Exercise Comparison
Ab Roller vs Barbell Ab Rollout




Side-by-Side
Muscle Analysis
Shared
Only in Barbell Ab Rollout
Instructions
Ab Roller
Hold the Ab Roller with both hands and kneel on the floor.
Now place the ab roller on the floor in front of you so that you are on all your hands and knees (as in a kneeling push up position). This will be your starting position.
Slowly roll the ab roller straight forward, stretching your body into a straight position. Tip: Go down as far as you can without touching the floor with your body. Breathe in during this portion of the movement.
After a pause at the stretched position, start pulling yourself back to the starting position as you breathe out. Tip: Go slowly and keep your abs tight at all times.
Barbell Ab Rollout
For this exercise you will need to get into a pushup position, but instead of having your hands of the floor, you will be grabbing on to an Olympic barbell (loaded with 5-10 lbs on each side) instead. This will be your starting position.
While keeping a slight arch on your back, lift your hips and roll the barbell towards your feet as you exhale. Tip: As you perform the movement, your glutes should be coming up, you should be keeping the abs tight and should maintain your back posture at all times. Also your arms should be staying perpendicular to the floor throughout the movement. If you don't, you will work out your shoulders and back more than the abs.
After a second contraction at the top, start to roll the barbell back forward to the starting position slowly as you inhale.
Repeat for the recommended amount of repetitions.
Verdict
Both exercises target the abdominals. Ab Roller is a intermediate exercise using other, while Barbell Ab Rollout is intermediate and uses barbell. Choose Ab Roller if you have access to other, or Barbell Ab Rollout if you prefer barbell.