do ab rollers work?

[MisterT]

http://forum.bodybuilding.com/showth...ight=abrollers

I found this under a search on this site. Any one have experience with one first hand? Play It Again Sports has the one that has the "rubber band" inside so that you can go only so far out (decreasing the chances of hurting your back). It is only $20, but didn't want to get one just to be getting one. I usually do crunches with weights and even use a swiss ball. I do various exercises targeting abs, but didn't know if this was the mother of them all.

[Quantum_Man]

Doing weighted crunches and/or cable crunches will work just fine. Just remember that your diet will determine whether you see those abs under the fat on your stomach.

[MiloMan]

If you can't see your abs (but want to), then you're packing too much fat. Remember that spot-reduction by "targeted" exercises is a myth; the fat comes off in the reverse of the order that it went on (if your gut or butt got fat first, then your gut or butt will get "un-fat" last.

[MisterT]

My stomach is flat, I have been working out my abs for 5 years now (straight) and they show very little. I am 6'4 and around 185 lbs. I guess I still need to work on them.

[miltoney]

Originally posted by MisterT
My stomach is flat, I have been working out my abs for 5 years now (straight) and they show very little. I am 6'4 and around 185 lbs. I guess I still need to work on them.

No, you need to work on the diet. You can do a million crunches a day, you still wont see your abs if you dont diet properly.

[MisterT]

Damn it sucks being 32 sometimes. My metabolism is much slower than it used to be. If I do gain weight it goes to the midsection. I am still considered underweight considering my height and weight.

[supadave]

Originally posted by miltoney
No, you need to work on the diet. You can do a million crunches a day, you still wont see your abs if you dont diet properly.

Yep

[miltoney]

You probably are by no means "fat", but it takes an exceptionally low body fat percentage to see the abs. I cant see mine, but I can finally feel them again after about six years of neglect. I found that dividing up my meals so that I was eating about every two hours, with a daily calorie intake of about 1800, worked great for losing alot of fat. I went from 214 to 192 in about three months. I know alot of people would say that calorie intake is way too low, but it is extremely difficult to lose fat and put on muscle, so I decided to prioritize. My gut was disgusting and it had to go. Now that it is 'pretty much' gone, I am shifting gears...eating alot more (probably in the 3000 cal range) and lifting hard. Another thing that I think is huge, and you probably already know this, is ditch the sugars, especially soda. I used to drink 3 or 4 sodas a day and thought nothing of it...man those 20 ouncers have about 250 cals in them! And those are completely useless calories to your body. sorry, I got into a ramble....

[MisterT]

I have gotten so all I drink is water. Very seldom do I have a soda. Thanks for the advice. One thing I don't do is any cardio. I mean I do a lot of walking at work and take the stairs, but I don't run like I used to in part because of my knees. I do have a bike and occasionally ride, but it's more like a low impact cardio work out. My legs are also a weak point. I never neglected them like some people do, but my upper body just is faster when it comes to working out. I joke around with people at work and say my gluteus (sp?) minimus is sore because I don't have that much in the way of a back side. And girls are like guys in that the first thing they check out is a person's ass. So I blast my legs with squats, hack squats, lunges, and step ups (with weights). I vary them each week to keep shocking them with something new. Hopefully time will tell. I am 32 and have always been a hardgainer, but I have already decided to work out and stay fit for life no matter how long it takes.

[4SURE]

MisterT, Im 32 as well. I know what you mean about metabolism, mine has gone down a little as well. I do a lot of cardio so it has helped a ton. Along with my diet as well. I have gone from 210
to 174 and getting really close to my goal...six pack! But when we start bulking, we can use our metabolism to our advantage by bulking up easier. So its not all that bad being 32, just have to get the diet in check. By the way, what part of south carolina are you from? I live in West Columbia.

[MisterT]

I live in Charleston. As for diet, it is hard to find a median where you get enough to bulk up, but yet trim down for a six pack. I guess I could start running again and hope that my knees can take the stress. It's always the outer part of my knees that tend to hurt.

[madbeast]

I have the same problem I start hitting the punching bag and I tell you what it burns body fat I am starting to finally see muscles starting to appear on my stomach after five years of bar hopping good luck

[Huck43]

Strong post. I'll have to start hitting the heavy bag now. Must be what I have been doing wrong for the last 9 years.

[daniel327]

Strong post. I'll have to start hitting the heavy bag now. Must be what I have been doing wrong for the last 9 years.

I don't think it works anymore. Unless you're using this decades gimmicky device, and taking the latest supplement, you aren't going to get any results.

[smokeater]

Assuming your diet and body fat are both being taken care of, sure the ab rollers can be beneficial. They won't make your abs strong but can help you define your abs a bit better. I don't know this from personal experience, just from listening to the feedback from others over the years.

[Isaac98H]

Doing weighted crunches and/or cable crunches will work just fine. Just remember that your diet will determine whether you see those abs under the fat on your stomach.

Not just your diet, you must do cardio as well. I have no experience with ab rollers but I got my abs just fine without one

[llamabravo]

If you can't see your abs (but want to), then you're packing too much fat. Remember that spot-reduction by "targeted" exercises is a myth; the fat comes off in the reverse of the order that it went on (if your gut or butt got fat first, then your gut or butt will get "un-fat" last.

I just joined this forum based on this (and other similar) responses. I have an odd problem- I'm about 2 months and 15 lbs into really losing weight and looking trim. Everything is going well- I don't work out like I should but I have an incredibly physical job and I am very active (active as in on my feet and working hard 14 hours out of every day). So I changed my diet alone and have lost 15 lbs. Now I'm getting more specific about areas I'd like to see improvement, and have noticed that due to the nature of my job, I use my right side exclusively for much of what I do, and I'm seeing excellent definition there but need to figure out ways to even things out.

Long story short, I understand that burning more than I eat equals weight loss and better definition. That is why I have seen the improvements I have. My question is- if it were true that "spot targeted reduction" was a myth, why is my right side so defined while my left side isnt? Of course my right arm is bigger, but I'm talking specifically about abdominal definition. It should stand to reason that if I lost weight in the order I put it on, my core would be last (ok, got that), but that it should be even. It's not. My right side (I do right handed veterinary work) looks great, my left not so much.

Any tips for someone in my situation to even things out? My dancing friend suggested plank exercises, and I am liking the feel of that but would love any other good ideas.