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Full body roll-ups are an exercise that strengthens your core and helps lengthen and stretch your back and hamstrings. The full range of motion used in this exercise engages more muscle fibers than many core exercises.

If you learn how to do full body roll-ups you will be learning one of the most standard pilates exercises there is.

Chris Freytag demonstrating aFull Body Roll-Up
muscle strength vs muscle endurance woman squatting

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How To Do Full Body Roll-Ups

Follow these simple instructions to master the full body roll-up move:

  1. Start lying on mat with arms extended overhead, legs long, and feet flexed.
  2. Inhale as you lift arms up and begin curling chin and chest forward. Exhale as you roll the entire torso up and over legs keeping abs engaged and reaching for toes.
  3. Inhale as you begin rolling your spine back down one vertebra at a time and exhale as the upper portion of the back lower and arms reach pack overhead.  Repeat moving slowly and using the abdominals to lift and lower, not momentum.

What Muscles Do Full Body Roll-Ups Work?

Full Body Roll Up is an awesome core strength move that works your abdominal muscles, lower back and stabilizers and stretches your entire backside.

Benefits of Full Body Roll-Ups

There are many reasons you should incorporate Full Body Roll-Up into your workouts. Here are just a few:

Healthier Low Back

The Full Body Roll Up is a move that focuses on stability, strength and overall health of your core and low back. In addition, this move stretches the muscles of the lower back keeping them more flexible. Moves like the Full Body Roll Up will help you avoid low back pain and injury by keeping the muscles that surround your spine strong and flexible.

Sculpts Your Abs

There are so many exercises available for getting sculpted abs. Crunches, planks and all of their variations are the most commonly used. Full Body Roll Up is unique. This move gives you a new and fresh option for sculpting your abs! Based in Pilates, you will find that this move is extremely effective but also feels good while you’re doing it! And, this is exactly why I include it in my lower ab workout designed for women!

Improves Flexibility

The Full Body Roll Up is great for strengthening your core, but it is also an excellent stretch for the entire backside of your body. You stretch your hamstrings, lower back and upper back with the slow, controlled motion.

How Many Calories Do Full Body Roll-Ups Burn?

People often ask how many calories they are burning in their workouts. Most exercises will generally burn about 100 calories for every 10 minutes you are working at high intensity. Bottom line – the harder you work, the more calories you burn. But keep in mind that the Full Body Roll Up has benefits that far outweigh burning calories.

Other Exercises Similar to Full Body Roll-Ups

If you like the Full Body Roll Up and the results you get from it, here are a few more exercises you might want to try.