The humble abs roller punches well above its weight. In fact, pound-for-pound, we’d wager it’s one of the most effective pieces of gym kit money can buy. It’s an all-in-one core workout. Typically lightweight, durable and, best of all, economical, an abs roller makes a fine addition to any home gym.
That’s not to say this kit is just for beginners. Everyone from newbies to advanced athletes could benefit from a spin on an abs wheel. Fundamentally, an abs roller is designed to be used for abs roll-outs, where you kneel (ideally on an exercise mat) and use the wheel to reach forwards until your torso is just off the floor, then reverse to the start.
A well-executed abs roll-out fires up the upper and lower rectus abdominis, plus the external and internal obliques—muscles that run down the side of the ribcage. It simultaneously strengthens the muscles around the spine that help resist hyperextension, providing a huge cross-over benefit for any activity from running and squatting to keeping yourself propped up at your desk all day.
Now when we say “well-executed”, we mean with your glutes engaged to create a slight posterior tilt in your pelvis (so your lower back is slightly rounded, rather than arched). When performed poorly or at too great a volume, you risk straining your stomach muscles or landing flat on your face. So build up gradually, take plenty of rest and make sure you’re always in control of the movement.
How We Test The Best Abs Rollers
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Writer Harry Bullmore is working his way through as many abs rollers as he can get his hands on, but we’ve also added extra options for you to consider before all of our testing is complete.
The abs roll-out is one of the best abs exercises going. It’s also the obvious place to start when testing the best abs rollers. I performed three sets of 10 with each of the products below to see how they handled this movement, taking note of each one’s stability, design and comfort, as well as how robust they felt.
I also tried less common abs roller exercises like crawl variations and knee tucks (where the tops of the ankles rest on the handles), alongside testing other features offered by each one to see if they were deserving of any bonus points.
The Best Abs Rollers Tried-And-Tested
It’s hard to stand out as an abs wheel. After all, how much can you tamper with a successful template? And yet, I found the SKLZ Core Wheels’ two-pronged approach delivered something fresh. It’s actually a pair of wheels, with each featuring a plush, comfortable foam handle with two small rubber wheels on either end.
They moved smoothly during abs roll-outs, allowing you to alter your grip between wide and narrow to change the difficulty. However, what set them apart was that they allowed me to complete other exercises like archer push-ups and flyers.
You can also scale abs roll-outs (a testing exercise at the best of times) by using one roller and placing your other hand on the floor. These wheels offer something for beginners and advanced exercisers alike.
The Ab Carver Pro overcomplicates the design of the abs roller, although admittedly it has its uses. It features a carbon steel spring inside the roller, which adds resistance when you’re pushing it away from your body and assistance as you roll it back toward you.
It claims this will “amplify [your] abdominal and arm workout”, although I’m not sure anyone is grabbing an abs roller to build their bis and tris. However, I did find the spring-loaded mechanism made abs roll-outs easier, so this a solid option for those just starting out with abs training and looking to build up their core stability.
The handles are comfortable, and the wide central wheel is more stable than budget options like the Adidas Ab Wheel (again, reducing the difficulty). However, the shape and the spring—which means it can only be used in one direction—makes it less versatile than most rollers because it makes crawl variations and knee tucks tricky.
It’s also huge and heavy, so it’s not one you can chuck in your gym bag and always have to hand.
The Vinsguir Ab Roller keeps things simple. The central wheel has a thick tread, which I found provided more stability than many cheaper, thinner options. This makes it a good choice for beginners who don’t want to worry about their balance when performing their first abs roll-outs.
The foam grips were comfortable, and the wheel rolled smoothly on surfaces like gym floors, carpets and yoga mats. The wheel feels robust and I (at just over 90kg) felt confident putting my weight through the handles. However, in the UK, the price of more than £50 is eye-watering given it’s a fairly standard abs roller (it’s more reasonable in the US). The air-bubbled stickers on the side cheapen the overall look, but this is purely cosmetic.
