How good is the wheel for abs?

[Exodus]

the theory behind the wheel is quite good for the simple fact of the pre-stretch

it works the abs a ton if you can pre-stretch them out first.............

sor for crunches...... you could put 8-10 inches of padding under your lowerback and do regular crunches.

weighted crunches are extremely effective as well............

the only problem i have with leg raises is that most people dont do them properly and they work thier hip flexors more then there abbs............. maybe Belial can describe them more accurate....i dont do them i suck at them so i dont do them much.....usually at the end of my workout

 

[Belial]

Think about doing them on those "seat-less chairs". If you keep your lower back flush with the apparatus, and lift your legs, your abs are doing very little actual contraction; you'll be using your hip flexors primarily, and somewhat isometrically training your abs.

Instead, when your legs begin to rise, focus on thrusting your lower back forward, and curl inwards. On another site, someone described it as "putting your d*ck in your mouth*. Crude, but more or less accurate. it's getting your hips forward and up from the vertical plane that's key.

You can eventually do these from parallel chin-up bars (i.e., neutral-grip chin up bars). This takes a great deal of core strength to do without swinging. Each rep should take a good deal of effort, even on the chair; this is not something where 10 reps takes 15-20 seconds, you should use the same tempo as with any other lift, and stop your leg motion entirely between reps. I attached a very awful pic (since I couldn't find one online right away) of the before and after positions from the chair. I'm (obviously) no artist, but it more or less shows the basic idea. These will STILL work your hip flexors, but no longer exclusively. lol.

 

[danielson]

cable crunches really hit my abs. but id be interested in what these funny sounding oriental crunches are (no insult im serious)

 

[Belial]

I fail to understand the mystique that surrounds ab work.

 

[Enock]

hell, I contract my sphincter during the bench press, i don't stop doing them for fear of ass overtraining
.

lol

 

[enrage]

those little ab wheels that sell around for $3 at your local wal-mart absolutly kill my abs. I don't know about anyone else but that little wheel left my entire stomach sore for about a week and a half.I think they are great for changing the tempo of your ab routine. Plus you can't beat the price of 3-4$. i wouldn't dare pay 200$ for one of those ab machines.

"Jackknife Push-Ups on the "Evil Wheel"

"You've seen these little wheel gizmos at Wal-Mart. They look like lawnmower wheels with bicycle handles shoved through them. The packaging usually shows a smiling aerobics instructor-looking chick in a convenient doggy-style position.

I blew these devices off for years because, well, they were usually sitting right beside the pink dumbbells and the solar suits! Don't make this mistake. These little bastards are vicious, effective, and a favorite of the Soviet special forces. You can also use a barbell loaded with 25s if you don't want to lay out $10 on a wheel (you cheap bastard, you).

Get down on your knees, Bob Paris style, and grab the wheel in your hands. Inhale, round the back maximally, and tuck in your butt and chin. Your hips should be vertical, and your back shouldn't be arched. The butt should never be sticking out backward.

Slowly roll all of the way down until your chest just grazes the floor. Without resting, pull yourself back up, keeping your arms straight and your back rounded. If you can't come up, just do the eccentric (lowing part) of the movement until you get stronger.

If you're really (and I do mean really) strong, you can try the advanced version in which you don't touch your knees to the floor. Instead, stay up on your feet. I tested about 25 high school and college athletes on this movement, and only one was able to perform this advanced version. Consequently, this athlete is considered to be the best high school fullback in the area and starts for varsity as a sophomore. Can you say "free college?"

 

[diablo135]

Ab Wheel

Let's just agree that there are many ways to wok the abs efficiently (although most are variations of a crunch or something similiar). Yes in general, harder exercises are better for you. Anyone who has used the ab wheel (just a wheel with a stick poking thru it) knows that it will also hit lats, tris, etc. It's a killer exercise. Obviously then it doesn't isolate your abs. So what? They get worked plenty. Besides, what's wrong with using your whole body as a unit the way it was designed to be. That is called functional strength. Believe it or not, my best ab workouts come from heavy Tricep pushdowns and heavy squats. Anyone doing squats consistanly will have decent abs when they diet down.

"Of course, that's just my opinion, I could be wrong."

-Dennis Miller

 

[diablo135]

Enrage.

"Get down on your knees, Bob Paris style"

LOL. How many will get that?

By the way, I heard the whole reason they stopped selling the wheels back in the 70's is because fat folks would rip or strain their abs doing it. Not a good exercise?

"Pish Posh" - Mr. Burns

 

[THE_Gladiator]

I will have to agree that crunches and leg raises should give you the results you desire. you might have sub-cutaneous fat that is hiding your development. I've also heard that bicycle crunches recruit the largest amount of muscle fibers in the abdominal region.

 

[Belial]

gladiator: they do recruit a lot, but not at a high level of resistance. That's a basic flaw of EMG analysis, IMO.

Oh, and y'all liked my picture. Come on. admit it.