Although it’s true that many Pilates exercises on the foam roller challenge your balance, I am not quite sure that any challenge you so intensely as Log roll on the foam roller. In fact, this exercise doesn’t just challenge your balance; it also challenges your ankle strength and flexibility.

If you feel like the bottoms of your feet are sensitive or if you believe you have poor balance, please be sure to practice this exercise next to a wall or table. It’s a good idea to have something that can help you stabilize and balance nearby if you’ve never tried this exercise before. Here’s how to get the most from Log roll on the foam roller.

Log Roll on the Foam Roller

1. If you have balance issues, tight feet, or if this is your first time practicing this exercise; make sure you set your roller up near a wall or another stable surface such as a table.
2. Place your roller on the floor.
3. Stand in the center of the roller so that as you shift your weight forward and backward, your roller rolls in the opposite direction.
4. Come back to a centered position.
5. Carefully, let one foot start to roll the foam roller forward while your other foot flexes at the ankle and gets a calf stretch.
6. Pick up your front foot and move it toward the back of the roller as your back foot rolls the foam roller forward.
7. Keep taking these small, careful steps to roll the foam roller forward.
8. Use Pilates breathing throughout.
9. When you feel like you have rolled forward enough times, switch directions to roll backward. This means that your back foot (which is flexed at the ankle) will be the one to lift and move to the front of the foam roller as your front foot rolls the roller backward.
10. Try to move as far backward as you did forward.
11. Be sure to use something to help you balance if you need it.

Finding a Foam Roller

If you want to order a foam roller, I recommend the OPTP brand foam roller. Their foam rollers are firm and don’t dent or bend easily. It’s crucial for your foam roller to be firm and stay the same shape throughout its use.

Foam rollers are a great tool to elevate your Pilates mat work, but they’re also wonderful self-massage tools. Here’s a link to some foam roller stretches.

Log Roll on the Foam Roller Video

Here is a video for visual learners.

What do you think of this challenging exercise? Do you practice any other similar balance exercises on the foam roller? Let us know in the comments below.

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