Love the Foam Roll!

Most people that are trying to get fit focus so hard on exercising, but how many of those people remember that their body needs to recover in order to reduce risk of injury and continue to improve their level of fitness? Hmmm…not too many! Your body needs to be rehydrated and replenished after every workout in order to continue to maintain proper functioning. After every workout, you should perform a cool down routine in order to get the body back to its resting state.  It’s always important to cool down after every workout by:

· Performing lighter exercise (ie. slow paced walking) for 5-10 minutes to reduce your heart rate back to its resting state

· Performing gentle stretching exercises for the total body, especially the muscles just focused on in the workout. Remember to stretch each muscle for at least 30 seconds to get a desired outcome. 

· Performing myofascial release to improve blood flow and loosen up/flush the tissues of the body with a foam roll ***(Topic of today's post! yayyyy!)***

· Rehydrating with plenty of water and eating balanced healthy meal options with plenty of protein, fruits, and vegetables.

Today, I am going to discuss the magical item called the foam roll (shown below).

Most people I talk to have a “love/hate”relationship with the foam roll. Foam rolls can be purchased at the store, through exercise catalogs, and even on Amazon.com or Ebay. Foam rolls come in different sizes and densities. The denser the foam roll, the higher resistance it provides and most often the more pain it may cause on tight muscles/tissues of the body. Yes, you are correct…I just said pain...don’t you know that PT stands for “Pain & Torture”?? Just kidding! But yes, like I said before, most people have this love/hate relationship with the foam roll because the soft tissue massage (myofascial release) this roll provides can be painful if the muscle/tissue is really tight and sore. This is the type of pain that is ok to experience, but you want to make sure you go by your level of tolerance. So if you don’t have a very high pain threshold, you might want to start with the less dense foam roll, which usually is the white roll and work your way up to higher densities. I recommend the 6 inch diameter roll for the exercises I will provide for you today. If you don’t want to purchase a foam roll, you can use a soup can, coffee can, PVC pipe, tennis ball, basketball, etc. *Please note that these items are pretty dense and may be quite painful if you’re doing this for the first time.* It’s always better to start with a light density and work your way up to the high density foam rolls that come in black or other textures. Below is a list of exercises you can perform before and after your workouts to help get the blood flowing and ensure proper tissue movement in the body. Repeat these exercises with 5-10 strokes on each muscle group.

1. Calf (Gastrocnemius/soleus complex): Start with the foam roll just above your heel and roll your body over it so the roll goes up to the back of the knee. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscle. You can do both legs at once or one at a time. Try rotating your legs in and out (toes in vs. toes out) as well to get all sides of the muscle.

2. Hamstrings: Start with the foam roll at the back of the knee and roll your body over it so it goes up to the buttocks. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscle. You can do both legs at once or one at a time. Try rotating your legs in and out (toes in vs. toes out) as well to get all sides of the muscle.

3. Quadriceps: Start with the foam roll just above the knees and roll your body so it goes up to the front of your hips. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscle. If performing this on one leg at a time, try to rotate your body so you get all aspects of the muscle.

4. IT Band (Iliotibial band): Start with the roll at the side of the hip and roll your body so it goes down to the side of the knee. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the tissue. Use your arms and bent leg to move yourself along the foam roll.

5. Hip Adductors: Start with your knee bent up so the foam roll rests at your inner thigh. Roll your body over the roll so it goes from the inside of your knee to just below your groin area. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscles.

6. Buttocks/Piriformis: Start by sitting on the foam roll and leaning to one side. Roll your body back and forth slowly over the buttocks area. Perform on both sides.

7. Upper Back (Thoracic Paraspinals and Scapular Stabilizers): Start with the foam roll at your mid back and roll your body over it until you reach the base of your neck. Stick your arms in the air or hug yourself to ensure you get the rhomboids and middle trap muscles. You can rotate your body side to side as well to get the lats involved. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscles. You can also improve spinal extension if you extend your back over the foam roll, bringing your head closer to the ground, during this exercise.

8: Lower Back: (Lumbar Paraspinals): Perform slight sit up as you roll over the foam roll from the top of your buttocks to the mid back. Repeat by rolling back and forth slowly, the entire length of the muscles.

There are a variety of foam roll exercises you can perform, but these are the basics for myofascial release to improve blood flow and loosen up those tight tissues before and after workouts. It is important to hydrate and eat well before and after workouts also, in order to reduce muscle soreness and replenish important nutrients for rebuilding damaged tissues and improving mood, fitness level, and energy level. Starting this foam roll routine may make you sore at first like any new exercise routine, but it will get better with time as your tissues and muscles loosen up and get healthier. Try out this routine today and see how much better your workouts go in the future as you make your muscles happier by replenishing their needs.