Pilates Foam Roller Exercises

class planning Apr 10, 2020

You’ll need a 36-inch long foam roller. It can be firm or soft - depending on your comfort. I particularly like using a half roller (same length but one surface is flat and the other round).

You'll find mostly strength and mobility exercises in this post. If you're looking for self-massage or myofascial release exercises, check out this post.

You'll find videos and detailed descriptions of each of these exercises inside the Pilates Encyclopedia membership!

Supine

Bridging: FR across mat, feet on foam roller
Mini Bridging
Toe Taps
Snow Angels
Leg Raises
Supine Scapular Series (arm vertical with light hand weights)
Arm circles (with or without hand weights)
Overhead with hand weights
Single Leg Stretch, legs only, palms on the floor
Double Leg Stretch, legs only, palms on the floor: Lying lengthwise on the roller, feet on the floor or on two yoga blocks
Frogs: FR across the mat (90 degrees to the mat) under the sacrum
Lower + Lift
Circles
Scissors
Bicycle
Helicopter
Hip flexor stretch
Leg Series
One Leg Circles: FR across the mat by your feet, rest your ankles on the roller
The Roll-Up
Incline (float hips off the mat) > lift one leg

Seated

Calf massage: cross one leg over the other
Back Control + Leg Pull: FR across the mat by your feet, rest your ankles on the roller
Spine Twist
Spine Stretch
Roll Down: like on Reformer, push roller with tailbone
Figure 4 glute massage: Sitting on FR
Spine Twist
Spine Stretch
Half Roll Back
Oblique Half Roll Back: Sitting on the floor holding FR with your hands
Back Control
Leg Pull
Upward Facing Table: modified Back Control
Back massage: FR across the mat behind your back, hands on the roller
Hip Twist
Frogs: like Footwork on the Reformer, FR across the mat behind your back, elbows on the roller

Side-Lying

Mermaid: FR next to you
Outer hip massage (glute medius and minimus, TFL): FR perpendicular to the mat, outside of your leg on FR, supported on one elbow
IT band massage
Outer calf massage
Side plank

Prone

Swimming (legs only)
Baby Swan: FR perpendicular to the mat, forearms on FR

Quadruped + Kneeling

Plank
Push-Ups
Puppy stretch (sit on your heels): FR perpendicular to the mat, hands on FR
Plank
Push-Ups
Opposite arm and leg balance
Kneeling abdominals: like on the Reformer
Step one foot forward into lunge, back knee on FR
Kneeling hamstring stretch: FR perpendicular to the mat, back shin on FR
Thigh massage: FR perpendicular to the mat, thighs on FR, supported on elbows
The Z Thigh Stretch: Kneeling, holding FR in your hands

Standing

Standing Balance on the foam roller: FR 90 degrees to wall, with hands at wall at first)
Squats and/or wide squats (plies in a ballet second position): Stand with your back to the wall, squeeze roller between the wall and your back