barbell rollout

The Barbell Rollout is an advanced core exercise that's ideal for women looking to strengthen and accentuate more than just their abs and core muscles. This exercise is similar to the Ab Roller, it offers a challenging twist that will take your core workout to the next level.

Here we will delve into the muscles worked, how to perform the Barbell Rollout, benefits, common mistakes to avoid, reps and sets, how to progress this exercise, how and where to fit it into your workout plan and finally other exercises targeting the same muscle groups.

Muscles Worked When Performing the Barbell Rollout

The Barbell Rollout primarily targets your abdominal muscles, but also some other muscle groups, check them out below…

Abs: As mentioned above, the barbell rollout is an advanced ab building exercise. Strong abs make everything easier, they also assist with spinal flexion which is essential for performing this exercise to its best.

Obliques: Both the internal and external obliques, which are muscles located on the sides of the abdomen, are engaged during the ab roller exercise.

Quadriceps (quads): The quads, located at the front of the thigh, are engaged to stabilise the lower body and assist in extending the hips during the rollout phase of this exercise.

Hip Flexors: The hip flexors assist in hip flexion as you roll the ab roller forward and your hips move towards the ground.

Erector Spinae: The erector spinae muscles are engaged to stabilise the spine during the rollout movement. This muscle group helps prevent hyperextension and supports the lower back throughout the exercise.

Latissimus Dorsi (lats): The lats are engaged as they assist in stabilising the upper body and contribute to the rolling out and back in motion.

Teres Major: The teres major, located near the armpit, is naturally recruited during this exercise.

Posterior Deltoid: The posterior deltoid, located at the back of the shoulder, is also activated as part of this exercise.

Lower Pectorals: The lower portion of the pectoral muscles, or lower chest, are engaged to some extent as you stabilise your upper body to control the movement.

Triceps: The triceps brachii, located at the back of the upper arm, are also engaged during the ab roller exercise.

You can use the muscle highlighted image at the top of this page for a visual guide of the muscles worked.

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How to Perform the Barbell Rollout

To perform the Barbell Rollout, follow these simple steps:

1. Equipment: You will need a loaded barbell, the weight isn't important, but use round plates as this is essential for smooth rolling.

2. Start Position: Position yourself on your knees on the floor with both hands gripping the barbell at around shoulder width apart. (You can play around with your grip position later).

3. Rollout: With your core fully engaged, lean forward and slowly roll the barbell straight out in front of you, until your torso is almost parallel with the floor.

4. Correct Form: Keep your core tight throughout the movement, ensuring no bending of the arms and no sagging of the back.

5. Bring it Back: Slowly bring the barbell back to the start position through the same clean and controlled movement.

6. Go for reps.

For those who struggle with this exercise, you can build up to the Barbell Rollout with an easier alternative; the stability ball rollout. Whereby you simply roll yourself out on your forearms using a stability ball.

Benefits of the Barbell Rollout

The benefits of the Barbell Rollout include:

Advanced Core Strengthening: This is a challenging exercise to master, it takes a great amount of core strength to perform the barbell rollout with clean form. Take your time mastering this exercise and you will benefit from the advanced core strengthening that it provides.

Better Balance & Stability: With a strong core, everything is easier. From other gym exercises, to everyday activities.

Supports Good Posture: Core strength plays a part in your overall posture, with a stronger core, good posture is much easier to maintain without even thinking about it.

Functional Strength: As mentioned above, strong core muscles will make everything physical that you do much easier.

Targeted Training: This exercise really forces you to hold firm and utilise your core muscles in order to stop you from landing flat on your face! Make the most of this because there are few Abs & Core Exercises of this caliber.

Barbell Rollout Common Mistakes to Avoid

When performing the Barbell Rollout, be mindful of these common mistakes to ensure the best results:

Going Too Fast: Avoid falling forward too quickly. Perform a smooth, clean and controlled movement, out and back at a steady pace. If it helps, count 3-4 breaths each way.

Maintain Proper Form: Good form ensures you are fully engaging the target muscle groups and prevents any unnecessary acute or repetitive strain injury which can creep up over time.

Mind-Muscle Connection: Don’t just stare off into space meaninglessly counting out your reps. Always focus on the intended muscle group, this will help you to develop your core strength much faster with this exercise.

Reps and Sets

The number of reps and sets for the Barbell Rollout depends on your fitness level and goals:

Beginners: Start with simply mastering the move. This is a tough exercise, so 3 reps, if you’re just starting out, is a valid set.

To determine how many reps/sets of the Barbell Rollout you should start with, you first need to figure out how many reps you can comfortably perform. Then add 2, and perform that number of reps for 3 sets.

For example; let’s say you can perform 4 Barbell Rollouts comfortably. Add 2 to make 6 reps. Perform those 6 reps 3 times over, allowing yourself sufficient rest inbetween.

Experienced lifters: You know your body and its abilities better than anyone, use your own judgment.

We recommend that you avoid performing more than 12 reps per set. If you’re comfortably performing 12 reps for up to 6 sets, it’s time to make the exercise more challenging.

How to Make the Barbell Rollout More Challenging

This is one of those exercises that you can’t just add more weight to, but you can still progress the Barbell Rollout by slowing down your reps and really feeling the muscle work through the entire movement, from start to finish. This means more time under tension which results in increased muscle growth.

If you can’t quite manage to slow down the entire movement, you can use this tip to build yourself up to slowing down the entire movement: Roll out at your usual pace and bring the bar back in towards you at the slower pace. What this does is increase the time under tension for only part of the exercise, until you’re ready to do this for the whole exercise.

How to Incorporate the Barbell Rollout into Your Workouts

While this is an advanced exercise, the Barbell Rollout is most commonly used as a finisher exercise, so it’s best performed towards the end of your workout. Firstly, because it’s a bodyweight exercise and these should always be performed towards the end of your workout, but also because it’s an ab exercise. Your abs are some of your smaller muscle groups, so again, they are best worked towards the end of your workout. You should prioritise bigger muscle groups and lifts at the beginning of your workout.

You can learn more about exercise order here.

This exercise pairs well with other exercises that focus on core stability and strength, such as Planks, Russian Twists, and Elevated Leg Raises. You can also check out the full list of our Abs & Core Exercises here.

Exercises That Work Similar Muscles to the Barbell Rollout

Other exercises that work your core in a similar way to the Barbell Rollout include the Ab Roller and Stability Ball Rollouts. You can also try Parallel Bar Leg Raises or any of the other Core Exercises available on our website.

Be sure to mix things up, incorporating a variety of these exercises into your routine can provide a well-rounded approach to core strengthening and development. If you become overly comfortable with an exercise, it’s a sure fire sign that you need to make it harder or try something else for a change.

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