Karl Knopf M.D. - Ab Wheel Workouts: 50 Exercises to Stretch and Strengthen Your Abs, Core, Arms, Back and Legs

Text Copyright 2013 Karl Knopf. Design and Concept 2013 Ulysses Press and its licensors. Photographs copyright 2013 Rapt Productions except as noted below. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.

Published in the United States by

Ulysses Press

P.O. Box 3440

Berkeley, CA 94703

www.ulyssespress.com

ISBN: 978-1-61243-248-9

Library of Congress Control Number 2013938278

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Acquisitions: Katherine Furman

Managing editor: Claire Chun

Editor: Lily Chou

Proofreader: Elyce Berrigan-Dunlop

Indexer: Sayre Van Young

Front cover design: what!design @ whatweb.com

Photographs: Rapt Productions except

Models: Bryan Johnson, Lache Kamani

Distributed by Publishers Group West

Please Note

This book has been written and published strictly for informational purposes, and in no way should be used as a substitute for actual instruction with qualified professionals. The author and publisher are providing you with information in this work so that you can have the knowledge and can choose, at your own risk, to act on that knowledge. The author and publisher also urge all readers to be aware of their health status and to consult health care professionals before beginning any health program.

contents

Looking for a unique approach to tone up your midsection, butt and back muscles? Look no further than the abdominal wheel! The wheel was extremely popular in the 1960s and was first advertised as a tool strictly for abdominal exercise. It lost some of its appeal because people were not using it properly and thought all you needed to melt away your belly fat was five minutes of ab wheel exercises. Of course, they were wrong.

When the ab wheel is used properly, however, it offers a fun and effective way to challenge your core stability as well as tone your upper and lower bodies. Most ab wheel exercise manuals show you how to do a few basic exercises, with the only modifications being to go left and right instead of straight ahead. Im old enough to have used an ab wheel 50 years ago in my training, and I remember why the ab wheel waned in popularity: because it was boring and one-dimensional! My goal with Ab Wheel Workouts was to think outside the box to make training with the ab wheel more interesting.

Ab Wheel Workouts strives to provide total core training, incorporating old-school exercise approaches, Pilates and yoga. It also includes some flexibility exercises. With the comprehensive ab wheel training routine set forth in this book you can focus on your upper abs and lower abs as well as the love handle area. Soon youll be on your way to better posture, a stronger core, and a fitter body.

The ab wheel is a device that has a wheel with handles protruding from either side of it, allowing you to place your hands on either side of the wheel. While most ab wheels have a single wheel, you can also find some with two wheels, which offer better balance. The design is simple but the results can be fantastic if done in concert with sensible eating and adequate aerobic exercise.

The basic single- or dual-wheel ab wheel with handles is an inexpensive way to find out if you enjoy this type of training. These are so popular that they can be purchased at major drugstores, sporting goods stores and even discount stores for under $10. One advantage is that theyre portablethey can be disassembled to fit in a small box or briefcase.

Some ab wheels feature a foot strap, which adds versatility but is not necessary; in most cases, an exercise band wrapped around the foot and handle provides the same support.

The elaborate versions, which have a spring recoil device that makes returning to the starting position much easier, are bigger and more costly. These are recommended for folks who have a hard time maintaining neutral spine position. However, note that you should not perform ab wheel training if you have lower back issues, poor spinal stability, upper body weakness or even high blood pressure.

The bottom line is: Whichever version you select can produce the same results. Remember, the end result is dependent on variables such as time on task, aerobic exercise and avoiding excessive calories. All the exercises in this book can be done with the $10 or $50 version, the choice is yours. The more expensive version will not give you any better results. In fact, no piece of equipment can do it for youit takes effort.

The ab wheel is just another tool in the fitness toolbox that targets your core, and it does so by challenging your core in an unstable manner. If youre tired of doing sit-ups, crunches and reverse sit-ups, and are familiar with other floor-based core exercises, you may welcome the ab wheel.

Many people who use the ab wheel combine it with traditional core exercises to keep their routine fresh and interesting. While all approaches are good, the ab wheel offers a slightly different level of core involvement not seen in other core-exercise devices. In addition, depending on the exercise you do, you could also tone your upper or lower body at the same time.

One of the ab wheels main goals is to improve core stability, which some researchers claim can improve sports performance in tennis and golf. Its believed that if the core is solid, it can transfer force up and down the kinetic chain, from the upper extremities to the ground or vice versa. A solid core has also been shown to improve posture and reduce lower back strain.

If youre looking to get a defined six-pack stomach, however, know that youll need to get down to a very lean body weight in addition to working your core. Unfortunately, doing just sit-ups, crunches and even the ab wheel wont get you there. On the other hand, if you use the ab wheel, eat healthily and get plenty of aerobic exercise, youll be pleased to notice your midsection getting firmer, your posture improving and your appearance looking more slender and fit.

The Core

The torso of the human body is commonly referred to as the core because the core of anything is generally the most important element of that thing, whether its the core of an apple or the core of a nuclear reactor. Although no one universal definition of what constitutes the core exists, its often agreed that the core consists of the abdominal muscles in the front, the muscles of the back that run up and down the spine and sometimes the gluteal region.

The abdominal muscles play a significant role in activities of daily living, including walking and sitting. The ab wheel assists you in building a solid infrastructure to hold you up tall. It does this by engaging the numerous muscles around your midsection, as if youre creating your own corset. Having a strong, stable core is believed to improve posture and enhance the effectiveness of functional and athletic movements. Training the core is more than doing a bunch of sit-ups or crunches; its an integrated approach of decreasing muscle imbalances that includes flexibility work and mindful conditioning.