Are you looking for a cheap, effective way to improve your exercise?
If so, you should consider a foam roller. Foam rollers are a great way to help you with muscle flexibility and to improve your exercise performance. There are many types of foam roller available from soft foam rollers for beginners to larger, denser rollers for experienced athletes.
Foam rollers offer lots of benefits and here are five ways for you to get more from your foam roller.
Use your foam roller for Pilates
Foam rollers are a great accessory for Pilates. A foam roller can assist you with positions that you can’t quite maintain on your own – for example you can place your roller between your thighs and calves when squatting to support your upper body. You can also use your foam roller as a lift when lying down and arching your back.
A foam roller helps you maintain your balance and build your strength whilst you are becoming more accustomed to your Pilates exercises.
Support aching muscles
Foam rollers also help you support aching muscles during exercise. For example, if you have a sore muscle in your back, you can place your foam roller underneath you to support that muscle when exercising lying down.
Make exercises more difficult and interesting
As well as supporting muscles, foam rollers can actually add difficulty to certain exercises. For example, positions where you use your hands for support can be made more effective if your hands are on the roller rather than the floor.
Using a foam roller during exercise also helps vary your routines, making them less boring and repetitive.
Increase flexibility
Foam rollers can help you increase flexibility in a number of ways.
For example, foam rollers can help you with calf releases. You place your roller under your lower leg’s back muscles when sitting on the floor with your legs stretched and straight. You then lift your body with your arms placed beside your body and roll back and forth so that the roller will travel on the calves.
You can also use your foam roller under your upper back when lying on your back with knees pointing to the ceiling. You then cross your arms on your chest and raise your body so that rolling back and forth will be easy.
Self massage
One of the main uses of a foam roller is for self-massage (sometimes called a ‘myofascial release’). This technique involves placing gentle, sustained pressure on your body’s soft tissues whilst, at the same time, traction is applied to the soft connective tissue above the muscle.
This tissue is softened and lengthened and scar tissue between the muscles and the skin are broken down. Using a foam roller for self massage also relieves some types of muscle and joint pain not caused by these adhesions.
