller in front of you. We smoothly push the projectile forward, stretching our body as far as possible, trying not to touch the floor. Hold in the extended position for 2-3 seconds and slowly return to the starting position.
Lie on your stomach, arms outstretched with the roller in front of you. Slowly pulling the exercise machine towards you, we lift the body with a deflection. Smoothly return to the lying position.
Sit on the floor, legs straight, gymnastic wheel on your right side. With both hands we take hold of its handles and roll it away, gradually turning the body. We bend down as low as possible without touching the floor, fix ourselves in this position and return to a sitting position.

Depending on your physical fitness, each exercise should be performed up to 8 repetitions. If it is very difficult, start with fewer executions. Start the number of approaches with 2, gradually increasing the load to 4.

Workouts for women

Workouts for women are similar to classes for beginners and are designed for light loads, gradually increasing. The exercises are easy, do not take much time, with maximum results.

All muscle groups are involved: chest, back, abs, buttocks, arms. In order not to lose control and not fall on your stomach on the floor, you can stand facing the wall at such a distance that the machine rests against the wall when the body is fully or partially straightened. For a more stable position, choose a double gymnastic wheel.

Get down on your knees, hold the wheel by both handles, and place your entire body weight on the machine. As you exhale, slowly begin to roll the wheel forward, straightening your body. Do not try to immediately touch your chest to the floor, this will come with time. Let's roll forward as much as possible. You will feel how all the muscles work. We linger in this position for a moment and return while inhaling.
Get on your knees and lean on the machine with your hands. Now it moves not forward, but to the right at an angle of 45 degrees, then to the left. The lateral abdominal muscles work.
Lie on your stomach face down, stretch your arms forward with the roller. Pull the projectile towards you, raising your body and head, bending slightly. Do not lift your feet off the floor. Lower yourself to the floor to the starting position.

Perform exercises smoothly, without jerking. Watch your breathing. These nuances will help you achieve good results.

Direct rolling technology

The main function of the abdominal muscles is to bend the body forward. Therefore, all movements aimed at reducing the distance between the solar plexus and the lower abdomen will effectively train the abs. It is precisely these movements that allow us to perform direct rolling on a roller. Let's look at the correct technique:

We kneel down, but do not press our buttocks to our ankles.
We spread the knee joints to the width of the pelvis.
We take the roller, straighten our arms and press it to the floor in front of us.
Raise your feet off the floor, transferring your body weight to your knees and wheel.
We hold our arms straight, inhale and smoothly roll forward. When the body takes a horizontal position, we stop, and then, slowly exhaling, tense the abdominal muscles and return to the starting position.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zKXanQ2Kt3k

While lifting, slightly round your back and pull your lumbar region up. Keep your abdominal muscles tense at all times.

Workouts for men

Men take care of their shape no less than women. To do this, they go to sports clubs and pump up their muscles using athletic equipment. But a sports video for men is also very useful. It, of course, will not help increase biceps and triceps, but it will tone the muscles and improve posture. And for this you don’t need to go to the gym to train.

Extension from a kneeling position. We get down on our knees, the roller is on the floor. Gradually roll the wheel forward. The body extends without touching the floor. Return very slowly to the starting position.
Standing extension. A more complicated version of the previous one. Roll the machine forward, straightening your body. The only support is the feet and hands. The body straightens parallel to the floor. To make it easier, the exercise can be performed by rolling the roller onto an inclined surface. Watch your breathing.
Exercise with a roller to strengthen your arms and abs. Take the projectile in your hands like a vertical stick. Starting position – plank with legs wide apart. Roll the wheel right and left, keeping the straight body parallel to the floor. This exercise affects not only the abdominal muscles, but also the muscles of the shoulder girdle, forearm and triceps.

At first, not everything may work out, but with persistent training, excellent results will be visible very soon. To avoid injuring your knees, you can use knee pads or place a mat under your knees.

