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Hi everyone, it's Lunden, and this week we're talking about what the heck this is!
Well, this is a foam roller and basically
technically, you use this for self-myofacial release or foam-rolling our your muscles.
This helps with flexibility, it helps prevent muscle soreness, it also helps prevent
injury.
And it feels good to really work out those knots that form within your hard-working
muscles
as well as the outer area of your muscle, which is the facia.
So, today we're going to foam-roll out your calves
your IT-bands, your piriformis and your back.
So, with foam rolling the idea is kind of like, if you have ever laid on top of...
a tennis ball or softball and tried to massage out a really stubborn
knot that you might have in your back or some other place in your body that you can't
really reach to massage out, so basically
the foam roller is going to dig deep into your muscle, that's gonna give you that release.
Alright, here we go, let's get started! Calves are first. Put both legs out
in front of you. I'm just
resting my calves on the foam roller here. Hands are placed right by my sides,...
palms down - you can do your finger tips foward, or towards the side, whichever kind of feels
comfortable for you.
Then lift your hips all the way up and roll over both of your calves.
Now, the key is not to go as fast as possible, it's actually to go pretty slow
and identify areas that are sorer than
others. The areas that are sorer than others obviously need more attention - so you're
gonna find a spot that's pretty sore
or somewhere right next to it if it kind of hurts to be directly on top of it.
And hold that spot for 20 to 30 seconds until the muscle releases.
If you wanna isolate one calf at a time
you can cross one leg over the other and, crossed at the ankles, lift your hips up
the same way
and roll over one calf at a time. You can also turn your toe
inward or outward on that foot of the calf you are foam-rolling.
That way you can get the inner part or the outer part of your calf, depending on what's
sore. And do both sides! Really make sure you concentrate and focus for the 20 or 30 seconds.
Really let the muscle release.
You don't wanna rush through this. It might hurt a little bit, you might want it to be over quicker.
But you still wanna take your time for rolling. Okay... Now we're gonna do your IT band, which runs
along the side of your leg right here. So, I'll do my left side first.
Base of the hip
right on top here on the foam roller, my other leg is gonna bridge over, this is
gonna be the foot
that's planted down, that's gonna push my body and allow it to move over my IT band when I
come down onto my elbows
and slowly roll over my IT band.
Now, this area can be really painful, especially for runners...
especially for runners who don't do this often, I should say.
If you're a runner, I'd suggest doing this before and after every single run.
Find a spot that's really sore, that you can hold on to for about 20 or 30
seconds.
And slowly roll down to the other side.
You can't just work, work, work your muscles all the time, you have to give back to them!
You have to release all the knots from that working so hard.
You have to foam-roll and stretch and recover.
And come all the way down. Okay, so last but not least we're gonna foam-roll
out your piriformis, which is a muscle that's buried into your glute muscles.
I noticed sometimes that my piriformis would be tight when I'm foam-rolling it if I've
ran a lot
uphill, or done a lot of sprints - something that activates the glutes a lot more.
So, basically, you're going to slide the foam roller over to your side
of the piriformis muscle that you're working on, so I'm gonna put it all the way to this side
and I'm only gonna put my right butt cheek on
the foam roller here. Right foot is gonna cross
over the left knee, left knee is bent for this and both hands are behind me.
And they are going to be my moving hands and they're also gonna help keep me
stabilized. So you're going to roll the foam roller all the way over
you glute muscle, and right in the center is where your piriformis is hidden, and usually that's the most
sensitive spot - that's where you feel
the most tender area. And you can just go ahead and hold it there
for 20 to 30 seconds.
Change sides!
Left glute muscle, left piriformis, left foot crossed over.
Rolling over.
You can go all the way from your lower back, all the way
over your glute muscle, almost down to yourr
hamstring.
That way you can get a full release. And remember, you wanna move slow
over your muscles until you find that tender spot and then you wanna hold that
spot to insure you
get the release. You know it!
Last but not least, we're gonna foam-roll out your back.
And this one feels really, really awesome! I store a lot of stress and tension in
my back, so sometimes I even do this
if I'm watching TV or if I have a few minutes in between breaks while I'm on the computer and
doing some work
and this is a really great way to just kind of
relax and reverse that posture that a lot of us have from being hunched over
at a desk or something like that. You're gonna start with the foam roller
horizontally
right at the bottom of your shoulder blades. Lay right on it
there. Okay, so, knees are bent, feet are flat, hands can be by your side, just for the time
being to
kind of figure out where exactly you wanna place it. Then you're gonna bring both hands
behind your head
and you're gonna lift your hips up, pushing through your heels. Roll
the foam roller
from this area on your lower part of your shoulder blades
all the way up to your upper traps here, and as you roll
your foam roller towards your head, while your hips are up
you're gonna lean your head back, and then
as you roll the foam roller more towards your feet
you're going to keep your chin up, of course, and crunch a little bit forward.
Go slowly over that area of your back until you find
a very tender area and then you can just open up your elbows and lean
all the way back.
Alright, so there you have it! Now you know what foam rolling is and how to use this
thing next time you see it
at the gym, or if you want to buy one to keep at your house. That way you can foam-roll out
and recover those muscles whenever you have a few minutes to do so.
Don't forget to leave comments and let me know what you think and if you try foam rolling.
And don't forget to like and subscribe
to the Runtastic Fitness channel!