I just picked up The Ab Wheel made by Altus. It only ran me $10. I read the article on the Evolution of Ab Training about Jacknife Push-ups on the Evil Wheel and tried the form out. In the article, it says to round your back maximally, tuck in your chin and butt and keep your hips vertical. Altus and other companies with similar products contradict this instruction by showing people who arch their backs while performing this exercise. Touching my chest to the floor is impossible unless I maximally round. If I arch my back, there is a pain there and my ROM is limited. Anyone who has done this Evil Wheel, can you give me some sest, reps, rest, tempo, form recommendations. Thanks. By the way, this product seems to work really well, better than any ab machine I’ve used in fact.
I have coach a 5 x 5 system of sets and reps utilizing the evil wheel with tremendous success. Begin on your knees at a comfortable distance from a wall. Assume the position you discribed in your post, navel sucked in rounded back. Inhale and hold your breath. Practice this and do not go to failure. When you master the distance measured in feet, estend the distance by on 6" to 12". When you can roll out completely from a knees only position you are ready to stand. Repeat the protocol as described above. When you are doing 5 x 5 from about 6’ you are very strong. A few freaks will extend to complete body length and return be they are the exceptions. You should do this MT/TRF or M/W/F at the conclusion of your normal routine. Good Luck
I tried it. I’d say don’t waste your time trying to get an ab workout with that thing. Although I’d say it is a useful piece of equipment if you dont have a gym to train at, for working your abs it’s a bunch of hogwash. It’s more of a lat, triceps exercise then anything. All your abs do is stabilize thorughout the movement
Funny thing Kelly, I did yesterday and today my abs are feeling pretty sore. Read the article on The Evolution of Ab Training (issue 96) where Russian expert Pavel Tsatsouline introduces many unfamiliar ab exercises. I’ve tried all of them and I’ve never felt my abs so sore after performing Full Contact Twists. Possibly Kelly, it was your poor form that gave you poor results. Regardless, read the article, learn the correct form and give it a serious try.
All I know is I get extremely sore in the abs if I haven’t used my wheel in a while. I usually alternate between ab exercises, but the wheel is one of the usuals.
Hey Scott!
I’ve done the full contact twists too and they are a real killer!! Pavel definitely has some unique exercises…ever tried his Janda sit-ups?? I’ve been doing them several months now and have advanced to using a 15 pound weight for sets of 10-12 reps. Possibly because i’d already been doing those advanced exercises is why I didn’t get much benefit from the ab wheel. I dont know…someone will have to ask Paul Chek about it (the king of ab kinesiology). Want a hellacious ab exercise…? try doing Janda sit-ups on a swiss ball…you dont need to buy that special attachment either…just make sure you put your feet through something so that you have to activate the hamstrings in order to pull yourself up…definitely effective.
Yeah, Kelly, those full contact twists ripped my obliques apart. I was on a ketogenic diet while doing them and after two weeks I had freaky big obliques and intercoastals. Those janda sit-ups are good but seem too easy for me. I have strong abdominals for some weird reason. In fact, I surprised myself by doing a standing version on the wheel. With the janda sit-ups I used a 35 or 45 lb. plate on my chest and managed 6 sets of 6 reps using a slow tempo with isometric holds. Haven’t tried the swiss ball variation though. I’ll give it a try, thanks.