Do you get sore after you work out?
The next day you avoid the stairs or even have trouble opening doors because your muscles are so sore. You either love it or hate the workout burn, however, foam rolling can help ease your discomfort and even speed up recovery.
By applying pressure to the muscles is a type of self-massage. The goal is to boost circulation of blood to the muscles so they have healthy connective tissue. By rolling you improve tissue mobility and in turn improve performance in whatever movement/sport you are doing. If you are wondering what is so different from foam rolling and the stretches you already do, foam rolling is designed to take away the adhesions in your muscles. These adhesions, which contribute to that tight feeling, and restrict your range of motion after going up in weight, repetitions, and sets. So if you just stretch you will just go back to the limited range of motion you started at.
There is a special technique to follow when doing foam rolling and can be dangerous just throwing your dead weight on top so make sure you understand the basic technique before you get started.
Below are my favourite lower body moves.
Hamstrings.
Sit on the floor and put the foam roller under your upper thighs/hamstrings. Using your hands behind you to hold and lift your bottom of the ground roll back and forth for along as you need.
Glute Muscle.
Sit on the floor and place the roller under your right glute. Legs should be bent and your feet should be resting lightly on the ground. With one hand placed on the floor behind you. Start by rolling the roller in small circles under you, then reverse directions. When you find a tight area, put more of your body weight on the roller. Pulse up and down for a few seconds, alternating between more and less pressure. Repeat movements on the left side
Lateral Calf Muscle.
Have one leg on the foam roller to start, with the other bent in front of you and your hands behind you. The foam roller should be roughly two inches above your Achilles heel. Shift back two inches so the roller moves up your side calf towards your knee, then roll it back down. Repeat on the left side.
Quad Muscle.
Lie face down on the floor. Place a foam roller under your upper thighs to your legs, you should be balancing on your forearms with your core engaged. Begin by rolling two inches to the front of the mat and then two inches to the back.
Hamstrings.
Sit on the Floor and plave your hamstrings on top of the foam roller, with your hands behind you for support lift your bottom of the ground. Roll forwards then back for as long as you need.
Benefits of foam rolling:
- Prevents injury
- Encourages faster recovery
- Breaks up Scar tissue
- Improves mobility and flexibility
- Removes lactic acid to aid in recovery
Foam rolling is a great tool you can use to help you reach your fitness goals faster. A foam roller can be bought for as little as $5 from your local kmart store!
