Ab Roller Exercises Using a Barbell, The Alternate Way To Do Ab Rollouts

If you’ve heard of just how effective Ab Rollers are and want to use one but don’t have any access to it, you can also use a barbell to do Ab Roller Exercises to strengthen your core and your arms too.

Ab Rollers or Ab Wheels are just one of the best ways to strengthen your core. A lot of athletes and fitness buffs swear by it. Even professional boxers like Mayweather use it in his workout – and he’s yet to be beaten because of it. Doing core strengthening exercises using an ab roller is simply just so effective and the procedure or technique of using it is so simple and straightforward.

However, as some of us know, the most awesome things often come with a big price – using an ab roller, though effective, can be quite taxing on the body. But the feeling of wanting to give up will gradually grow weaker as your abdominal muscles become stronger through working out with a barbell ab roller. That’s why before you get into any sort of Ab Roller exercises, you should start with a commitment – how much do you want to have a strong core? You have to ask yourself that – and if you do want it, you’re going to have to accept that you will have to go through some grueling workout routines to get where you want.

Why should you do Ab Rollouts?

The simple reason is: it strengthens your core, or in simple terms, it gives you strong abs. Abs are not just for the purposes of showing off, they have some utility in doing activities that require the core. Training your core is useful for any kind of athlete of whatever sport – it’s just a good thing to work out in general.

Your core is the most important body area that needs to be trained – and strengthened. So basically, you have three muscle groups: Your abs, lower back, and oblique or side muscles. When these muscles are strengthened, you can expect to see a huge difference in your overall body posture. You’ll no longer hunch forward while standing or walking; and since it’s an effective workout for your arms, shoulders, and hips, those pesky love handles will also go away as well. Personal trainers call it the 6-pack look – and if you want to get one like that, then this exercise is for you.

By strengthening your core, you’re also strengthening the most important muscles of your body. The next time you lift a heavy object like a barbell, you’ll be able to do it since your core muscles will be strong.

If you’re into sports like boxing or kickboxing, this exercise is for you. You can see that professional boxers do Ab Roller Exercises and almost all athletes are doing the same thing – because it’s just effective in building great abs and helps strengthen the core in general.
You can jump into the craze of using ab rollers right now – even if you don’t have an ab roller yourself or if your gym doesn’t have one, you can use a barbell to do ab roller style core exercise.

How to Do Ab Roller Exercises With A Barbell

First of all, you have to do some warm-ups and of course, get your DIY Ab Roller ready – which is your barbell. Put the weight on the middle of the bar so that you can grip the barbell like you would grip an Ab roller. Make sure you have a good grip – you can either put one barbell or two in the middle. If you put two – the advantage is that you’ll have more stability. Preferably, you’d be rolling out on the ground that’s better for your knee caps – if you have kneepads, wear them. If you have a carpet, put it on your floor. You can get bad knees depending on your weight, so better get some protection.

First, assume a straight back position, your chest facing the floor – knees touching the ground with your toes either pointing to the floor or your knees bent. Grip the bar at each end, with the weight in the middle – hold it firmly directly in front of your chest.

Then, roll the barbell outward away from your body as far as you can get without using your back for support. Engage your core and let your abdominal muscles and arms carry you – but the abs should be the source of power.

When you reach your limit, roll it back inward until you get back to your original position. You can repeat the exercise again after this point.

What’s the difference between using an ab roller to using a barbell

Doing ab rollouts using a barbell is way more different than using an ab roller. It’s going to be a lot of difficult to use a barbell. For people who already do have an ab roller but want to challenge themselves, using a barbell as an ab roller would also be perfect.

1. Using a barbell has more resistance because it’s heavier – take this as you will, it can either be a pro or a con.
2. It’s harder to roll the barbell because of its weight, but since it is heavy – it might give you stronger gains in the long run of using it. When you do get yourself your own Ab Roller, it might get too easy as you’ll be used to rolling heavier stuff.  
3. If you use a barbell, you may feel that it’s awkward to do some of the exercises – and that may be true for some people. 
4. Using an ab roller, you can use any height of bars or plates – so as long as the right height is used, then this item is not really an issue at all.
5. You can also adjust the spacing of the plates or bars – so if you’re able to do this, it can be a time-saver for you.
6. If you want to do some other exercises with your barbell using your abs and oblique muscles than normal, then use these bars with these plates that are either too high or too wide (the wider the plate is, the harder and more effective it is) – get a hold of a barbell and start using them!
7. Adjustment of bar position in between exercises is also possible when doing this- you can rotate and set up in different positions so that each exercise can work out different areas or muscles. 
8. You may see some discomfort in doing this exercise, but after a while, you’ll get used to it.
9. You can also add an additional weight (like more plates) to give you a challenge in your workout – so if you feel that the bar or plates are too light for your liking, then try adding more stuff on it!
10. Lastly, if you’re already using an ab roller and would like to try something different from what you’re already using for your workout – then try using these bars with weights!

If you want to experience something new with something that you see every day in the gym – then you should definitely try this ab roller exercise on a barbell! You’ll be surprised with how challenging but rewarding it can be