Wheel

Is wheel over reated?
I can't go all the way out and come back it. Somehow I feel like dragon flag and good hangin leg lift do me allot more good. I am talking about six pack and functional abdominal strength.

Functional abdominal strength really is for static contraction.
The wheel is more static than other stuff.
But at the same time nether is really functional.

Don't mess with the wheel.

When I was younger, I was able to do a full roll out.
Once I found out that I can't progress, I lost interest.
It was nice to show of to my peers for a while.
Most could not even do one. Little bit the knew, it took me close to two years to master that.

Nice party trick allong with planche pushups.

If someone can explain how the wheel is functional
I am willing to listen.

Your abdominals are contracting when the wheel rolls out and rolls in. So are your hip flexors, quads, lats, chest, triceps and forearm.

That is functional don't you think?

Your abdominals are contracting when the wheel rolls out and rolls in. So are your hip flexors, quads, lats, chest, triceps and forearm.

That is functional don't you think?

Can you define functional?

Your abdominals are contracting when the wheel rolls out and rolls in. So are your hip flexors, quads, lats, chest, triceps and forearm.

That is functional don't you think?

Can you define functional?

Functional is when it can be applied to a real life or real sport.
For example pull ups is more functilnal to a gymnast than a lat pull down machine.

I hope this helps.

[TO]

Is wheel over reated?
I can't go all the way out and come back it. Somehow I feel like dragon flag and good hangin leg lift do me allot more good. I am talking about six pack and functional abdominal strength.
A six pack makes you look strong. All you need to have a six pack is decent muscle tone and low body fat. An out of shape skinny guy could have a six pack and not be able to roll out once on the wheel. What's so functional about looking strong?
When you're using the wheel, all the muscles involved in the exercise are tightly contracted. This is where the strength comes into play. It's about the work. That's functional.

To me functional is training that can be applied.

Using that gymnast as example, he need to pull himself up or he can't perform his stuff.
I don't know a sport or profession where some is required to do crunches or wheel roll out.
Last time I checked a fire fighter did not have to drop on the floor and do 20 crunches prior to entering the building.
Boxers don't finght in prone position holding the wheel in their hands either.
Just my oppinion.

[TO]

To me functional is training that can be applied.

Using that gymnast as example, he need to pull himself up or he can't perform his stuff.
I don't know a sport or profession where some is required to do crunches or wheel roll out.
Last time I checked a fire fighter did not have to drop on the floor and do 20 crunches prior to entering the building.
Boxers don't finght in prone position holding the wheel in their hands either.
Just my oppinion.
Functional strength means having the strength necessary for whatever task is at hand. The ab wheel builds core strength quite effectively. Core strength, all might agree, would help a fire fighter carry someone out a burning building. Core strength would help a boxer generate power to hook to the body. Functional strength is not only developed by replicating movements of the target application. :wink:

[quote=EN]
Functional strength is not only developed by replicating movements of the target application. :wink:

I thought that what functional strength was.

Good thing you told me other wise, let's hit a search engine.

Basically functional strength is the strength you can apply in your skills.
That's what I got from my 15 minutes research.

It's just happens that way, that the best exercises for your skill are the ones that resemble target skills.
If you twist with a punch, why would you strengthen the muscles that bend your trunk instead of twisting it?

[TO]

Basically functional strength is the strength you can apply in your skills.
That's what I got from my 15 minutes research.

15 minutes of search and you get a definition of functional strength not unlike mine.Functional strength means having the strength necessary for whatever task is at hand.

Depending on how you do the ab wheel (roll-out from kneeling position, roll-out from standing position) you are hitting so many muscle groups, not just abs. If you don't think you're building functional strength, roll out, hold for two beats, roll-in, repeat. The ab wheel exercise is not like a crunch.

It's just happens that way, that the best exercises for your skill are the ones that resemble target skills.
You think this is always the case? How do world class sprinters and MMA's build explosive strength? Many use dead lifts to do this. Does the motion of the dead lift resemble a sprint down a track, a shoot or a sprawl?

