How to Get Relief with a Foam Roller
Chris FreytagDescription
Do you ever feel like stretching just isn’t doing it for you? Are you super sore after your workouts and can’t figure out a solution? Whether you have a sore low back or post-workout pain, maybe what you need is a different form of relief: a foam roller! Foam rolling is a great way to perform some light myofascial release; our fascia is underneath our skin and often makes us feel super tight. Learn how to use a foam roller and which areas to roll to promote circulation, soften up those adhesions, and increase circulation.
All exercises you perform are your own responsibility and you perform them at your own risk. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider before starting any physical exercise, fitness or wellness regiments of any kind.
Hi, I'm Chris Freytag. So do you ever feel like stretching just isn't doing it for you or you aren't making any progress? Well, maybe what you really need is a different form of relief, foam rolling. My favorite way to feel better and get some myofascial release. So what is myofascial release?
The fascia is underneath your skin and sometimes it gets knotted up. There can be adhesions and it'll just make you feel like you're super tight. So if you get a foam roller, let me give you a couple of tips. You can roll out almost any muscle group, but I'm gonna start with my hip, because a lot of people get tight hips from a lot of exercise. You're gonna take the foam roller and you're just gonna find the sensitive part and roll back and forth, maybe about 10 times, to promote circulation, get the blood pumping, and soften up those adhesions.
Then, when you find that really sensitive spot, you can roll over it or pin it and hold it. And you decide how much body weight you're pushing into it and really feel that release. It's absolutely amazing. Now you can roll out your quads. You can roll out the back of your legs.
You can roll out your lats on your back. One of my favorite things is low back. I have a sore lower back, so this really helps me to roll out, just go back and forth, promote circulation, soften up the adhesions, and then help to improve flexibility. Foam rolling is a great way to take care of your own tight muscles at home.
Hi, is it safe to foam roll over the lumbar/ lower spine?
You mention that foam rolling softens adhesions. Do you have any techniques for softening the adhesions that occur as part of a frozen shoulder? Waiting a year or more for the adhesions to soften on their own is so frustrating, not to mention the difficulty of hooking a bra properly.