Barbell Rollout

How to perform the Barbell Rollout

1. Load a barbell with round plates, kneel behind it gripping the bar at shoulder width, and tuck the pelvis so the lower back is flat.
2. Like the ab wheel, this is anti-extension: the bar tries to drag you into a backbend and the abs must stop the spine from extending.
3. Brace hard, then roll the bar forward by reaching the arms out, opening the hips only as far as the flat back can be maintained.
4. Extend out to the point just before the lower back would sag into an arch — that lumbar hyperextension at full reach is the failure mode.
5. Pull the bar back toward the knees using the abs and lats while keeping the pelvis tucked and the spine rigid.
6. Finish over the shoulders with ribs down, and stop the set before fatigue allows the lower back to dip on the way out.

Suggested working range: 8–12 reps. Default progression: double progression.

Common mistakes

• •Letting the lower back arch into hyperextension at full reach, the primary injury risk of the rollout.
• •Rolling out beyond the range the core can control so the hips drop and the spine sags.
• •Pulling the bar back with the hip flexors by hinging instead of dragging it in with the abs.
• •Starting without tucking the pelvis so the lumbar is already extended before the bar rolls out.

Variations & alternatives

Swap in a related movement if equipment, recovery, or progression demands it.