What is an ab roller?

The ab roller fully lives up to its name. This is a special small wheel with two handles on the sides for comfortable grip:

The simulator is presented both in a classic version and with certain “innovations”, for example, the presence of two rollers in the design, one of which is replaceable.
The dimensions of the unit may also vary, providing different levels of difficulty in execution.
Some models are often equipped with special pedals, which allows you to work more muscles, expanding your training program.

Exercises with a wheel for the press in the fight against excess weight

The problem of “protruding” abdomen and sides is especially relevant for women. In the quest for ideal shapes and a waistline, women sometimes exhaust themselves with diets, pills and other fat-burning procedures, sometimes forgetting about the most important component of beauty and health - physical activity.

The path to a beautiful, graceful body is never easy, especially when you are predisposed to excess weight. To enhance the effect of training, an integrated approach to the issue is required, in particular, a review of food intake and diet, water procedures, and adequate sleep patterns.

A special low-calorie diet is necessary; kefir and kefir-apple diets are especially effective. They are quite “strict”, but their effectiveness is due to the fact that these products help remove excess fluid from the body, cleanse it of toxins, and normalize the functioning of the stomach. The kefir diet requires the use of this product exclusively for three days, with the gradual addition of others in the following days. Kefir-apple diet is designed for a week, the daily diet consists of 1.5 - 2 kg of apples and one liter of kefir. In the future, after finishing the diet, you must adhere to proper nutrition. Water procedures are an important part of complex measures on the path to a healthy, attractive, athletic body. This includes swimming (in the pool, in open reservoirs), and dousing, and hydromassages, and just a contrast shower. Thanks to water procedures, fat is burned more effectively, the body is perfectly toned, the skin receives the necessary hydration and maintains firmness and elasticity, despite weight loss.

Sleep is an essential component in the fight against excess weight. Lack of sleep is perceived by the body as a stressful situation, and losing weight under such conditions is very problematic.

If all of the above conditions are met, after a month or two of training, the stomach and sides will significantly decrease (and eventually disappear altogether), the abs will become prominent, not only tangible, but also visually noticeable, the body will become slimmer, fit, and athletic.

What muscles are trained?

The gymnastic wheel is one of the most versatile and affordable types of sports equipment. During use, the muscles of the entire body are involved, so it is quite difficult to single out a specific group that is worked to a greater or lesser extent. Based on the name, it seems that only the abs are pumped up during training. However, exercises with a gymnastic roller also tone the following muscles:

backs;
shoulders;
buttocks;
hips;
arms (biceps, triceps);
neck.

Advantages of the roller over other simulators

Despite its simplicity, small dimensions and low cost, a sports roller has many advantages and can seriously compete with more complex and expensive exercise equipment. Its advantages include:

Highly effective in strengthening the abdominal muscles, as well as general “drying” of the body and reducing the amount of fat deposits;
By working on both the rectus and oblique abdominal muscles, the roller helps change its shape, making the abs toned and attractive;
Increased endurance, improved posture;
Does not take up much space, easy to assemble and operate;
You can choose a simulator for different degrees of fitness and weight of the athlete, as well as the type of exercise.

Exercises for professionals

Rolling on one leg.

It requires a lot of strength and well-developed muscles, so only professionals can resort to this activity. Stand in front of the apparatus with emphasis on one leg, grab the roller and start rolling forward. After returning to the starting position, change legs and repeat the exercise.

Fold

. This exercise requires a special roller, which is additionally equipped with pedals, since you will have to roll it with your feet. Secure your feet into the pedals, stand in a plank position and roll the wheel forward towards your chest. Then return to the starting position.

Peak

. In the same way, secure your feet, stand in a plank position and extend your arms. Now, when rolling the wheel forward, you need to bend at the hips and lift the gluteal muscles up.

The last two exercises require well-developed stabilizing muscles, otherwise incorrect execution of the fold or peak can lead to injury.