Foam Rolling Guide – Part 2

In Part 1 I introduced the concept of foam rolling and explained what it is.  In part 2 I want to give you my tips and techniques.

How long should you foam roll?

For general maintenance, each muscle should be focused on for up to 2 minutes at a time.  I know many of my readers are highly educated and now there are over 600 muscle in the body – don’t worry you don’t need to foam roll them all!  You focus on the ones that feel tight and in need of the foam rolling.

How to use a foam roller if you hunch over your desk all day?

To open up your chest you can lay on the foam roller so it is underneath your spine – for about 10 minutes and this will open up your back & chest.

Any more tips?

You can essentially foam roll any part of your body.  You just start and place with the movement, speed and pressure to see what works for you.  But don’t expect it to feel comfortable – those tender spots are the ones that need the help most.  I would suggest you start off slowly and build up time, speed and pressure slowly.

The outside of the thighs (or IT bands) are an area of tightness for runners and cyclists and its highly accessible on a foam roller.  The larger muscles in the legs, quads (front of thighs), hamstrings (back of thighs), calf musles are very easy to foam roll.

 

Related Posts

  • Good Posture Exercise

    Having spoken previously about why poor posture is bad for you, I wanted to move on to give you a simple exercise that helps promote good posture.  Brugger's exercise routine is devised to activate postural muscles weakened and simultaneously stretched by a prolonged sitting posture. Slumped Position slumped Check the tension in your upper back and shoulders in the slumped posture and then in the Brugger's position, to see if you notice any difference as the muscle tension is dramatically reduced. Brugger Exercise Posture bruggers Step By Step Guide

    1. Sit perched towards the edge of your seat; this will naturally place your lower back into a curve (lumbar lordosis) with your butt sticking out a little.  As you do this your breastbone (sternum) will naturally lift up.
    2. Separate your legs to 45 degrees each side with your feet turned out slightly and in line with your knees.
    3. Your shoulders are relaxed and down with your chin tucked in, making the back of your neck longer – imagine a piece of string is attached to the top of your head and someone is lifting you up.
    4. Fully straighten (extend) both elbows and arms.
    5. Make sure you keep your shoulders down and imagine your shoulder blades [scapula] are pushing down and together to form a V.
    6. Turn your thumbs out (externally rotate), palms up.
    7. Separate your fingers.
    8. You should now be in the position show above in the Brugger's exercise posture picture.
    9. Hold for 30 seconds.
    Ideally you should perform the Brugger's exercise once for every thirty minutes of sitting, so why not try this once a day. PS The Science This exercise was developed by a Swiss Neurologist called Alois Brugger MD,  the exercise is neither a traditional stretch or strengthening technique but works neurologically by being complementary to the way your body is wired to work. Our bodies are neurologically much stronger in all of our flexor muscles. This is displayed perfectly if we look at a person with a neurological disorder, e.g. cerebral palsy; their body naturally has increased tension (hypertension) in the flexor muscles, also known as the spastic posture. This demonstrates our natural prosperity to an Upper Cross Posture which often develops when we sit for prolonged periods of time in a slumped position. Muscles work in groups. When one group is working then the opposing group are unable to work (inhibited).  An easy example to visualise of this is when you place food in your mouth. To do this you flex your fingers, wrist muscles, bicep muscles and pecs., all flexors. However, to be able to do this you have to inhibit your finger extensors, wrist extensors, triceps, rhomboids etc. This is called reciprocal inhibition. If you were unable to do this you would be unable to feed yourself. The Brugger exercise works on the principal of reciprocal inhibition. When doing this exercise you are activating all your extensor muscles and therefore inhibiting all of your (usually hyper activated) flexor muscles.  

  • Is slouching that bad for you? – part 2

    One of our biggest bad habits is slouching.  In part 1, I discussed how slouching can be linked to higher blood pressure, but that is not the only health issue... It may cause heartburn... Slumping doesn’t just wreak havoc on your spine but also, in turn, on the alignment of the whole body. According to some experts, one of the consequences can be heartburn — where stomach acid travels into the oesophagus, causing chest pain.

    Slumping doesn't just wreak havoc on your spine but also, in turn, on the alignment of the whole body
    ‘The pelvis is like a bowl, and when we stand up straight we hold it flat,’ says Robert McCoy. ‘But as you shift forward, the bowl tips forward and the contents, such as the stomach and digestive organs, shift, too.’ Over time, the sphincter muscle at the bottom of the oesophagus,  which usually stops acid coming back up, becomes out of line with the oesophagus and stops working efficiently, leading to heartburn. So think before you slump!

  • Can Reiki help you if you have IBS?

    Reiki is a form of healing therapy originating in Japan and Tibet that is available in some of our clinics.  Over the years practicing massage in clinic, I [...]