The Ab Roller? Is it a good piece of ab equipment, or late night infomercial junk? To help answer this question, I have put together an ab roller review.

First, I'll start by saying that this is no "fly by night" company that makes a product and then is gone in a few years. This company has been around a while, and has sold a lot of products. In fact, the ab roller may be the best known pieces of ab equipment. More than 10 million have been sold, and they have products in gyms all over the world.

It's also helpful to note that the ab roller is not so much a product, but a series of products. But, these products are all based upon a relatively similar concept that allows the user to work their abdominal muscles by doing a variety of ab crunches and other exercises. Below, there's a video and you can get a better sense for how the product is actually used in a workout.

The Ab Roller: Designed To Prevent Back and Neck Strain While Working The AB Muscles

An interesting fact about the ab roller is that it was designed by a guy by the name of Dan Brown for a client who was recovering from a car collision. This client had suffered from neck pain, which was aggravated when doing sit-ups. To make this movement easier for her, Don  bent some metal into the shape of a small rocking device, which he later perfected into the ab roller that we know today.

But don't be confused by that story. This piece of equipment isn't just for people who have existing neck or back pain. It turns out that this ab machine let the exerciser actually better target their ab muscles. It does this be helping the user concentrate more on utilizing their abs for the movement because it's virtually impossible to cheat. When you use the ab roller, you can't swing your head or your arms to help pull your body through...You have to contract the abs and "roll" your vertebrae up one at a time, making for an optimal ab workout.

Here's a video that show's you how to use the ab roller.

Three sets of twenty of this exercise should give you an excellent ab workout. If you're really fit, go ahead and do more. Just be sure to balance your ab exercises with back exercises so that you have a balanced core.

You can also hit your oblique muscles, the ones on your side, or what we often think of as the "love handles area", by changing your position somewhat. Assume the same starting position as you would normally, but then let your knees fall to the left (or the right if you prefer) and then pull your body up using your abs. You should feel this movement working more of the muscles along the side of your abs. Make sure to do both sides equally.

Choices When Buying An Ab Roller

Now, as I mentioned, there are a few different flavors of the ab roller (by the way, this is not to be confused with the ab wheel, where you rollout from a either standing or kneeling position). The models below are each a little different, but anyone of them can be a useful addition for your home gym.

Didn't find what you're looking for? Check out more ab machines.