Foam Roller, myofascial release for exercise recovery and injury rehabilitation
A good friend of mine Rahul tweeted me the other day, asking what is foam rolling?
I’ve been banging on about it for a while. I first come across foam rolling after reading some training logs on www.elitefts.com (awesome website by the way).
Basically since I started foam rolling I have felt a lot looser i.e. less tight in the muscles and also have less aches and pains especially my lower back. In fact I am pretty certain it has allowed me to squat consistently after a break of about 4 years (hip problems) – touchwood. Another benefit is that it speeds up my recovery process and I am less sore for a shorter period of time, which is great!
Foam roller work involves using a roller (fairly firm) to perform a self sports massage also known as Myofascial release. It is great because it breaks down scar tissue, increases blood flow/circulation to soft tissues and at the same time stretches out muscles and tendons whilst breaking up trigger points. You use your bodyweight to apply as much pressue as you can handle to areas that need it i.e. tight hamstrings = roll out hamstrings and lower back. Please see video below for instruction.
The way I do it, is foam roller my legs after a workout for about 20mins and then I usually do another foam rolling session a couple of days afterwards. The thing that I have found with foam rolling, is the more you put in i.e. punish yourself, the more you will get out of it. You really have to apply maximum pressure on the most sore parts of your legs and back. I usually start by rolling out my glutes and lower back. Then follow it with hamstrings and quads, leaving my hip to ITB band’s till last as they always seem to be the most painful things to roll out. I may even start using it before the workout to help warm me up.
I also throw in another session during the week and concentrate solely on my back and hamstrings.
You can buy foam rollers from most decent sports shops or do a search on google. The thing to look out for is a decent diameter, you also don’t want it too thin and also it needs to be firm and hard wearing. I got mine from an Amazon reseller (link below) and it has been a real life saver, it cost me about £14 and it is literally the best £14 I ever spent.
By the way Rahul, it is meant to really help shin splints too, loads of articles on the internet such as this one from runner space
