Foam rollers have been known to work out the kinks in tight muscles, focusing on releasing tightness in the fascia. Who knew that foam rollers could also provide us with some great exercises to increase strength? Try these exercises to build and tone your muscles, you might be surprised at how well these work.
5 Foam Roller Moves to Make You Stronger
Your foam roller can do much more than just release tight muscles. Use it to strengthen and tone your whole body.
Sara Angle Mar 30, 2018 Despite a surge in
trendy recovery products, the foam roller remains the thing you keep going back to for loosening tight spots, speeding recovery, and increasing range of motion. But the foam roller is almost just as valuable as a strength-building tool, especially when used to enhance exercises that are often considered bodyweight only, like glute bridges or planks.
The foam roller’s unstable surface requires you to engage multiple muscles at once for stability, and it essentially self-corrects any errors in form or movement mechanics, says Joel Seedman, a neuromuscular physiologist and founder of
Advanced Human Performance.
“If your technique is off, the foam roller will begin to roll or slide out from under you, providing immediate feedback about your body mechanics,” Seedman says. “To stay stable and locked into position, you must dial your form and technique so you aren’t wasting energy trying to stay still.” It forces you to slow the movement and eliminate momentum, placing greater stress on the targeted musculature, he says.
The roller acts as moving platform, making even the simplest exercises total butt-kickers. This routine, a combo of foam roller–specific moves and souped-up classics, will show you that this gym tool is anything but one-dimensional.
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