Roll your way through this fun and effective workout. Since I do all my workouts in the comfort of my own home, or outside of a gym, I have to get creative with my workouts. Creativity keeps me mentally in the game, and also keeps my body responding. Our bodies love change. Doing the same thing, day in and day out, can be the number one reason we hit plateaus. Not only does our body get used to what we are doing, but we can also experience a mental burnout by doing the same thing, day in and day out. What keeps me devoted for life is constantly coming up with new, fun and fresh ways to stimulate my mind and muscles.
Check out this fun and very effective workout using a simple plant roller, which you can get for under $10! I promise that you will love this workout, and you will stimulate those muscles in ways you haven’t in quite some time. Have fun with this circuit workout and let me know what you think!
Basic Burpee Using the Roller
• Begin in a squat position with hands on the roller, on the ground in front of you.
• Kick your feet back to a pushup, plank position.
• Immediately jump your feet toward your hands (the roller).
• Stand up, leaping up as high as possible, lifting the roller overhead as you jump.
Because this movement uses a lot of core stability with the roller, go slow and take your time with each rep. Aim for 10 reps.
Pikes Off the Roller
• Begin in the top of a plank position with your hands on the floor and toes on the roller.
• Slowly and steadily, roll the roller toward your arms while your glutes lift up toward the sky into a pike position.
• Roll your feet back out to the starting position, the top of a plank, and repeat the movement 10 times.
This is similar to doing a pike off of an exercise ball, really focusing on your core. Go slow and keep that core engaged throughout the movement.
Hamstring Curls Off the Roller
• Begin lying on your back, with your knees bent and feet on the roller.
• Lift your glutes from the ground and bring the roller in toward your body, really focusing on squeezing your glutes and hamstrings.
• Bring the roller back out to the starting position, keeping your glutes lifted off the ground the entire time. Repeat until you have completed 10 reps.
This exercise is not for speed, but rather for going slow and focusing on that mind-muscle connection. Squeeze your hamstrings and glutes while keeping your core engaged with each repetition.
The Ab Roller
• Begin with your knees on the ground, feet crossed behind you and hands on the roller in front of you.
• Slowly roll the roller out in front of you into the top of a modified pushup position.
• Slowly bring the roller back to the starting position, and repeat the movement until you have completed 10 reps.
This is definitely a more challenging core exercise. If you need to only go out halfway until you have more core stability, start there and work your way up to the full range of motion. Place a towel or mat under your knees for more comfort.
Repeat the complete circuit two to three times.