I distinctly remember the first time I saw Maria Sakkari play a tennis match. While it was apparent that she was possibly on the verge of making a rankings breakthrough, her obvious level of fitness made a much stronger impression that day. I resolved to find out everything about her off-court training program and emulate it to the greatest extent possible. That turned out not to be feasible or even advisable for me.
There is no shortage of videos and social media posts of Sakkari in the gym. Most of them are provided directly by her or a member of her team. The things she does are absolutely insane. As it turns out, Sakkari is apparently Greek for “please do not try any of this without first consulting your doctor and also make sure you are working with a well-qualified personal trainer.”
Sakkari is one of the featured players in S1 E3 of the Netflix docuseries “Break Point.” As she is introduced, a montage of her intense off-court training runs under the voice-over. I am still trying to figure out how to most efficiently write about that onslaught of training ideas, many of which fall into my “don’t try this at home” category. Fortunately, the first exercise she is seen performing is accessible to us mere mortals.
Specifically, Sakkari is shown using a device known as an “Ab Roller.” Until I first saw her using it, I regarded the Ab Roller as a junk gadget. My brain automatically wants to tag on the phrase “as seen on TV” every time I type it. In anticipation of this post, I decided that it was time to try the device out for myself.
A strong core is essential for peak performance in tennis. The abdominal muscles are at the root of the kinetic chain required to hit the ball with power and consistency. That is why abdominal and core exercises repeatedly occur in this post series. Professional tennis players spend a lot of time working these muscles.
In Break Point, Sakkari uses the Ab Roller from her toes, assisted by a trainer who provides a little lift with a superband under her hips. That is undoubtedly more intense than the recommended way to perform the exercise, which is on the knees. To perform a rep with the Ab Roller, grip the two handles on either side of the wheel and then roll it forward to straighten out the body at a deliberate and controlled rate. The rep is completed by rolling back to the original starting position.
Before I purchased my Ab Roller, I did a variation of this exercise using a much larger Swiss ball. In that version, the forearms are placed on top of the ball, which basically makes it a dynamic plank. For me the Ab Roller is more intense since it is lower to the ground, but at the same time feels a little more stable, at least to me.
If you’re tired of sit-ups and crunches, and resistance bands aren’t doing it for you, perhaps it’s time to take an Ab Roller for a spin.
 | Vinsguir Ab Roller Wheel (Currently $21.99 at Amazon) |
