Athletes aren’t the only ones who require therapy for overactive, overtrained muscles. The simple act of sitting at a desk all day can compel certain muscle groups to become short and tight while underutilized muscles grow weak. Effects of this bodily disparity range from piriformis syndrome to exercise-related injury---a high likelihood if you perform movement with the poor form that results from such muscle imbalances.
How, then, to correct your alignment without shelling out money for massage, medical, or chiropractic treatments? Consider purchasing a foam roller. A foam roller is a foam cylinder 6 inches in diameter that is available in 12-inch and 36-inch lengths (similar to a swimming pool noodle but firmer). It typically costs less than $20 and weighs next to nothing, so it can easily be carted from the home to the gym. You can pick one up at your local sporting goods store, although they may be found cheaper online.
How Foam Rolling Works
Foam-rolling technique, called self-myofascial release (SMR), works similarly to massage therapy, only rather than a therapist applying manual pressure to your muscles, you apply your body weight to the foam roller. The idea is to seek out tender spots in your soft tissues, also known as knots or trigger points, and then roll your body over the foam roller to massage out the tight spots and relieve pain, pressure, and inflammation.
Experts differ on best technique: some favor placing acute pressure on a painful spot and holding for 20-30 seconds, while others prefer general massage to the area or a combination of both, but neither strategy is wrong. A good time to foam roll is before you begin your workout as part of your warm-up, usually spending at least 5 minutes on tight or sore areas. Foam rolling can also be done post-workout to help prevent sore muscles and is safe to do daily.
If you’ve never performed SMR, you’ll need to ask a fitness professional for a demonstration of proper SMR technique, but the general idea is to place the roller on the floor and sit, lie, or prop a leg on top of it, depending on which muscles you plan to roll. You then adjust the amount of pressure applied by supporting some of your weight with your hands, letting your body weight atop the roll do the work. Most exercises require placing the foam roller perpendicular to your body and rolling in a slow up-and-down motion, stopping and holding at any painful spots.
Best Muscles to Foam Roll
Foam rolling is most commonly performed on the upper back, glutes, hamstrings, adductors (inner thigh), quadriceps, calves, and iliotibial (IT) band, which runs along your outer thigh from hip to knee. The upper back can be rolled by lying on top of the roller, the glutes by sitting on top of it with legs crossed; most other muscles require sitting or lying on the floor with the leg propped on top of the roller.
For the calves, for example, sit on the floor with one leg extended in front of you on top of the roller and the other leg bent with foot flat on the floor. Lift your hips off the ground, placing some weight on your hands and some weight on the extended leg, your calf pressed into the roller. If you note a painful spot, keep pressure on it until the pain eases slightly, typically after 20 seconds. Continue rolling your calf around on the roller in search of other spots and repeat the process on any you find; otherwise, move on to your other leg.
By performing these exercises even a few times a week in conjunction with strength training, cardiovascular exercise, and passive stretching, you can eliminate painful muscle imbalances and prevent future injury, whether you’re an elite athlete or a weekend warrior.
Shelby Miller - A 2007 grad of DePaul University's MA in Writing program, Shelby is a newly minted freelance writer. Her undergraduate degree in ...
