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The "12 Days Of" Foam Rolling Routine
December 18, 2016
It has to be said, foam rolling is a saviour, one of my most favourite pass-times and ways to relax.
When I was in the midst of glute rehabilitation (see The Story of my Butt for details), I was constantly tight and sore, as my body began the process of re-adjusting and changing movement patterns.
It was not an easy road, and some days I thought there was no possible way what I was doing was correct, because I just felt soooo ouchy all the time!!
However, I came to learn that this was all just part of the process, as muscles I never knew I had were essentially waking up from a coma and going back to full-time work.
Through all of this, my massage ball and foam roller were always there - loyal massage servants whenever I needed them (the ball was particularly useful on long car rides).
In celebration of the holidays, here is an at home foam rolling routine with 12 (+ 1 optional) exercises.
You'll need a massage ball and/or foam roller. Puppy optional.
I find it best to set a timer for one minute per exercise. You want to roll initially to find any trigger points, then hold pressure on these niggly areas until the tension starts to release. You may want to spend up to two minutes in areas that are particularly tight - this tends to be the quads and IT bands for most.
1. Feet - you'll need a massage ball to really feel this one, and its best to use a "circular" action rather than juse going back and forth
2. Shins - roll back and forth across both shins. Ensure you keep a neutral spine - this is a great exercise for your core at the same time
3. Inner Thighs - this one does look like you're humping the ground - sorry about that!! Lie on your front and roll across your inner thigh (1 minute per side)
4. Calves - you can either do both calves at once, or if you're not feeling it enough, stack your legs and do one at a time. roll back and forth until you find your niggly spots!!
5. Hamstrings - As above, you can either do your hamstrings one at a time or both at once. Sometimes it's better to tilt your pelvis slightly forward to ensure you feel this one properly. I also like to roll my hamstrings with the massage ball to get a deeper stretch
6. IT Bands - These tend to be incredibly tight on most people, so you may want to spend a bit of extra time here. Roll on your side all the way from your knee up to your hip bone (1 minute per side)
7. Hip Flexors - Again, I prefer to do the hip flexors with the massage ball as it's easier to get deep into the muscles. You wont need to roll much here - just hold the roller on the tight spot between your quad and hip bone (can you tell it's not physio Sam talking here?? haha)
8. Neck - this is a very small movemnt but feels sooo nice! Start by laying down with the foam roller cushioned under your neck and move your head side to side. Then switch to nodding your head up & down.
9. Quads - this is one of my niggliest areas and I feel it enough doing both quads at once. Just roll back and forth and don't forget to pause for 10-15 seconds to release any knots.
10. Glutes - because your butt contains such large muscles, it's better to roll in a circular pattern to avoid stretching these length-ways. I like to cross my opposite leg over to help apply more pressure to the side I'm massaging (1 minute each side)
11. Lats - Hold your arms up and away from your body, and position the roller over your lats, rolling back and forth (1 minute each side)
12. Shoulders - I LOVE this one (and not just because Barnaby was helping). Crossing your arms across your body and rolling side to side, up and down is one of the most amazing massages your can give yourself.
After this you should be feeling amazing!! :D
