Foam Rolling
If you've been to the gym and seen people rolling around on little foam cylinders and wondered what all the fuss is about read on. Whether you do weights, run, cycle or sit at a desk all day I thoroughly recommend you give foam rolling a try.
Foam rolling offers the ability for self-administered myofascial release. The fascia is a thin, tough connective tissue that wraps structures of the body, including muscles. Simply put, the pressure of the foam against the tight muscle acts to help relax and soften the connective tissues thereby improving blood flow and lymphatic drainage (the lymph system is responsible for removing wastes such as toxins, dead cells, bacteria and excess proteins from the body). Foam rolling is a great remedial therapy for muscle repair but regular rolling acts as preventative health maintenance (reducing the likelihood and severity of muscle soreness as a result of exercise).
Foam rolling is a cheaper alternative to massage (which can quickly become cost-prohibitive if you train regularly) and you can do it every day. Ideally, you'd combine foam rolling with a regular massage session with a trained practitioner to give the full complement of support to your hard-working muscles. I am a huge advocate for the healing benefits of human touch. Foam rolling cannot take the place of manual therapy but it is a valuable addition to the arsenal of weapons at your disposal to speed recovery and reduce pain associated with training hard.
There are a variety of foam rollers available - smooth and rumble. Smooth rollers are good for everyday use and can be used to work anything from quads and hamstrings to your back, inner thigh and calves. Rumble rollers provide deeper penetration and are good if you have a knot or a specifically stubborn tight area. Rumble rollers are intense so I find them better on the chunkier parts of the body (like the quads and glutes) or to specifically target a pained area.
Most gyms have foam rollers available but, if you can afford it, a foam roller is a great addition to your home. You can then use it while watching your favourite TV show in the evening and effectively multi-task.
How to use a foam roller
There are two ways to use foam rollers - rolling and holding. Foam rolling works best if you use a combination of both. Rolling sounds obvious (a regular smooth back-and-forth motion) but it is worthwhile taking the time to notate good form so that you get the most out of your time on the cylinder. You can also hold yourself in a static pose to break up a knot in a particular spot.
Breathe deep
Firstly, remember to breathe. Foam rolling is likely to cause some discomfort (stop if you are in pain and seek professional advice) so it's easy to hold your breath and forget everything but the warm, almost burning pain. This is counterintuitive to recovery. Take long, slow deep breaths while you roll to assist in adequate blood flow to the working muscles. Relax your shoulders, unclench your jaw and breathe through the discomfort.
Roll in full
Roll the length of the muscle you are targeting. For example, if you are working on your quads, lie on your stomach with the foam roller under your hip. Slowly move forward so that the foam roller slides across the top of your quad until it hits just above your knee. Move back until the roller is at your hip again. Try to maintain even pressure along the length of the muscle.
Shimmy, shimmy
Rather than rolling the same plane over and over; rotate, twist and shimmy your weight to target different muscles, ligaments and connective tissues.
Hold up
When you've rolled for a few minutes you may notice that you have a particularly sore patch (for me it is often a patch on my right quad about three centimetres up from my knee on the lateral plane that needs more attention when I am working my quads). This is where the hold option of foam rolling comes into play. Find the epicentre and rest your weight on the foam roller. Breathe. Hold the pose for up to a minute then follow with some light rolling along the length of the muscle to stimulate circulation. You can repeat this up to three times if the knot is particularly stubborn. If the pain persists, seek alternative treatment. Foam rolling is not the be-all and end-all of muscular relief.
Hydrate
After any workout, you should be replenishing your body of water (as well as carbs, protein and electrolytes if you have been training in hot conditions). This is no less important after massage or foam rolling. Water helps your body flush the toxins that have been mobilised by foam rolling out of your body. Drink a little extra on days when you roll.
Follow up with a topical anti-inflammatory
If pain persists, you could try topical anti-inflammatory to aid healing. Always use common sense in the use of medications. Please seek medical advice before using any medication you have not used previously or if the pain persists longer than a couple of days.
Benefits of foam rolling
Reduced exercise-related soreness - helps mobilise lactic acid and aids recovery
Improved flexibility - new research suggests that working on the elasticity of connective tissues can assist muscle stretching which leads to greater flexibility
Better circulation - by stimulating the muscles, blood flow to the roller area increases
Injury prevention - many injuries result from tightness and overuse. Rolling aids the release of tight muscles and replenish them with oxygen after a workout
Waste removal - stimulation of the lymph system aids in the removal of waste products
Stress release - deep breathing combined with increased circulation results in a release of cortisol, the stress hormone
Rock and Roll
Hamstrings and calves (back of your legs)
Sit on the floor. Place the foam roller under your butt (so that it would naturally roll towards your feet if you were sitting on a hill) with your weight on your hands behind you. Lean on your hands and allow your legs to rest on the roller. Use your arms to push and pull your legs over the roller. You can roll all the way down the backs of your legs to your ankles if you want (or treat your calves separately by rolling from just below your knee to your ankle).
Quads (fronts of your legs)
Lie on your stomach. Lift your hips and place the foam roller underneath your body (so that the roller would naturally roll to your feet if you were on a hill). Using your hands to support the weight of your upper body, shift your weight forward and back over the roller. Stop just before you reach your knee.
Hips
Rolling of hips is underrated in my opinion. I find my hip flexors (and obliques) get quite tight. Lie on your stomach and place the roller under your hip bones (lads, not too sure how this one works with the boys but will make a mental note to ask my partner for some tips and revert back with an edit for same). Take one foot off the ground and work into that hip by rolling back and forth and twisting your hip to force the muscles into the roller. Sometimes it helps to completely roll onto one side (with the top leg held up or resting on the floor if needs be) to really get into the hip joint. If you can tolerate it, a rumble roller is good for getting into the hip joint.
Glutes (your butt)
If you squat or lunge your butt is likely to get tight. Giving your glutes a little attention after leg day can go a long way to ensuring you can still use the toilet when DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness to the uninitiated) hits. Sit on the roller and lean back on your hands. Roll back and forth so the pressure of the roller is on your sit bones with your glutes tracking over the top. This is where it is important to shift your weight. The glutes can be quite tricky to hit in one plane so twisting to the side is especially important here (you may need to lift the foot of the leg you're working on off the ground to get maximum benefit). Pause and hold on anywhere that is tighter than others.
Shoulders and arms
I have a number of old injuries so I find rolling my arms and shoulders quite awkward. Plenty of people swear by this though (which is why I maintain the importance of listening to your body at all times).
Back
This is the most relaxing roll for me so I tend to do it at the end and use it as a meditative conclusion to my workout. Lie on your back with the foam roller underneath your lower back (not on your sacrum) and roll to your shoulder blades. You can also turn the roller ninety degrees and lie with it along the length of your spine for a few minutes at the end of rolling to allow for complete relaxation. Throw in a little meditation and your workout is complete!