The Lifeline Power Wheel promises a lot, but I found it delivered on only a few fronts. As an abs roller, it’s not the best. Its considerable size means it’s unlikely to fit in your gym bag, while the large wheel limits your range of motion when performing a roll-out. The materials are of a high standard, and I found the added width of the handles took some of the strain off my shoulders. The wheel is narrow, so you will need a decent level of core strength to begin with to keep it on the straight and narrow.
Where this product excels is its extra features. The foot straps, while awkward to get into, allowed me to perform exercise such as leg curls, tucks and crawl variations. The large wheel works well on rougher surfaces like grass, so you can take it to the park.
The standout feature of the DMoose Ab Roller is its elbow supports. Either side of the central wheel, where you’d usually find the handles, there are two foam pads for resting your elbows. In front of these there’s a long looped handle for your hands.
The idea is this encourages proper posture, alignment and form. Perhaps this is the case if you’re new to abs rollers, but having tested my fair share over the years I didn’t notice too much of a difference.
What I did find was that it took nearly all pressure off my wrists, which have to bear a large part of your bodyweight when using regular rollers. So if you have a wrist injury or suffer from wrist pain but still want to use an abs roller, DMoose’s design is worth considering.
However, the elbow support design does make it a bit less versatile—you’ll struggle to rest your knees on it for crawls or knee tucks. It’s bulky too, proving too big for my gym bag.
It feels built to last and does its job well. It comes with foam knee pads, which is a nice touch, and the thick central wheel is more stable than most, making it easier for beginners to use. But you might want to wait until it’s discounted, since the price is very steep at $160.
More Abs Rollers
This solidly constructed abs wheel, made from a non-slip rubber wheel and single piece stainless steel handle bar, ticks all the boxes. A reasonable price, a simple design and durable materials make this abs roller a fine pick for everyone from beginners to advanced gym-goers. The bar can be removed for easy storage and it also comes with a thick knee pad so you can get rolling on any surface.
An utter steal, this two-in-one abs roller comes with two narrow wheels that can be set apart for increased stability or pressed together to make the exercise harder. It can be disassembled for easy storage and transport, and the ever-so-slightly more expensive blue version is made from 47% recycled plastic.
Compact and extra lightweight, this abs wheel will do the job for most on a budget. The narrow rubberised wheel provides plenty of grip on most surfaces, as well as instability so you can carve left and right with each roll-out. However, its padded foam handles might start to break down after extended use.
This abs wheel from revered strength training equipment specialists Rogue is built to last. It has a nickel-plated steel shaft, durable rubber tyre tread for improved grip on most surfaces, and sealed bearings for a smooth and consistent ride. Slightly rounded edges also create instability and a tougher core challenge, making it suited to more advanced abs roll-out aficionados.
The most heavy-duty abs wheel in the world, supposedly, is pretty heavy on your wallet too. The Watson Gym roller looks like it could double as a spare tyre for your car. It has been designed to bear up to 150kg, and its meaty 5cm thick knurled handles won’t dig into your palms like skinnier ones can so you can focus on digging into your core instead.
This ingenious roller has torn up the abs wheel rulebook. Its triangular, solid metal body allows for a variety of hand positions for an improved, ergonomic ride, while three universal wheels underneath allow its user to include multidirectional movement with each roll for a more functional core challenge. Despite these advances, it feels overcomplicated and the wheels could be prone to breaking down under regular long-term use.
Abs Roller And Wheel Buying Guide
It’s a wheel with handles—what more is there to say? Not much more, in truth, although the difference in price is a general indication of durability. There are a few minor deviations in design to look out for. Some are designed to be relatively stable so you just focus on rolling in and out. Others have instability built in with rounded edges or a narrow wheel, meaning you and your core have to work harder to maintain form.
Finally, you’ll notice some abs rollers break the mold entirely by coming as two individual wheels or connected to a wide bar, for a greater variety of abs roll-out options. Here we’ve rounded up the leading abs rollers and wheels on the market, highlighting our favorites.
