Foam Roller Exercises

Try to use the roller on a regular basis to reverse the effects of gravity on your body. No - it won't help sagging body parts but it will reverse that forward head, rounded shoulders posture that so many of us are in throughout our day! You might try using it at least every other evening for anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes. It doesn't hurt to use it more often if it relieves your pain. If you feel numbness or tingling in the hands or fingers as you do these stretches, bring your arms back down to your sides. If the symptoms don't subside, stop the exercises and try again the next day.

Begin by lying on the roller as shown. If you have very tight chest muscles, you may already feel a stretch across that area. Just relax and let it stretch for 2-3 minutes. If the pull eases up, you can move onto the next stretches. If not, just relax and let the stretch continue for a few more minutes.

Place your arms at a right angle to your body, resting on the floor. You should feel the stretch across the chest. Make sure your chin is gently tucked and your neck is not arched. Relax and stretch for 2-3 minutes.

Now move your arms further up as shown but, if possible, keep the arms on the floor. If you can't, you have some shoulder or chest tightness and, over time and with stretching, this should improve. Again, relax and stretch for 2-3 minutes.

Bring arms to a right angle to your body and bend elbows to 90 degrees as shown. Try to bring arms toward the floor. You should feel a stretch in the shoulders and across the chest. Hold 2-3 minutes.

Turn the roller sideways and lie across it as shown. Roll yourself up and down on the foam roller creating a massaging action to the upper back. Use your legs to control the movement. You might want to do this for 30 seconds to a minute.

There are some stomach strengthening exercises you can do on the roller. Be warned - you'd better develop "good roller balance" before attempting these.
They are tricky!!

Begin by lying on the roller as shown but start with feet flat on the floor. Tighten your stomach muscles and try to slightly flatten low back into the roller. Maintain that flattened position and slowly move one knee up as pictured. Lower slowly back to starting position and repeat with other leg. Do until fatigued. If this becomes too easy, move to next level of exercise below.

Begin as described above. Tighten stomach muscles and flatten low back into roller. Bring both knees up so that thighs are at a right angle to the body (like left leg pictured). Slowly lower one leg toward the floor. Without touching the floor, return to start position and repeat with opposite leg. Maintain flattened position of low back on roller.