What Do You Do With That? Part 3:Roller

In Parts 1 and 2 of "What Do You Do With That?" we took a look some uncommon implements at your local commercial gym. Bands and Boards are usually used to get you stronger, while a foam roller can be used for prehab/rehab. This means you use a foam roller to help prevent injuries and also bring you back from one.

Before we talk about what you do with a roller, let's figure out where to get one. There are many different types of rollers that you can buy. The most common is the foam roller. That is okay for the normal Gym Bro but not you. Foam rollers lose there shape and start to flatten out after a while so step it up to some dense material. PVC Pipe.

Besides having all of your home improvements needs, Lowe's also carries the perfect size PVC for you to roll on instead of the foam.

Now you have some different options when you roll up to Lowe's so I'll tell you what to look for. Keep in mind this is a home improvement warehouse so don't go in there and ask the nearest cat with a Lowe's vest where the nearest good piece of PVC is. You want to look for something that is a manageable size not a 10 foot piece that a guy has to fire up the table saw to cut down to size.

Your looking for something that is already cut to size and easy for you to transport. The size you want is 2 feet long with either a 3 or 4 inch diameter. For some reason the 4 inch in regularly out of stock so it might take a couple of times to get what you want. I use the 4 inch and it has been perfect.

What can I do with this hard piece of plastic? You are going to give yourself a massage with the PVC using your body weight to apply the pressure. Use the pipe to break up scar tissue and work out some knots. Focus on the tight spots of your body which usually means anything you can't see while standing in front of a mirror. Concentrate on your hamstrings, IT band (side of your leg), Quads, Glutes, and your Upper Back. Take each section and do a set number of passes with the PVC. Be consistent. If you want some advanced rolling techniques read this. I like to roll before every training session as a way to get some of the kinks out and get the blood flowing through out the body. You can incorporate it into your warm up along with some other exercises.

The other tool you see on my first pic is a lacrosse ball.

A lacrosse ball is solid rubber and can be used to pinpoint certain areas that need more attention. Lower body sections put it on the ground and roll on top. For the upper body put it on the wall, stand up against it and roll. Go easy. It will take some getting used to don't just plop down and hope for the best. Lacrosse balls can be found at any sporting goods store for about $3. No more excuses for feeling tight you have two viable options that combined are about $10 and will offer relief.

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What Do You Do With That? Part 2:Boards

Hey Bro, pass me that 3-Board. What the ???? Uh sorry man, I have no idea what you're talking about. If you've seen some boards at your gym consider yourself lucky. If not, do what I had to and make some.

So what do you with those 2x4s? Pretty straightforward Board Presses. Well, what does mean?

The safest way to pull this off is a 3-Man team of Board Man, Spotter, Presser. If you are the board man it's not that hard to hold to board. If you make your own make sure they have a handle. When the presser is ready hold the board and position it on the chest making sure it is centered and not on their throat. The spotter will take an alternated grip and assume this is a max effort lift. Don't pull the bar too high it is just to get it off the upright. You don't want to be the reason why he loses upper back tightness. Also make sure your fingers are out of the way before they get stapled to the board. Pay attention there is a lot going on with boards, spotters, and heavy weights over your throat. The board can move, it can be too high or low, lifter might want to rerack. Make sure you have an understanding of how you will count, lift off and spot. As for the lifter, we will assume you have a solid setup. You will start the descent as normal to the board. Don't just let the bar fall onto the board, bounce it, then lock it out. Control the descent, absorb the bar into the board then lockout. Keep in mind this will be harder than tradition bench press because you cut out the stretch reflex.

Photo Courtesy of West Side Barbell.

Why should I do board presses? Depending on what size board you have will determine the main muscles worked. So a 1 board is main chest muscles while a 4 board is a majority of triceps. So in addition to your regular bench press training you can also supplement with some board pressing for your lagging areas. Lets say you can take a certain weight down to the chest and almost to lock out but are getting stuck you need to work on your triceps and use a 3 or 4 board about where you are having problems and strengthen that area. Having some trouble off the chest then shorten the board and work the tough range of right off the chest. Besides working on some of your sticking points what else is board pressing useful for? Right off the bat is a different tricep exercise that is also very similar to the lift you are trying to build up. Board Press and Bench Press are pretty similar. Board Pressing is also a little easier on the upper body allowing you to recover quicker. Since the range of motion is lessened so is the impact on your CNS. Finally another great benefit is you handling a heavier weight. You can feel what that weight is in your hands and through your body with a shortened stroke in order to build some confidence. Heavy weights can play tricks on your mind so why not beat it to the punch and show yourself you can do it.

Now, this was a just a primer into board pressing kinda what I would tell the guy at the gym asking what they are used for. There is a lot of information about how to cycle them into training, when to use them and to add them with Bands. Make sure you check out How to Work Wonders with a Piece of Wood.