Rolling lunge Stand on your right foot, knee slightly bent, and put the top of your left foot on a foam roller behind you, leg straight. Raise your arms directly overhead (a). Bend your right knee lower and extend the left leg back, pressing it into the foam roller as it moves up your shin, until your right thigh is nearly parallel to the floor (b). Pause, then return to start. That’s one rep. Do four to six, then switch sides and repeat. Perks: You’ll engage more muscle fibers than in a regular reverse lunge.

a b

1 w o m e n ’ s h e a lt h / womenshealthmag.com/FoamRoller

Keep It SafeYou may feel discomfort—

as in the hurt-so-good feeling of a deep-tissue massage. But

you should never feel sharp pain (if you do, stop!), and the pain

shouldn’t linger into the following day (if it does, take a break

from rolling for a few days). Start with light, quick

motions and progress to slow, deep rolls.

Foam Roller Exercises

If you’ve only used a foam roller to loosen tight muscles after exercising, you’re missing out. It can also be used as a tool to get a more toned physique.By Je n Ato r

ReveRse Push-ThRoughSit on the floor with a foam roller behind you, your legs extended in front of you, and place both hands on the roller, arms straight and palms facing you (a). Engage your core, then slowly lower your back toward the ground, letting the foam roller move up your arms (b). Hold for five seconds, exhale, then slowly roll back up to start. That’s one rep. Do three to five. Perks: This move works your core and upper back while opening your chest—all major posture improvers.

BuTTeRfly lifTLie faceup on the floor, arms at your sides, and place the outer edges of your feet on a foam roller, with your soles pressed together and knees out in a butterfly position (a). Press your feet into the roller and squeeze your glutes to lift your hips toward the ceiling (b). Pause, then slowly lower back to start. That’s one rep. Do 10 to 15. Perks: Your glutes, hamstrings, and outer thighs get a workout as you try to keep the roller in place.

scissoRs BalanceLie faceup on a roller, with your forearms on the floor, elbows bent.

Keeping your legs straight and body balanced on the roller, raise one leg straight up and the other a few inches off the floor (a). Slowly

switch legs (b). That’s one rep. Do six to eight. Perks: Your deep core muscles (especially your obliques) have to work hard to stabilize

your body as you balance on the roller.

a

b

a

b

ab

Don’t be fooled by its minimalist, no-frills appearance: A foam roller is one of the most valuable, inexpensive, and versatile pieces of gym equipment out there, says Lauren Borden, a certified structural integration practitioner and founder of Mind Body Manhattan in Manhattan Beach, California.

It can help release tension in your connective tissues and work out kinks and knots in overused muscles (a good stand-in when a hands-on massage doesn’t fit your schedule or budget). Plus, it can be used as a strength-training tool, helping to engage key muscles you want to tone, like your arms, abs, thighs, and butt. Because the foam roller is a curved, unstable surface, it can replace a BOSU trainer or stability ball in many exercises to improve your balance and fire up your core muscles. And the roller can even be used to mimic some of the same moves done on the Pilates Reformer to tone and stretch muscles and improve posture, giving you that long, lean look.

Try this total-body foam roller workout, created by Borden, three to five times a week. Need a roller? Check out some top picks (far right).

Roll CallFour great picks for home or awayOn the Go Throw this adjustable-density foam roller into your carry-on, putting spare workout clothes in its hollow center. Travel Roller, $45, travelroller.com

All in One A massage stick (for hard-to-reach spots) nestled inside a low-density foam roller (for less-intense pressure), stashed inside a traditional high-density roller. Genius. Gold’s Gym 3-in-1 Foam Roller, $30, walmart.com

For This Workout This 36-inch, high-density foam roller is long enough for your entire back and durable enough to last for years. (The firmness may be uncomfortable for newbies at first.) Axis Roller Black Series, $20, optp.com

At the Office Roll this over tense or tender muscles to target everything from neck pain to tight calves—without leaving your desk. TP Massage Ball, $25, tptherapy .com

Shell curlPosition your hands shoulder-width apart on the floor, arms straight, chest lifted, legs extended behind you with a roller just below your knees (a). Keeping your back flat and core tight, raise your hips to pull your knees toward your chest (b). Pause, then slowly return to start. That’s one rep. Do six to eight. Perks: Nixes tightness in your shins after a run or a long day in heels.

b

a

Loosen UpHit a tight spot?

Roll directly onto it and hold for 30 to 60 seconds.

This activates your muscle’s proprioceptors (which monitor

upticks in muscle tension) and prompts the muscle to

reflexively relax, easing the pressure.