Foam Rollers: The best way to go for stretching exercises

There is not much difference between the foam rollers and the exercise bands and stability balls since all of them are types of cross over equipment, which are obtained from the rehab training. Their utility lies in their versatility, inexpensiveness, and lower weight.

These qualities also make them good for home workouts and studio usage. They are also very simple pieces of equipment (being cylinders of high density foams) with immense uses. You can use them for various exercising purposes like self message stretching, body support, and stability exercises.

Using the foam body rollers

You can easily spot the foam rollers. These are the white cylinders which are piled up in the corner areas of gymnasiums and pilate studios. The pilate instructors are also promoting the use of foam rollers in their classes which will further contribute to its wide spread use. You can also do a wide amount of experimentation on these foam rollers.

Exercise and stretch by using the foam rollers

Massage tool
Massages are good for the pressured and tensed areas which you are trying to release. This can be done easily by rolling the body area or muscle on the foam roller after putting the body weight on the roller and then gently rocking and rolling the body for releasing the accumulated stress.

Body part prop
You can do this form of exercise by lying in rest position on the back of the body and supporting the slightly bent knees by the foam roller. This position of the exercise will help in spine elongation and its relaxation. The foam rollers can also be used in prop forms. For example, you can use them as body prop by placing them under the hip area or for supporting a limb.

Stretch support
The Foam rollers can provide you ample support for the stretching exercises by giving you a curved surface to work your exercises on. Since your position is not far from the ground, there is very minute chance that you might tip off and cause some damage to your body. Hence you can fully relax when you do all your stretching exercises. Stretching can be done in different creative ways by using a foam roller. For example, you can sit with your legs placed in a straight position and then place the foam roller under the calf area. Do not lock the knees during the process. You can go for extra stretching by leaning your body in a forward direction towards the leg.

Stability exercises
You can use the pilates and take advantage of the core strengthening potential of the unstable surfaces as well. While maintaining the balance during working out on an unstable surface, every deep muscle of your back and abdomen area is worked toward maintaining the body’s balanced posture. Enhancement in mat exercises like push-ups and planks are being explored and invented by the Pilate instructors. These exercises should be done on the foam roller and not on the floor.

Buying a foam roller
The foam rollers are available in different sizes and shapes. You can get foam rollers in different varieties of length and diameters. The size of 36 inches long and 6 inches of diameter makes the most popular dimension being sold currently in the markets. They also contain high density packing foam which delays the crushing of the foam roller under the weight of the body. The surface of the roller is also very soft and therefore is very comfortable and convenient to roll the body parts on it.

Prolonged usage of the rollers bends it and they can also collapse from the middle while being used. Further, lumpiness is also found in foam rollers. Therefore one should invest in the more expensive rollers that are being manufactured. The closed cell foam or the super high density EVA foam is some examples of the more expensive rollers. The basic foam roller costs somewhere between $17 to $27.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

About the author: Kate is a blogger by profession. She loves writing on luxury and technology. Beside this she is a fitness freak and exercise regularly to stay in shape. In her free time she loves playing game on her cell phone. She recently shared an article on water borne diseases which was liked a lot by her readers.