So I’ve been trying to work on my abs without going to the gym (because no time). I’ve been getting sick of planks and I hate crunches with a passion, so I followed some 
advice and got an ab wheel.
The moment I saw some videos on how to use it, I’m like, “I’m gonna faceplant so hard when I try this”. So when it arrived, I tested it and sure enough, faceplant. Obviously, my abs aren’t strong enough to keep me up, so more strength and practice in that area would definitely help. But is there anything I can do in the meantime to get there? Some kind of half-rep or something to help me build up my core? Or should I just go back to planks and reverse crunches?
Most ab workouts are honestly nonsense. I got a decently defined six pack and external obliques just by doing compound calisthenics exercises and being at a low body fat percentage. I’ve never done an ab specific workout.
An ab wheel is designed for anti extension exercises, so I’d recommend looking at that, and easier variations of them that can incorporate an ab wheel. But train your abs in the same way you’d train any other muscle. Some 50 rep ab endurance workout far from muscular failure is going to do nothing to make your ab muscles more defined or stronger, that’s just going to work endurance.