Foam Rolling increases blood flow to the muscles, releases tight areas and prepares the body for movement. It’s a great way to mimic massage for improved fascial health and can help relieve soreness and immobility.
We recommend our members perform about 5 minutes of foam rolling before entering into the main part of our warm-up, called RAMP (Range of Motion, Activation, Muscle Prep). It’s a wonderful way to work out the kinks and get your body feeling and moving optimally!
Below is a 5-MINUTE ROUTINE you can do every day and anywhere you’ve got a roller.
Don’t have one yet? We recommend a simple cylindrical roller like the black one set up in the video or, our gym favorite: the blue Rollga, designed and contoured to fit your body and reach trigger & acupressure points that are difficult to reach with an ordinary roller.
You can find the Rollga and other mobility tools HERE – they’re the same price as on Amazon and we get a little kickback that supports our continuing education. Thanks for checking it out!
Key Points To Remember While Rolling:
1. Spend 30 seconds or less rolling each muscle area back and forth. Do one side at a time (ex – one leg at a time) for greater intensity.
2. If you hit a ‘hot spot’ or super tender trigger point area, try to sit on that for 10-20 seconds, breathing slow and deep to relax. The pressure on the tender area releases the knot, allowing blood to flow properly to surrounding tissues. Think healing and nutrition-delivery!
3. NEVER FOAM ROLL YOUR LOW BACK (lumbar spine). You’ve got many organs there that don’t have much protection and don’t need to be squished. Plus, foam rolling the lumbar muscles, as good as you think you it might feel at the time, actually can cause a protective tightening reaction, making your pain worse.
Keep this jingle in mind if you need help remembering what NOT to do: “Roll, roll, roll your muscles // but never your lumbar spine // merrily merrily merrily merrily // life will be divine.” LOL
4. When rolling, work your way up in each direction: Front of body –> Back of body –> Sides of body.
- Calves
- Hamstrings
- Glutes
- Shins
- Inner Thighs
- Quads
- IT Band (sides of legs)…remember to breathe :))
- Hip Flexors
- Lats (sides of back) up into armpit and Upper Arm
- Sides of Upper Back (avoid pressing directly on spine)
Check out the video for a sped-up version of this simple routine:
Come roll with us! 🙂
Click below to take the first step.