Barbell Abdominal Rollouts For Six Pack Abs
Our six pack abs guide includes exercises, techniques, and workout routines for building both the abs and oblique muscles.
Primary muscles- Rectus abdominis
Secondary muscles- Latissimus dorsi, deltoids.
I would say this is quite an advanced abdominal exercise. It is very effective and asks for you to brace your whole core throughout the full movement.
There is another way to do this to help if you have not done these before. I will explain all as we go on.
Step 1
Try and use a barbell here that will allow the weights to spin independently of the bar. If you can’t find one you may not have any skin left on your hands by the end of the first set. Ask a member of the gym team if they have a specific bar they recommend for this exercise.
Place the barbell on the floor by your feet and bend over and grab the bar with your hands shoulder width apart. see diagram 1.
Step 2
Next step, begin to roll the bar forward across the floor infront of you. Keep your arms completely straight and keep rolling until you end up in a press up (push up) position and on the balls of your feet. You should keep your back straight and do not let your body ‘sag’. Brace your abdominals throughout the whole rolling action, it’s your abs that are holding your body level at this point. See diagram 2
Step 3
This is an even more tricky bit.
At this point you will need to return to the start position. This is done by tensing the abdominals and lifting your backside into the air. This will allow the bar to roll back towards your feet position. The complete rolling action should be slow, controlled and always focus on your abs.
TIP If this exercise is just not working for you then start from a kneeling position instead of a standing position. Your feet should not touch the floor at all. Just your knees and the rollout bar should be in contact with the floor at all times. All the other rules apply.
Variation Some gyms have an ab rollout ‘wheel’. Maybe give this a go and see how you find it. Its the same action just your hands will be closer together.
Things to remember:-
-Keep your back straight and don’t let is droop or sag in the middle.
-Keep your abdominals the main focus during this exercise, keep them braced.
-Do not forget to lift your backside in the air to allow the bar to roll back.
-Keep your arms straight
This is quite advanced and I recommend practicing ‘ The Plank’ before attempting these. The plank will be another post.
Secondary muscles- Latissimus dorsi, deltoids.
I would say this is quite an advanced abdominal exercise. It is very effective and asks for you to brace your whole core throughout the full movement.
There is another way to do this to help if you have not done these before. I will explain all as we go on.
Step 1
Try and use a barbell here that will allow the weights to spin independently of the bar. If you can’t find one you may not have any skin left on your hands by the end of the first set. Ask a member of the gym team if they have a specific bar they recommend for this exercise.
Place the barbell on the floor by your feet and bend over and grab the bar with your hands shoulder width apart. see diagram 1.
Step 2
Step 3
This is an even more tricky bit.
At this point you will need to return to the start position. This is done by tensing the abdominals and lifting your backside into the air. This will allow the bar to roll back towards your feet position. The complete rolling action should be slow, controlled and always focus on your abs.
TIP If this exercise is just not working for you then start from a kneeling position instead of a standing position. Your feet should not touch the floor at all. Just your knees and the rollout bar should be in contact with the floor at all times. All the other rules apply.
Variation Some gyms have an ab rollout ‘wheel’. Maybe give this a go and see how you find it. Its the same action just your hands will be closer together.
Things to remember:-
-Keep your back straight and don’t let is droop or sag in the middle.
-Keep your abdominals the main focus during this exercise, keep them braced.
-Do not forget to lift your backside in the air to allow the bar to roll back.
-Keep your arms straight
This is quite advanced and I recommend practicing ‘ The Plank’ before attempting these. The plank will be another post.
