The Best Piece of Fitness Equipment You Don’t Use
Here are a few hints. It will help your body build muscle, but it’s doesn’t provide resistance. It can bring relief to sore, achy muscles but it doesn’t require costly appointments. And finally it can help with your balance but it’s neither a BOSU ball nor a wobble board.
If you guessed foam roller you really know your stuff. If you belong to a gym chances are you’ve noticed that these cylindrical shaped tools have earned a spot on the floor or in classes in the past few years. You may have noticed people rolling around on them or standing atop one while they lift weights and wondered what exactly this piece of equipment is supposed to do.
Admittedly a foam roller sounds a lot more boring than the BOSU. And it may seem completely unnecessary to those who don’t stretch after a workout anyways. But all those preconceived notions couldn’t be further from the truth.
Why foam rollers are breaking away from the pack:
1.Price – Sure if you have a membership at a fully equipped gym it doesn’t matter to you how much the equipment costs. If you’re looking for something useful at home you may not want to spend over $100 a pop, which is what a BOSU can set you back. Foam rollers on the other hand are often under $20.
2.Massage – Using myofascial release massage techniques (more on this in the next post) you can smooth out knots and target trouble spots without having to rely on a professional. If you get a foam roller to use for nothing more than self-massage, it’s still worth it.
3.Versatility – Foam rollers aren’t just good for muscle massage. By performing exercises while standing in different positions on the roller you can challenge your body’s stabilizing muscles and improve balance. It’s a great way to increase the difficulty of exercises you already do. Just try standing still on a foam roller and you’ll know what I mean. It takes a lot of practice to master the foam roller and you will really know you’re getting somewhere when you’ve worked up to just one full squat.