any recommendations for "ab rollers"

[TechBoyJK]

When I was living at home, my mom had a basic ab roller, and I used it alot. I can do regular situps, but I always feel like I get a better workout with a device, like the ab-roller...

Does anybody have any recommendations for a decent priced machine? Something small and modular would be nice.

 

[purbeast0]

i recommend you don't use those gimmicky pieces of shit, and instead, learn how to do crunches correctly, as well as exercises for your lower abs and obliques.

 

[SociallyChallenged]

I googled the ab roller... at first I thought you meant the ab wheel, which is a great piece of equipment; but the ab roller is nothing you can't do on your own. If you really want a piece of equipment to work out your abs, look up the ab wheel. That puts you through a tremendous range of motion once you can do it and is probably one of the top 5 best ab exercises you could do.

 

[Titan]

Either get a swiss ball, or an ab lounge. Most ab products are crap.

 

[katank]

Most products are gimmicky.

AbMat (one of the few non gimmicky things) or just a rolled up towel is excellent for helping achieve full ROM. You can also sit in a butterfly pose (soles touching and legs bent) to take the hip flexors out of the picture.

Reverse crunches are also great.

Parallettes you can make yourself out of PVC pipes. Practicing L-sits with those is also a heck of a workout.

 

[Special K]

Originally posted by: purbeast0
i recommend you don't use those gimmicky pieces of shit, and instead, learn how to do crunches correctly, as well as exercises for your lower abs and obliques.

I agree.

The problem with most ab exercises is that there isn't any way to add resistance. Abs are muscles just like any other, and should be trained through progressive overload just like every other muscle. I suppose doing any sort of ab exercise without resistance is better than nothing, but using resistance would be much better.

Also having visible abs is 90% diet.

 

[conorvansmack]

+1 for L-sits and an ab wheel, it's a damn torture device.

 

[katank]

@ SpecialK, you can use your bodyweight as resistance and achieve progressive overload using leverage. Furthermore, isometric contractions can be even stronger than isokinetic ones. It takes some ridiculous core strength to hold levers and flags etc. with proper form.

 

[TallBill]

Just do compound lifts. I do zero "ab" training and can do more situps than 99% of people who work abs. My bodyfat is very close to seeing my eight pack without flexing. A few more months of consistent swimming/running.

 

[Jahee]

If its not this, what are you talking about?

 

[SociallyChallenged]

Originally posted by: Jahee
If its not this, what are you talking about?

This. At least, I imagine.

 

[yelo333]

I know it's not what you're talking about, but I've been using these. They're like an ab wheel, but two of them so you can incorporate a bit more variety. Also, the lawn mower tires will handle an amazing amount of abuse.

The video & article has some progressions for ya, starting with from the knees all the way up to a weighted one-arm rollouts.

Be careful, though, and stop if your back starts to cave in.