How to Make the Ab Wheel Suck Less
This month at the Lifehacker Fitness Challenge, we’re going to fight an abs wheel, or an abs roller, or “shit, I fell facedown again.” Last week we made a bar on the wheel , but today we are going to use it as intended with one small amendment. And friends, I have something shocking to tell you: it works.
Here’s the game changer: Do it against a wall.
How to properly roll a press wheel
Place your knees on a pillow such as a folded yoga mat. Keep the wheel straight under your straight arms so that your lower back is slightly rounded. Set it up so that the wall is about a foot from the wheel. Keeping your torso concave and elbows straight, roll out until the wheel touches the wall, then roll back.
When doing a reverse roll, make sure that you are starting the movement with your body and not pushing with your hands or throwing your hips back. It’s tricky , and it’s okay if you only roll a few inches at first.
Why does the wall help
We tend to be the weakest at the end of the roll, and here we are likely to either let our backs sag or just lose control and crash.
The wall protects you from losing control and also maintains consistency. Each rep is the same length, so you can’t get overly enthusiastic and overwhelmed. You also cannot shorten the repetition without noticing it.
Make sure to be honest with yourself: position the wall to stay strong throughout the movement, for all reps. This may mean that at first you are only a few inches from the wall.
Once you can do a few reps in good shape, go back a little and try again. On the other hand, if you are trying to reach a wall or feel like your shape is breaking, move closer.
I haven’t tried an abs wheel in years, so maybe I shouldn’t be surprised that I’ve gotten a little stronger since the last time I tried it. With the wall in place, my abdominal wheel experience was surprisingly positive! Previously, when performing such exercises, my lower back always sagged and hurt. This time I put up a wall to stop me before I got to that point and I was able to do some strong reps. Amazing! Try the wall trick, or if you’re not quite ready, you can continue making the boards we talked about last week . And let us know how it goes!