Anterior core training or “Dem Abz” is important.
It’s kind of fallen out of favour in this era of functional training, especially as any abdominal training is usually seen as vanity work and the domain of body builders and those horrendous group gym classes.
But in athletic terms, having a midsection that is strong and powerful is essential.
Proper full body compound lifts like the Squat, Deadlift, Swing, Snatch, Push Up and Military press all work the core, as do Kettlebell essentials like the Turkish Get Up.
But sometimes, it’s worth giving them some extra love.
There are probably more Ab training tools and tricks on the market than anything else, but one has stood the test of time. The humble Ab Wheel.
It is one of my favorite training tools. One reason is that the roll out takes the abdominals into a stretch position as it loads them. This, I feel is a better way to train for most. Especially as most athletic power movements involve the stretch loading of the core musculature, so being strong at length and resisting that stretch is kind of important.
Here are some abs:
The Ab wheel roll out is rough. There few enough people that have the strength to do them from standing, most struggle to do the standard kneeling roll out. But once you can do it, the jump from the knees to the feet is huge, too much for most. So in this post I want to share two variations that I like to use with my guys once they’ve mastered the standard roll out.
First the Pennate Roll Out Roll one to the front, one to the left and one to the right. Here’s a video:
[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nVBqELR5iqI]
Knees Elevated Roll Out This increases the load on the abdominals quite significantly so take care to keep the hip tucked under and a rounded back (the opposite of when you squat or deadlift) [youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AnTXOHZZMuQ] Both of these up the ante a lot, but not as much as trying to go from the feet.
If you do want to go from the feet, I recommend the method outlined in Fighting Back and use a ramp of some kind to roll up onto.
Try these, just don’t sneeze the day after!
Regards
Dave Hedges www.WG-Fit.com