Foam Rolling

    When it comes to training, two of the most often neglected aspects in people's programs are often flexibility and mobility work. People will focus solely on hours of cardio and strength training while not considering the impacts that they will have on muscular length/tension balances and joint mobility. One mode to address these problems is the implementation of foam rolling.

    Foam rolling is basically a cheap way to get a massage, loosening up trigger points and promoting faster recovery.  It is also beneficial in activating muscles and increasing joint range of motion due to the decreased tightness of the muscles. Through the use of various density rollers and tennis and lacrosse balls an athlete can target specific areas of the body which may be tight, sore, injury prone, etc.

For most athletes Strive’s top recommended areas/muscles for foam rolling exercises are:

1.      IT bands (Sides of Legs)

2.      Adductors (Groin)

3.      TFL (Sides of Hip)

4.      Gluteal Region

6.      Calf Region

7.      Scapula (Shoulder Blades)

8.      Latissumus Dorsi (Upper Back)

9.      Pectorals (Chest)

10.  Hamstrings

    As always, the above isn’t an exhaustive list, and the actual recommendations for an athlete are given on a case by case basis.

    As far as recommendations for how often, how many rolls, and when to perform foam rolling, at Strive we suggest a minimum of 3-4 days a week.  We always perform foam rolling pre-workout, during the workout and post workout as needed and highly suggest to the athlete to perform more rolling during their static stretching session.  If an athlete has a high level of tightness in a particular area, we strongly suggest the athlete to perform foam rolling on at least 2 other non-workout days on the areas.

    When it comes to the number of rolls per body part, 10-15 is what we at Strive recommend, breaking larger muscles into 2-3 smaller parts.  Remember to spend extra time, 10-30 sec, applying pressure to tight spots/trigger points.

    In a future post, I will delve into more specific foam rolling details, explaining proper execution of the movements.

Stay Flexible,

Kyle Bohannon, CSCS
Owner/Head Trainer

kyle@trainstrive.com

www.trainstrive.com