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March 19, 2018
How To Use a Foam Roller: The only 3 reasons to foam roll
HOW TO USE A FOAM ROLLER
1. INSCREASE MOBILITY: IN A WARM UP
This is most effective in opening up the chest and increasing range of motion in the thoracic spine (T-Spine). If you sit most of the day at a desk like I do, these two drills are a MUST on the daily.
2. INCREASE BLOOD FLOW: IN A WARM UP
This one does involve rolling. Go figure.
Make sure you’re rolling TOWARDS the heart to increase blood flow through your muscles and surrounding tissues. Roll for 30-60 seconds per area. Don’t focus on tender spots during this time. Just roll to get the blood moving. I especially like doing this with my legs. Also make sure to do the foam rolling before your dynamic warm-up.
3. CAUSE A PARASYMPATHETIC RESPONSE: POST WORKOUT OR ON A RECOVERY DAY
After a workout or on a rest day, lower those stress hormones by spending 1-3 minutes in one area. Spend time in the painful spots. As you put pressure on the pain points, make sure you are also working on deep breathing through your diaphragm. This can help reduce muscle soreness and elicit a relaxing response in the brain like we talked about earlier.
DO YOU FOAM ROLL? HOW OFTEN? WOULD YOU LIKE TO LEARN MORE?
LET ME KNOW IN THE COMMENTS BELOW!
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I'm an adventurous introvert from Vancouver, Washington who lives on sleep + "me time." I'm a lover of lifting weights, dinosaurs, real talk and traveling with my husband. I am here to help you move better, lift more, bust the myths of the fitness industry, and inspire you to love the process.
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I didn’t see the link to the T-spine video but I have been needing to do this since I have a lot of chest tightness from work and roller derby.
Hello Rachelle! Thank you! The video has been added! Give it a go!
Great article but I didn’t see the video for step one.
Hey Judi! The video has been added. 🙂 Thank you!
I’m so excited to go home and try the T spine roll! I have an office job and sit at a desk all day (and also have a crappy mattress – new one is on the way!!!) so I’ve had a lot of tightness and less mobility recently. I’m really eager to see how this helps.
Also – I personally HATE foam rolling my IT band, so I’m happy to hear that it’s not the be-all and end-all! Haha.
YYAAAAASSS KATIE. YES. Try it and let me know how you feel + what you find! 🙂 Yep, focus more on muscle balance and mobility than foam rolling. FOR SURE.