In the real world, muscles don't work in isolation but as a system. Fire fighters, boxers, etc. use groups of muscles to get the job done. Dead lifts and ab wheel exercises recruit many groups of muscles, not just abs. That's why they build functional strength. Crunches and other exercises that focus on isolating a specific muscle group are less efficient for building functional strength than whole body exercises like the dead and ab wheel.

Basically functional strength is the strength you can apply in your skills.
That's what I got from my 15 minutes research.

15 minutes of search and you get a definition of functional strength not unlike mine.Functional strength means having the strength necessary for whatever task is at hand.

Depending on how you do the ab wheel (roll-out from kneeling position, roll-out from standing position) you are hitting so many muscle groups, not just abs. If you don't think you're building functional strength, roll out, hold for two beats, roll-in, repeat. The ab wheel exercise is not like a crunch.

It's just happens that way, that the best exercises for your skill are the ones that resemble target skills.
You think this is always the case? How do world class sprinters and MMA's build explosive strength? Many use dead lifts to do this. Does the motion of the dead lift resemble a sprint down a track, a shoot or a sprawl?

In the real world, muscles don't work in isolation but as a system. Fire fighters, boxers, etc. use groups of muscles to get the job done. Dead lifts and ab wheel exercises recruit many groups of muscles, not just abs. That's why they build functional strength. Crunches and other exercises that focus on isolating a specific muscle group are less efficient for building functional strength than whole body exercises like the dead and ab wheel.

You have a point there.
The dead lift does look like pushing movement sprinters use to come out of the blocks. Although if they wanted to complitely copy the movement, they would dead lift with one leg or one leg behind another. 8)

[speedy]

I do both the ab-wheel and deadlifts. I don't see how you can compare the two, for while yes they both work the core, deadlifts also work the back, legs, and arms, and many other areas. You can still do effective ab-wheel workouts just on your knees, hence taking away about half of the body that the deadlift works.

[TO]

Doing roll-outs on the ab wheel from the knees, as oppossed to the standing position, mainly shortens the lever and therefore makes the exercise more doable for mortal men. It does not decrease the usefulness of the exercise as you're still working the back, abs, obliques, arms, chest, etc. Deads and ab wheel are comparable becasue they work many muscle groups which contribute to functional strength.

Crunches, concentration curls, and other isolation exercises that seek to build hypertrophy in a select muscle group, are all about appearance and less about functionality.

"Functionality" also depends on who's using the word. A body builder whose main use for his muscles is posing, would want hypertrophy and muscle endurance and would be less interested in strength-absolute or relative. Athletes, fighters, farmers might be more interested in pure strength and less interested in beach muscle. This latter group, which I assume includes most members of this forum, would have a different understanding of the term.

[Appleman]

Doing roll-outs on the ab wheel from the knees, as oppossed to the standing position, mainly shortens the lever and therefore makes the exercise more doable for mortal men. It does not decrease the usefulness of the exercise as you're still working the back, abs, obliques, arms, chest, etc. Deads and ab wheel are comparable becasue they work many muscle groups which contribute to functional strength.

Crunches, concentration curls, and other isolation exercises that seek to build hypertrophy in a select muscle group, are all about appearance and less about functionality.

"Functionality" also depends on who's using the word. A body builder whose main use for his muscles is posing, would want hypertrophy and muscle endurance and would be less interested in strength-absolute or relative. Athletes, fighters, farmers might be more interested in pure strength and less interested in beach muscle. This latter group, which I assume includes most members of this forum, would have a different understanding of the term.

Very true.
I don't remmember many farmers going to a "strength school" to be good farmers when they graduate. :wink:

[TO]

Farmers are all about functional strength. Pushing wheelbarrows, tossing bales of hay and lugging sacks of feed is man's work. Ever hear of Rulon Gardner, US Olympic Wrestler? He's one big, strong farm boy. Ever hear of the 'Farmer's Walk"? Basically it's an insane test of strength. Sometimes those strongest man in the world contests feature genetic freaks carrying enormous loads in each hand and trying to walk as far as they can without dropping the weight. :wink:

I mentioned farmers because they work with their hands. I could have said instead sheet-metal worker, carpenter, mason or boxer, but farmer got your attention. :lol:

[speedy]

I also believe that is what helps Matt Hughes get his freakish strength.

[koltz]

All thoose bastard farmers do nowday is push buttons and lift small crates of thier produce onto trucks.

construction workers > farmers.
oh and furniture shop delivery men too lolol :roll:

[TO]

All thoose bastard farmers do nowday is push buttons and lift small crates of thier produce onto trucks.

construction workers > farmers.
oh and furniture shop delivery men too lolol :roll:
Don't forget piano movers. :-D

I used to dream with my friends.
When they would grow up they would be doctors, pilots.
I wanted to ba piano mover or a farmer. That will show them who is stonger. J/K

[Rick]

Are you guys referring to th $60 one advertised by MF or the cheap 7$ sporting goods store one with only handles and no pedals.

[Appleman]

Cheap one's.
Regular roll outs can be done even on the adjustable barbell. Skate boards, scooters, anything that can handle the weight and goes back and fourth will do.

[TO]

If you've got a swivel chair on casters use that. Just don't spend $60 bucks on one and tell us about it!!!

[Appleman]

I am wondering, if you do the roll out and wheel is attached to your feet and you are not holding it in your hands. You do a full roll out like that.
Would you train different muscles?

[manofleisure]

What do the folks here think of this ab wheel option?

Does it give enough benefit to warrant the cost?

http://www.jumpusa.com/ppowrwhl.htm

Sales pack. lol
There is more to life than just one piece of equipment.

[jb21]

I am sure the power wheel is great, but I bought a cheap one (like $7) and it works fine (cant put my feet on it like that one, but still get great work from it).

Sales pack. lol
There is more to life than just one piece of equipment.

I must agree.

[Big Jew]

I just bought a jumbo sized power wheel for myself with the foot staps.

Its definitely my new fun toy and I've been using it combination with a set of push up handles. I find that these two devices in combo with each other work really well with the wheel strapped to your feet.

I did gator walks all around the mat of the school, push ups, L's and planks both belly up and down sets ( those belly up sets really burn the backs of the legs!). Gave me a very intense core work out.

What I also really enjoyed about the process of using this was clear visualization of all my torso muscles being tensed and flexed. Because that power wheel essentially is painful and deep with its demands of usage I find it helpful to close my eyes, visualize my muscles in action, and breathe. I prefer going slower and keeping a good form.

Probably best to keep my eyes closed anyway. I must look like a walrus on a unicycle with that wheel strapped to my feet. oh well...

[bretakmf]

check this out--ross enamait is doing standing ab wheel rollouts while wearing THREE weighted vests:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=57pv_1j4dH0

[cheesedog]

Ross is a beast!

[bretakmf]

he does ab wheel rollouts with one arm!

ross if great, both as an athlete and a person.

for those who don't have it, his book on calisthenics--_never gymless_ --is the best i've read, by far...

[Big Jew]

he does ab wheel rollouts with one arm!

ross if great, both as an athlete and a person.

for those who don't have it, his book on calisthenics--_never gymless_ --is the best i've read, by far...

I'll have to check that out.
The guy is hardcore.

[Big Jew]

SO far my best laugh for the day.

I normally start my power wheel sets from my knees, shoot out to a full plank toe to wheel, then back to my knees. Then from a squating position as my base.

After watching that Ross Enamait video I thought I'd up it a bit and go from a
more standing base then, shoot out, then back to a standing base.

I shot out, shot back real fast to my stand base and flipped over on my back still holding the wheel up at the ceiling. LOL!

Its one for the BWC blooper reel.