The foam roller has an impressive—and ever expanding—resume. It's great for soothing tight muscles, reducing injury risk, and alleviating post-workout soreness. But it also has an unexpected function: "A foam roller can be used to mimic many of the movements you'd do in Pilates," says Lauren Roxburgh, a Pilates instructor and board-certified structural integrator in Santa Monica, California. Specifically, it can stand in for the reformer—which, for the uninitiated, is a costly bed-like contraption on wheels found in most Pilates studios.
The reformer's moving base makes working through the slow, focused positions of Pilates super challenging—and super efficient, especially for building core strength (just imagine lowering into a pushup or squat on an unstable surface). Using a foam roller can yield the same type of muscle activation, helping you shape up and burn fat, sans gym fees.
Want in? Grab a roller and follow Roxburgh's do-anywhere routine three or four times a week. Perform each of the following exercises in order, resting for a few seconds after each move. Repeat the sequence up to three times total. Oh, and don't rush through it, says Roxburgh. Deliberate, steady movements will score you the fastest results.
Check out the full workout in our pin-able graphic below, and continue down the page for a breakdown of each exercise.
Place your hands on the floor and rest your thighs on a foam roller (A). Bend your elbows to lower your upper body toward the floor while bending your knees to bring your heels toward your butt (B). Pause, then reverse the movement to return to start. That's one rep. Do eight.
Place your hands on a foam roller and get into a pushup position; raise your right foot a few inches (A). Keep your arms straight as you move your body slightly forward, pointing your right foot (B). Reverse the movement to return to start; repeat on the other side. That's one rep. Do eight.
Sit with feet flat on the floor and knees bent, and place your palms facedown on a foam roller behind you, fingers facing forward. Keeping your arms straight, raise your hips up off the ground (A). Bend your elbows and lower your hips toward the floor, keeping your back straight (B). Return to start. That's one rep. Do 10.
Sit with knees bent and the balls of your feet on top of a foam roller, arms reaching out from your chest (A). Keep your arms straight while you slowly lower your upper body toward the floor by extending your legs until they're straight and your heels are resting on the roller (B). Pause, then reverse to return to start. That's one rep. Do eight.
More from Women's Health:
A High-Intensity Workout to Burn Calories Like Crazy
9 Pilates Moves That Burn Major Calories
7 Awesome Ways to Use a Foam Roller
Original article and pictures take www.womenshealthmag.com site
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