| The human past has been marked by a very dynamic | | | | a YouTube search for "foam roll" + any of the terms |
| lifestyle packed with different movement patterns and | | | | in this article. |
| very little repetitive actions. Therefore, our bodies | | | | To ball roll your soles, get a hard ball such as a |
| operate best over a variety of different tasks; and not | | | | baseball and place it on the ground. Place the sole of |
| living sedentary, unchanging lifestyles. Sadly, the | | | | your foot on the ball and put pressure on it as you roll |
| demands of most of our daily lives require that we sit | | | | it out. This loosens your body's entire muscle fascia so |
| in a chair for hours on end, leaning over a desk, | | | | that even unrelated parts like your upper body loosens |
| repeating the same thing over and over again. This is | | | | up. It's fast, simple and effective. Although, it will be a bit |
| why we see muscle imbalances. | | | | sensitive and will likely be a bit painful the first couple |
| Here are several helpful actions you can do that will | | | | times you try; but keep at it and the pain will subside as |
| likely apply to you. | | | | will your entire body's tightness. |
| - Foam roll the piriformis, iliotibial band, TFL, hamstrings, | | | | Sitting all day tightens the hip flexors. It's essential to |
| upper back | | | | stretch them vigorously as much as possible. Perform |
| - Ball roll the soles of your feet | | | | the Samson Stretch. This is done by doing a low lunge |
| - Stretch out the hips as much as possible | | | | position and stretching your arms above yourself. |
| - Perform strength work for your hamstrings, glutes, | | | | Strengthen the posterior chain with compound |
| and lower back | | | | exercises such as the deadlift. Make sure these are |
| Foam rolling is performing self-myofascial release | | | | performed correctly. Always keep the lower back |
| which in the end is trying to iron out soft tissue and | | | | straight and your stomach clenched. If you're unable to |
| accumulated scar tissue in the muscle. This is very | | | | lower yourself to the bar without rounding your lower |
| effective at loosening up specific areas of the muscle. | | | | back, stretch the hamstrings and start deadlifting with |
| It's easy to target the tighter regions that will be helped | | | | the part raised to a comfortable height. |
| most. All you need to do is use a foam tube or PVC | | | | Performing a good overall dynamic stretching/mobility |
| pipe. The smaller the radius of the cylinder is, the more | | | | session can also work wonders. It only takes 5-10 |
| powerful (but painful) the therapy is. If you're unable to | | | | minutes and has many advantages. It, among other |
| locate a foam roller, wrap a towel around a large PVC | | | | things, increases joint integrity and lubricates stiff joints; |
| pipe. To start) the foam rolling, lie on the ground with | | | | it decreases your likelihood of getting injured; raises |
| the roller underneath the muscle to be rolled. Put as | | | | body temperature; gets the body ready for exercise |
| much weight as you can on the area and begin rolling | | | | (good for warm-ups; and is an excellent mean of |
| back and forth with small strokes, eventually working | | | | becoming more fluid over a variety of actions that |
| up to large, harder strokes. To see for yourself, just do | | | | correspond with the design of our bodies. |