Having the perfect abs is the dream of every self-respecting person. To develop strength and strengthen your abdominal muscles, you need to make friends with physical activity. A gymnastic roller is a mini-simulator that gives a good power load and a drawing of the relief of the press, so exercises with its use should be in the arsenal of a person involved.
There are a huge variety of abdominal exercises. Conventionally, they are all divided into those that load the rectus abdominis to a greater extent and those that are directed to the lower or oblique abdominal muscles.
Surely every bodybuilder has heard of such a mini-simulator as a gymnastic roller, but in practice not everyone has encountered it. For some reason, abdominal roller exercises are considered second-rate, although in fact it is a highly effective workout of the abdominal muscles and the load of many other muscles of the human body (back, lumbar, arms, shoulders, chest and legs).
If you know how to use the video, you can "present" your press with the greatest benefit. A nice feature of the roller is that exercises with it can be performed anywhere: in the gym, at home and even on a business trip, because the projectile is small and will not take up much space in the apartment or in the luggage of the travel bag. The price of the wheel is relatively low, so buying it will not hit the budget.
Technique of exercise with a gymnastic roller for the press
Roll-out from your knees is the easiest version of the exercise. It is with him that you should start familiarizing yourself with the simulator. If you go straight to more difficult "tricks", there is a high probability of injury. The roller puts a huge load on the lumbar muscles, which is dangerous for very "green" beginners with weak muscles.
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Get on your knees, put a rug under them for convenience. Place the wheel in front of you and rest your hands on it. Begin to descend smoothly forward until you straighten up almost parallel to the floor. Then return to the starting position. Throughout the entire set, the abdominal muscles should be in a tense state.
If you perform this exercise inaccurately forward, and alternate lowering to the left, then to the right diagonally, the oblique abdominal muscles will be involved. Frequent execution of this option will stimulate muscle growth in the area of the lower ribs, which will visually make the waist wider, so you should not abuse the pumping of the lateral muscles.
- Sit on the floor with your legs straight (not bent at the knees), pointing forward. On one side of your body, for example, the right, place the gymnastic wheel. Grasp the roller with your hands and roll it until your chest touches the floor. Then smoothly return to the starting position. Perform at least 2 × 3 sets of 10 reps. Do the same for the left side of the body. This exercise works out the oblique abdominal muscles as much as possible.
- Take an upright position with feet shoulder-width apart. Tilt your torso down, press on the roller with your hands and slowly roll it forward, reaching the largest possible obtuse angle between the torso and legs. For experienced athletes, the point of critical tension will be practically in a semi-parallel torso position. Hold for a second in the peak position and return to the starting position.
- This exercise can be performed if the gymnastic roller has special braces. Secure your feet to the wheel handles, tilt your torso and rest your palms on the floor. Roll your legs as close to your palms as possible, while lifting your pelvis - this will be the starting position. Now slowly begin to move the wheel with your feet back, contracting your abdominal muscles. The distance you can stretch depends on the flexibility and strength of the athlete's muscles. It is recommended to complete about 10 approaches.
- The straight-legged roller extension is performed in the same way as the first knee roller extension. The only difference is that the support is made not on the knees, but on the feet. This fact makes the exercise more effective, but also more difficult and traumatic, therefore, it is impossible to take up muscle pumping without a warm-up.
When performing exercises with a gymnastic wheel, it is advisable to use the principle of progressive loading: start performing 8-12 repetitions in 2-3 sets. Over time, these indicators will increase, but it is not advisable to immediately increase the number of approaches and repetitions, so as not to injure muscle groups and joints.
A beautiful press is possible with a roller
Exercises with a roller for the press are not a squat with a barbell, which takes months or even years of practice, it is recommended for both experienced athletes and beginners who have just opened the door to sports life. It is ideal to train with a roller for young women on maternity leave who do not have the opportunity to visit the gym, but want to stay in shape.
The only people who should not use the machine are people with spinal injuries or lumbar back pain. When exercising with a gymnastic roller, as with any other exercise, it is very important to maintain the correct breathing technique. Uneven breathing significantly reduces the effectiveness of the exercise. All sources write that the exhalation must be done with effort, that is, at the moment when the maximum load is overcome. It turns out that the inhalation will be when the body is tilted, and the exhalation will be during straightening. Holding your breath while stretching will increase the power of the effort and allow you to tighten your abs even more.
The abdominal muscles can be well pumped, but if the percentage of subcutaneous fat is off scale, you will not see mind-blowing cubes. A rule that everyone needs to know and always remember: it is impossible to achieve a relief press with exercises alone without cardio training and proper nutrition.
Video on how to properly do an exercise with a gymnastic roller for the press:
