An abdominal wheel or ab power wheel is a simple tool, but it can be adapted for a range of exercises. Some of them may look funny, but almost all of them help to burn more calories than walking and tone muscle groups using the natural force of gravity on the body!

One basic thing that users can do with the ab power wheel is a kind of “wheelbarrow” movement. Some of us remember this kind of activity from grade school exercises where someone would hold onto our legs, and we would walk away on our hands, hoping the “wheelbarrow pusher” wouldn’t get carried away and make us run over ourselves!
With the power wheel, you go at your own pace. Just strap your feet into the wheel’s pedals and stretch out with your arms toward the ground, and then straighten your legs to the correct position and start going! It can take awhile to get used to “walking” that close to the ground, but experienced users agree that this alternate to walking burns calories and works the legs, the arms, and the abs, as well as related muscle groups that need a little resistance to stay active and healthy.

In a stationary position, users can do an “ab roll” with the power wheel, which is similar to the walk, except that it can be modified for facing in both directions, either downward toward the floor or upward. In either case, the user compacts the body, then expands it with their feet in the ab wheel.

The ab wheel can also be localized to the hamstrings, with the user facing the ceiling, using just the legs to move the wheel to and from the body. This is just one of a number of variations that provide for more extensive training options. For the upper body, the above mentioned power wheel rolls really work the arms, and pushups with the ab wheel can also provide good upper body training options. Simply put, the ab wheel can be a great, low-cost and space-saving tool to broaden a workout that just doesn’t seem to be working enough muscle groups, or varied enough to replace the gym membership that often comes with a high price tag.

All of this, and the ab wheel can be safely tucked away in the closet when not in use. Items like the ab power wheel show that a home gym user doesn’t need a whole lot of bulky equipment if they are willing to use the natural weight and isometrics of their body to work out. Check out the power wheel and see why so many home fitness types use it to work their way to more power and toned abdominals.