Foam roller workout at home
Feel you'd benefit from a good foam roll, but not sure where to start? Read on...
A simple piece of equipment it may be, but this little beauty is an essential part of your fitness toolkit. It can help improve your flexibility, relieve muscles stiffness, strengthen your core, help shift cellulite and improve your balance. Amazing, right? Let's get started.
1. Improve your flexibility'Also known as myofascial release, foam-rolling your muscles regularly will help increase flexibility in the muscle tissue,’ explains physiotherapist and author of Running Repairs (A&C Black, £12.99) Paula Coates (balancephysio.com). ‘You roll your body weight along the foam roller until you find a tight r tender spot in your muscle. Release this by keeping your weight on the tender point, illicting a trigger point releases response that softens and lengthens the muscle and improves its range of motion. Do it before exercise to increase your circulation and make the muscles more receptive; or after, when your muscles are tired and looking for some TLC.
Try this: Stretch your IT band (iliotibial band of tissue on the outside of your thigh) by lying on your side with the foam roller under your thigh. ‘Roll between your knee and hip and stop when you find a tender area,’ says Coates. ‘Take a deep breath and move on once the pain has eased.’ Repeat for 60-90 seconds before switching legs.
2. Relieve muscle painOvertraining, high-impact sports or injury can put strain on your fascia (the connective tissue between muscles, blood vessels, bones and nerves in the body) making it tight.‘A very common example of this is shin splints in runners, which cause pain an restricted movement,’ says Coates. ‘Mysofascial release helps stop the muscle overworking by putting pressure on trigger points, relaxing the muscle and breaking down scar tissue or adhesions between skin, muscles and bones.
Try this: Sit on the floor with your legs straight out in front, hands on the floor behind you supporting your weight. Place the roller under your knees, cross one ankle over the other and slowly push yourself back and forward so the roller moves up and down the back of your legs from knees to ankles. Stop when you reach a sore spot and hold until the tension eases. Repeat for 60-90 seconds then switch legs.
3. Strengthen your coreDo your abdominal moves on the foam roller. ‘The unstable surface forces your deep stabilising muscles to work harder, while the roller supports your body weight,’ says Coates.
Try this: ‘Lie on your back on the foam roller, making sure you’re centred on it. Place your feet flat on the floor, hip-width apart and keep your knees bent. Contract your abdominals and bring one knee up towards your chest, holding it there for a few seconds before bringing the other knee up as well,’ explains Coates. ‘Lower your feet back to the floor one at a time’. Repeat 10 times.
4. Improve your balance‘Balance work is essential for stabilising your body and reducing your risk of back and ankle injuries,’ says Coates. ‘Try moves such as squats while standing on the roller – you can hold onto the wall if you need to; or try standing on one leg for 30 seconds – the roller wobbles about, forcing you to stabilise yourself by contracting your core muscles and the smaller stabilising muscles in the body. This encourages a healthy back and strong stomach. Do it regularly and you’ll also see improvements in coordination, athletic skill and posture.
Try this: Place your roller horizontally on the floor and stand on it with feet hip-width apart. Keeping your spine straight, inhale and bend your knees, lowering into a squat. Stop when your thighs are parallel to the floor, before exhaling, then straighten your legs. Repeat 10 times.
5. Reduce celluliteThe deep-tissue massage given by the roller will help loosen muscles and open up the connective tissue (fascia) that surrounds them, encouraging more nutrient-rich blood to circulate and helping soothe your skin’s appearance.
Try this: ‘Sit on the centre of the roller and lean back, placing your hands on the floor behind you. Bend your knees, then rest your left foot on your right knee. Let your left knee drop and slowly roll your bottom over the roller,’ says Coates. ‘Move the roller all the way down your outer left thigh and gluteals, then back up’. Repeat for 60-90 seconds before switching legs.
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