Is the Ab Roller any good?

Kingy

Kingy

Kingy

Soldato
Joined
18 Oct 2002
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Location
Leicester
Afternoon all,

I'm 28, 6ft, and 12 stone wet through. I look but more importantly feel better when I've been in the gym, but I only ever play at it. I've put on body fat as I've got older, but also lost most of the little tone I ever had. I don't have the discipline or desire to stick to a diet, or a rigid gym program. As a consequence I've never really felt like I belong in a gym (or SA on this topic), and have never bothered talking to instructors, which is daft, as it means I don't pick up any tips etc...

I'm not a gym rat, and right now I don't want to be. That said, I think I'd feel better if I at least exercised more regularly. I struggle in two places:-

Firstly, physically my elbows are shot. The tendons/nerve pops out of place doing bicep curls/chest presses. I can mitigate this to a degree by wrapping a bandage round my forearms to stop it popping out, but it's always in the back of my mind, and doesn't help psycologically. There've been a few times when I've over-done it on the lat pull down machine to the extent that while I've completed a third set, I can't straighten my arms for days afterwards. I was always guilty of going back in the gym having not done anything in ages, and trying to pick up where I left off.

I've stopped doing that now. The couple of times I've been to the gym in the last couple of months, I've only been lifting half the already pathetic weights I used to, and muscles I've not used in ages have hurt like hell for a few days, but I haven't done myself proper damage at least. Hopefully if I do a bit more excercise more often, the elbow thing, or at least the muscle ache will ease given time.

I know(?) that free weights supposed to be better than the machines (something to do with stabiliser muscles?), but I feel more comfortable with the control of the machines.

The one place I would particularly like to improve is my abs. If I tense, there's still the faintest outline of a teenage six pack, but when I stop tensing it all falls apart to look like the start of a gut. I can make my peace with being a skinny guy, but skinny fat guy is not a good look. Am I right in thinking that if I work my abdominal wall, it'll suck in my gut a bit without tensing?

The second place I struggle is with a lack of get-up-and-go. All too often I find myself spending too much time reading something online, or chilling out with a beer instead of going to the gym which seems like far too much effort. To that end, I thought it might be an idea to at least be able to do some quick crunches when I've had a couple of beers, and feel a little guilty that I've not been to the gym instead...

So, are Ab Rollers actually any good, and if so, which is best? I'd want a mat as I'm a big girl and it's more comfortable, and I've seen one or two with a rep counter or similar. Is there anything else worth considering that I could perhaps do for 5 mins or so in a morning before a shower?
 
I've not read your post but ab-rollers are a waste of money. They totally neglect the sternocleidomastoid and are a completely un-functional exercise.

Edit: Skimmed. Looks like you're looking for shortcuts or easy ways around exercise. If you exercise the abdominals effectively they will hypertrophy and make your gut protrude further.

It's a case of pulling your thumb out your **** reading GordyR's sticky at the top and getting out in the sunshine and doing some damn exercise.
 
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It's not braced by yourself as your head is resting on the pad of the ab roller. Whilst it's not a primary muscle it is used during regular crunches/situps.
 
are you on about one of the ab wheel rollers like this

or this

I'm pretty sure the ab wheel roll outs are quite good for the whole core and standing ones are pretty hardcore, just make sure your core is tight and your back doesn't arc too much, that's asking for trouble.

Not really too sure about the second piece of equipment though.
 
Thanks for the responses... :)

To be clear, I'm not trying to be a body builder without putting the effort in. I accept that you guys put a lot of effort in, and I'm not prepared to do the same, so my objectives need to adjust to allow for this.

I'm not looking for killer abs like you see on mens fitness etc, I'd just initially like to suck things in a bit by doing *some* exercise, and ease into things gently. I figured working a quick 5 min set of sit-ups into a daily routine might strengthen my abdominal wall, and 'suck things in a bit'. I read of people talking about the importance of 'form', and wondered if an ab roller (or rocker it seems, I've no idea what those wheels do...) might be a help rather than a hinderance.

It seems I'd be better just finding a mat and a way to weigh down my feet and doing normal sit-ups...

What on earth is a sternocleidomastoid?
 
What do you mean by "suck things in a bit by doing *some exercise"? I'm a little confused, I don't really understand what you are looking for. If you want to improve the way you look, then a good diet and some exercise will go a long way. Just because GordyR's guide is called a "bodybuilders" guide, doesn't mean it's an extreme way of getting ripped. In fact, quite the opposite. It's a beginners guide because it's easy to follow and doesn't require a lot of time.
 
Kingy said:
It seems I'd be better just finding a mat and a way to weigh down my feet and doing normal sit-ups...
Click to expand...

Sit ups work mostly your hip flexors whilst there is some abdominal involvement. Crunches, planks, windmills etc will all engage your core more.

What on earth is a sternocleidomastoid?
Click to expand...

The muscle on the front of the neck. It's not really a massive issue but just something I wanted to point out.
 
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