Rollouts are a great ab exercise but are often done incorrectly. Who teaches you guys how to exercise anyway? Looks like one dumpster fire after another out there.

All rollout variations (and there are a bunch) require you to brace your abs hard as you go through the motion.

This is the part that gets people into trouble so they compensate when doing the motion. If you struggle with rollouts or have never done them but want to try them, this is the way to start.

This is a bit of a modified position. But this will help you get the right technique.

Even if you have done a more challenging version of the rollouts, you should still feel your abs working on this one too. If you can’t it is not because the movement is too easy it is because you need to work on feeling the right muscles working.

Spend your time getting good at these and making sure you feel your abs working on each rep. Feeling some fatigue in your arms and shoulders is to be expected.

Pain in your low back means you must limit your range of motion, brace your abs harder or just stop the set.

Once you get good at these, feel free to try some other rollout variations. Click the exercise name to view the exercise.

Ball rollouts (tall kneeling)

Ball plank rollouts

Barbell rollouts

Until next time,

Dr. Tom