Does An Ab Roller Reduce Belly Fat?

An ab roller is a simple workout tool that helps strengthen the abs, chest, shoulders, and back. If your goal is to reduce belly fat and not to build abs, an ab wheel can help you achieve your desired body figure.

Does An Ab Roller Reduce Belly Fat? 

Yes, an ab roller can cut belly fat in some ways. While no piece of equipment can spot reduce fat, incorporating an ab wheel to a consistent exercise routine, as well as maintaining a balanced diet and healthy sleeping patterns, can help flatten abdominal fats.

Woman using an ab roller trying to reduce her belly fat

How Does an Ab Roller Work?

An ab roller is a low-tech piece of workout equipment that features a curved frame with a headrest and padded handles. It’s basically a wheel with a rod running through its center, making you palm the handles while exercising.  

It rolls as you move your body forward or backward in different directions. While an ab roller looks simple, an ab wheel workout can be challenging as it focuses on making your muscular core stronger. 

As you roll the ab wheel, the tool gives you the chance to train the entire core: abs, glutes, lower back muscles, and obliques. Thus, its versatility makes it a great idea for your home gym without spending too much.

Using An Ab Roller Every Day

While it can be tempting to use an ab roller every day to obtain results quickly, this concept is inadvisable and ineffective at reducing belly fats. Like any other kind of exercise, muscles need time to recover in between workouts. Besides, quality is preferable to quantity. 

This is why it’s only recommendable to use an ab roller three to four times a week as part of a total-body workout routine. Quality repetitions with a good form and breathing three times a week is better than a low-quality routine on a daily basis. 

Close up of a person using an ab roller on a fitness mat

Aside from that, it would be best if you take into account your fitness level and existing workout’s intensity. Post-workout recovery time is unique to each individual. If your arms remain extremely sore two days after using an ab wheel, wait for another day before continuing the workout. 

How Long Should You Use An Ab Roller?

When it comes to an ab roller workout, you must think about how many reps and sets you need to do. A rep or repetition is a single action of the muscles you do in a row between periods of rest. Meanwhile, a set is the number of cycles of reps you must accomplish.

By using reps and sets to guide your ab wheel workouts, you can achieve fitness goals with more control. When considering fitness levels, beginners normally start at a low level. Hence, it’s advisable, to begin with, eight to 10 reps if you are a first-timer. 

Once you’ve mastered your form and safely hit more than 10 reps, you can work through a little progression. Leveling up at intermediate means finishing 12 to 15 reps, while advanced reps equate to 20 to 30 reps. 

Ab Roller Basics For Flattening the Stomach

While an ab roller workout may differ from person to person, here are ab wheel basics to give you an idea of how it can help flatten belly fat.

Man using an ab roller on his home gym
  1. Grip the ab roller by its handles and kneel on the floor. See to it that the ab wheel is in front of your knees. 
  2. To make one rep, position yourself so that the upper body is over the ab roller. With your arms and back straight, push the ab wheel away from you as far as you can.
  3. As you roll forward, make sure to contract the ab, stabilize the hips, and keep your upper body parallel to the ground. 
  4. Hold your position for about three to five seconds. The longer you hold the “rolled out” pose, the more intensively you can target the abs.
  5. To protect your neck and lower back, keep your head down in a neutral position with your chin slightly tucked during the roll. 
  6. Do not let your knees or bottom sag toward the ground. 
  7. Use your core muscles, not the hips, to slowly roll back to the starting position. 
  8. Continue doing the whole action depending on your necessary reps per set. Note that it’s preferable to consult with strength conditioning instructors or coaches to help determine the right ab roller reps for your body.

Ab Roller Variations 

Keep in mind that using an ab roller alone won’t magically flatten belly fats. However, including it in your workout can help produce better results. 

When developing a holistic workout routine to reduce abdominal fat, try adding these exercises to your ab roller regimen: 

  • Leg raises
  • Plank variations
  • Bicycles
  • Mountain climbers 
  • Russian twists
  • Crunches
  • Push-ups
  • Sit-ups
  • Dumbbell side bends

Conclusion 

Similar to other exercises, remember that it will take some time before an ab roller can reduce belly fat. With the right plan, workout intensity, nutritional supplements and diet, an ab roller can lead you in reaping core-strengthening and abdominal fat-reducing benefits.

Robert Lemus has been a natural competitor for 6 years, starting in Men’s Physique, then Bodybuilding, and then into Classic Physique. He is the Orange County Bodybuilding champion in 2016 for the Musclemania Organization. In 2018, he received his Pro Card with the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) in Classic Physique.