Ummmm, what the heck is foam rolling and why do I need to do it?? I’ve heard about this foam rolling nonsense from EVERYONE! I thought, gheez another silly fitness fad we are being pulled into.
Bite my tongue!! It turns out this is anything but a silly fad! It is widely used by massage therapist and athletes alike. Yep, I admit I was wrong. Go figure, but this killer technique really works!! Today, it’s an essential component of my post workout recovery, never to be skipped.
You know that soreness you experience following a workout? Well, the goal of foam rolling is to break up muscle knots and return blood flow to normal function. Basically the deep compression is achieved by slowly rolling your body along the roller, stopping along pressure points to release or ease tension (aka this poor girl’s deep tissue massage). What I love is that this technique can be done by anyone, no matter your fitness level and you have the ability to control the pressure on exact locations because only you can feel where the pain is coming from – genius!!
I am no athlete or even a trained fitness expert, but I want to share a few of my post workout foam moves that work for me.
Two very important points before you begin
- Breathe in and out using deep, long breaths throughout each movement.
- Please accept my apology …this will probably hurt like a mother-freaker.
[large_title title=”How to Foam Roll Your Calves”]
Rest one or both legs on the roller just below the calf. Raise your body with both arms behind you and slowly roll your calf along the roller stopping at any point you feel pain, allowing the tension to ease. Continue on once you can feel the trigger point begin to relax.
[large_title title=”How to Foam Roll Your Quads and IT Bands”]
Use the same slow rolling movement stopping at any point that you feel pain.
[large_title title=”How to Foam Roll Your Tush”]
Waaaahhhhh why is my ass always sore!?!? This pretty much is the only way to really target your tush. Sit on the roller resting your weight on one cheek. Roll back and forth slowly, switching sides when done and repeat.
[large_title title=”How to Foam Roll Your Back and Lats”]
I never do my lower back, as it seems to do more harm than good. So place the roller just above that point and roll all the way up to your shoulders, stopping at the base of your neck. This is my favorite move! I can feel ALL that tension just ease right out of my back muscles. Actually, after a long day of flying this particular move sets my lil’ back muscles back on track!! Moving over to my side, I roll my lats on both the right and left side. Finally, I lay the roller length wise and roll side to side targeting between my shoulder blades. Another move that feels soooooo darn guuuudddd!
Did I already beg forgiveness?? Sorry…maybe you’ll thank me later — XO
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