Looking for a cheap piece of equipment that does not take up much room and can assist you in getting that stomach you have always wanted? Then you have found it in the ab slide. It helps tighten and tone while building strength in your core but also can be used to strengthen all parts of your body in an efficient manner. These are great for someone who is beginning their training but a seasoned professional can also get a lot of use out of one of these units. Best part? You can use them anywhere and everywhere!
This article will focus on ab rollers and how you can find one at the best price while going over how they work and why you need to have one.
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How Do Ab Sliders Work?
Every lifting exercise to build muscle has two steps; a stretch, and a contraction. An ab roller works in the same way. When you roll the wheel out, you are providing a stretch in your abdominal muscles but are also working other muscles in your body to stabilize yourself while you are stretched out. Then, when you start rolling the wheel in, these muscles are still trying to stabilize yourself, but your abs start to contract!
What makes these wheels so beneficial is that your muscles are always under constant tension which makes them extremely effective. If you think about other exercises that work your abs, such as crunches, you will only ever get tension in your abs when you crunch up, but never tension when you are laying back down. With the use of an ab wheel, you are tensing your entire body and can use fewer reps to get a better workout in your core.
You can see just by being under constant tension, that they are extremely powerful little tools. You can read of the reviews of some of our favorite ab wheels here. Use these to burn calories, shed fat, and get in shape all at the same time.
What Muscles Are Worked?
The better question is probably to ask what muscles are NOT used. Using an ab slider works a ton of muscles in your body. Rolling in and out causes all your core muscles to be engaged but it also will work on your obliques, shoulders, arms, chest, lower back, waist, and sometimes even your legs depending on what exercise is being done. Working all these muscles at the same time is why these are so efficient and should be used in your daily workout routine if you are trying to achieve your idea body.
Correct Form With An Abdominal Roller
If you want to see the results of your workout, then you need to make sure you are doing the movements correctly. This is going to always be the most important step of any movement. Rolling in and out works your abs, and if you do a longer movement (that is rolling in and out further than you normally would), you will be able to train these muscles that much harder. Keep your body TIGHT at all times and control the movement in and out. Slow it down if you are having issues with this. Everything should be controlled and look fluid. If you are having issues with your knees hurting, make sure to grab a pad or some towels. Some ab wheels will come with knee pads so if you have them, always use them.
I found this great video to show you an ab slide workout in progress to better gauge how to workout efficiently.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TtdBMkZDQS0
How Often Should I Use An Ab Wheel?
How often you should use one depends 100% on how fit you are. There are no downfalls to using it every day, except for the fact that you may be a bit sore. I would suggest using it 4-5 times a week to work out your entire core. Do different sets of each exercise each time and make sure you eat a proper diet. This means you need to watch your calories and what type of macros you are eating. Also include cardio. Cardio, a proper diet, and some body weight exercises is simply the best way to lose body fat and get that body you want.
If you have already been hitting the gym and cleaning up your diet, you can still be using an ab slide. At the end (or the beginning) or each workout, do a 10 minute session with the wheel to get a pump in your abdominals. This will give you a more complete workout and build even more muscle and endurance.
Beginners Beware
I do not say this to scare you off, but if you are a beginner, then you are going to need to start slow. Using an ab slide is very hard on your ab muscles and lower back if you have not taken the time to develop them. That is not to say you can not develop them with an ab wheel, you can!
Just make sure you take the time and get a warm up in before you start your training. Warming up the muscles will ensure you stand a much smaller chance of injury and make the movement feel better while doing them.
When you are first starting off, you want to get the movements down correctly. To do this, I suggest doing only a few sets but focusing on form. Slow it down and try to get a tight contraction in your abs when you come up and slowly roll back out again. A stronger core will allow you to train for longer and do more complicated exercises.
Where Should I Purchase One?
Any fitness store that sells equipment in your area will sell one.
However, I always like to purchase my fitness equipment from online. I hate driving around and wasting the only time I have shopping, so I like to go to Amazon and have anything I want delivered straight to my doorstep. I also am a fan of Amazon because I can read reviews of people who have already purchased the piece of equipment I am looking at and can get a read on if it is a good product or not.
I took a look for you and found some of the best ab rollers on the market are being sold on Amazon for a few years now. You are free to look if you want but I have reviewed my favorite ab wheel which is called the Perfect Fitness Ab Carver Pro right here.
Wrapping It Up
One of the cheapest, most effective pieces of gym equipment can be yours today. Get in shape, have amazing apps, and do not break the bank by buying one. Check them out, I think you will like them.
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