Are you only using your foam roller for post workout recovery? If so, you’re not using your foam roller to the best of its abilities. While a foam roller is a great tool for deep tissue massage. However, you could be using it as a strength and stability tool as well. Since the foam roller is curved and have an unstable surface doing exercises with it can give you an unorthodox challenge. That’s because balancing on a foam roller is hard as hell, (Have you tried it?) and your body will need to recruit more muscles, especially in your core to do these moves. Here are 5 exercises you didn’t know you could do with a foam roller. Try adding these exercises to your routine to mix things up. Let me know how you like them leave a comment below.
Foam Roller Exercise #1: Plank
Works: Arms, abs, back, and glutes.
How to do: Palms down on the roller, shoulder width apart, keep your elbows flexed and your back straight. Hold for 30 seconds to one minute. Repeat 3 to 5 times.
Foam Roller Exercise #2: Push-ups with leg lift
Works: Chest, arms, abs, glutes
How to do: Start in a plank position (see exercise #1). Lower chest to the roller, keeping your elbows in and lift left leg then lower it. Repeat push-up and lift the other leg. Repeat for 8 – 12 reps for 3 sets.
Foam Roller Exercise #3: Push-ups with arm lift
How to do: With the right palm on floor and left palm on roller. Do a push-up and lift the roller until it’s parallel to your chest. Do sets 3 of 8 -12 reps each arm.
Foam Roller Exercise #4: Wall squats
Works: Quads, glutes, and abs
How to do: With foam roller between the wall and your mid back and your feet shoulder width apart. Squat down into the roller touches your shoulder blades and standup to starting position. Repeat for 3 sets of 8 -12 reps.
Foam Roller Exercise #5: Bridge with leg lift
Works: Glutes, hamstrings, quads, and abs
How to do: Lie on your back with your heels on the roller. Lift your hips off the ground and extend your right leg. Bring right leg back to roller and then lower your hips to the ground. Do 3 sets of 8-12 reps each leg.
There you have it goal crushers, five exercises you didn’t know you could do with your from roller. What do you think of these exercises? I told you they were unorthodox. Are you going to add these exercises into your workout routine? Leave a comment below to let me know what you think. To check out the entire tutorial, you can watch it here:
Until next time, keep crushing goals!