Grab your foam rollers

because we are about to learn some new uses for our friend that sits lonely in the corner of the room.

If you are going on vacation and can only bring a few pieces of workout equipment or maybe you’re home without a ton of equipment this article is for you. The foam roller typically used as a form of self-myofascial release (IYKYK) also has some nonconventional uses you can apply to your workouts. Here are four upper and lower body moves for you to try and how to apply them in a sound way to your workouts.

1. Foam Roller Push-Ups: 

Perform the push-up as you normally would only this time you’ll notice it’s much more unstable. Take your time and slowly descend down the foam roller and then press away. This is an excellent movement to incorporate into your Strength + Endurance training to challenge the neuromuscular recruitment required to stabilize the joints through the upper body while maintaining proper form. Stable to Unstable movements are typically seen in a strength endurance portion of a workout plan.

This is also a movement you could use if you were training your Stability + Muscular Endurance. Using exercises that will call upon the recruitment of additional muscles to stabilize the body in higher repetitions with minimal rest between sets, or even in a possible circuit format.

Try This:

For Stability + Muscular Endurance : 3 sets of 12. 4/2/1 tempo. 4 seconds down, 2 sec. hold in bottom, 1 second press up, rest :30 seconds between sets

For Strength + Endurance : 2-4 sets of 8 Bench Press superset with 10 foam roller push-ups. 4/2/1 tempo. 4 seconds down, 2 second hold, 1 sec up. No rest between exercises rest :30-60 secs between rounds

2. Foam Roller Plank Up Downs:

The plank up down a common core and tricep movement taken to the next level. Similar to the push up you will want to take your time with this movement and really lock in everythanggggg. Squeeze like you’ve never squeezed before as you lower down onto your forearms and then press back up to your palms one at a time. Great way to challenge your core and your upper body.

This exercise would have very similar program implications as the foam roller stability push up. Either in a stability + muscular endurance workout or in a strength-based endurance superset. Supersets are a great way to increase the intensity. Decreased rest periods will make any movement more challenging, increasing your strength and endurance but also tend to have a more significant calorie expenditure.

3. Foam Roller Hack Squat :

Whether you need some help getting into a good squat position or you are trying to build and grow your quadriceps this movement is a staple of mine. I love to incorporate this movement on my lower body days as a way to emphasize some extra quad work without the use of a machine. 

Set the foam roller into the small of your back and plant your feet slightly out in front of your body, lower down with control keeping constant pressure between your back and the foam roller and drive away from the floor at the bottom position. 

Try this :

If your goal is to increase your strength + muscular endurance superset Assisted or Unassisted Single Leg squats with the Foam roller Hack Squats. 4/2/1 tempo on both exercises. Keep the rest period between the two movements as short as possible, after both movements are completed rest 0-60 secs and repeat again for 2-4 sets

If your goal is hypertrophy (increase in muscle size) place a heavy DB or KB between your feet squat down grab the weight and then complete 3-6 sets of 6-12 repetitions with a 2/0/2 tempo. 2 down, control, 2 up. Rest 60 mins between sets.

*Worth mentioning that both types of training are imperative for both strength and changing your physique.

4. Foam Roller Hamstring Curls :

No Hamstring Curl Machine???? No problem. This simple setup will have your hamstrings screaming I promise. You can incorporate this into your leg day or even in your warm-up before you hit some squats or lower body. To set up place the foam roller under your ankle, press your hands into the floor, and lift your booty off the floor, once you are lifted curl in and get your feet flat on top of the foam roller, simply push away to get back to your starting position. 

Try This :

For Stability and Muscular Endurance goals, complete 3 sets of 15 reps. Squeeze at the top of every rep. rest 0-90 seconds between sets.

For Strength Endurance goals complete 4 sets of 10 RDLS (Romanian Deadlifts) and superset them with 12 Foam Roller Hamstring Curls. Rest 0-60 seconds between rounds. 4/2/0 tempo on the RDLS. Tell me your hammies don’t burn after that?

Don’t let lack of equipment stand in the way of you getting your workout in. 

Stay tuned for more tips and tricks.

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References :

Penney, Stacey. “Stabilization Endurance: NASM's Optimum Performance Training.” NASM, blog.nasm.org/nasm-optimum-performance-training.