When I got tired of not getting bigger, I gave up aerobics and started doing weights at a gym. That helped to tone, and gave me definition but not a lot. I did not get any bigger after 5 years.

One day I saw the guys using a rolling wheel and tried it out. I did 30 reps easily. The next week was hell as I could barely breath I was so stiff. So I kept it up. I liked the feeling of the stronger stomach and back muscles. It really works both.

This exercise was a lifesaver for my back since getting three herniated discs over 10 years ago and being barely able to move for a year without terrible pain wiped me out physically and mentally. This brought me back to being able to move forward to regular life, lots of exercise and a much stronger body.

I found this little machine (in new shape) at my 75 year old neighbor's house. He gave it to me and I started using it every morning and night following the pattern I worked out below.

The abs you see below are the result.
The photo is a little small but I think you get the "picture".     -    Cam

1. Ten reps, three sets in the area where the muscles are actually working.
2. Followed by a 10 second hold at max extension (with very slight back & forth rocking motion to work the stomach muscles)
3. Followed by one more 10 second hold at max.
   What I found was that going out to the maximum point and holding it for 10 seconds or longer as one set was what did the trick.

This is "Rolly". There was a spring inside which I did not like. Eventually after using it so much the steel spring snapped. Now I can work the muscles better.

Here is the start position. Note I don't pull all the way back to the knees because that does not use the stomach muscles at all. Why waste time?

At this point the stomach starts to feel the burn. This is where I liked to actually start my 10 reps in the beginning. I used to go all the way down, then back up again, but have progressed to the following position two.

In this position the abs are really burning. The back muscles kick in and you build them as well. You also work the tops of the shoulders, and the triceps quite a bit. Now, this is where I do all of my work.

This is my max extension. I like to hold in this position for minimum 10 seconds after doing my 10 reps between positions Two and Three. Very slowly.

NEVER let your back sag. You MUST keep a flat back like this to avoid back pain. It also puts the workout directly on the stomach muscles and strengthens the back muscles. Until you are strong enough to maintain this flat back I highly recommend starting at neutral and rolling out to around "position one". This will be more than fine at the start and give you the strength to go further out.

After doing this for several years I started up SCT at the gym. Since I did not like the ab cruch machine and could not get any other machine to work, I did my "rolly" using progressively heavier weights. I worked up to having someone put 30kg on my upper back, then rolling out to position two on a decline and holding it there for 10 seconds. It was tough, but man, did it work well.