Foam Rolling
Our bodies were made to move easily and without pain. However the lifestyles we lead have made us neglect our bodies from that free movement by sitting at desks longer and using technology in nearly everything we do. When using these tablets or typing on the keyboards you’ll notice that we tend to hunch forward, which can lead to connective tissues and muscles becoming stiff. What you really need is the connective tissue to be soft and spongy and muscles to be hydrated. Sitting in offices and not having enough hydration will increase the lack of mobility that leads to tension within your body. Overtraining a certain part of your body will create the same problems.
This is why you should invest in a foam roller as these are fantastic for releasing tension within the body. Using this tool to perform a myofascial release effectively allows you to self massage and work on the parts of your body that feels tight and has tension. The foam roller is perfect for pre workouts, warming up the body gently and it’s just what you need to end a workout by rolling out the tight spots you may feel when you training.
To get onto the roller at the end of the day after work is very rewarding to your body since you have put strain on it by sitting at your desk, which many will find this is a regular feeling of tension through their neck and shoulders.
Some areas you should concentrate on rolling out are:
- Lower to upper back – lift your butt off the floor and put the weight of your body on the roller and roll up and down your spine. When you feel a tight or tender spot just hold yourself on that spot and gentle roll through the tightness for as long as you can. The best way to tackle this is doing this daily to get into the connective tissue.
- Scapula release (between shoulders) this is an area that tightens very quickly, mainly around and below the neck. Position yourself diagonally to the roller, with the body horizontal and the head supported by the hands. Remember to breathe as you roll back and forth. Also change the diagonal direction to work both sides.
- Hip joint release – moving the lower body, focus on releasing around the hip joint area. Rolling over the hip, and even around the sit bone, can bring some relief from tension in your body. Roll from back to front and up and down. Keep your body as straight as possible.
- Knee area – moving down the leg, roll around the outside of the knee, specifically the area just above the knee on the side where the ITB starts, then roll down to the shin. This part really hurts, but needs to be down – try to keep breathing as you’ll be holding your breath due to the pain of it believe me.
- Thigh – lying over the roller facing down but on your elbows, keep a good alignment through the spine and roll back and forth over the thigh. Being bigger muscles this area will need a lot of work to benefit.
Use the roller as much as you can, it’s not pleasant in some areas but you need to work through them to help your body tensing up all the time. We need to look after our bodies and ignoring the stretching and rolling will wear your body down a lot quicker. Maintenance to your body is important just as it is in anything you use.
