I have to be honest with you, my awesome Sweet Life Fitness community – during my workout journey I’ve encountered some days of insane lower back issues. In fact, about a year ago, in October 2013 I was struggling with some lower back spasms that lasted a few days. I started fixing up the issue with some specific stretching as I discussed in my lower back pain article. But then I remembered something even more important: Foam Rolling! Today I’ll discuss some awesome benefits of foam rolling that you can take advantage of for long-term bliss.
Benefits of Foam Rolling for Fitness Success
Foam rolling was first introduced to me during my P90X2 journey. I didn’t think anything of it until I realized how using a foam roller on my hamstrings helped my lower back feel a million times better!! Why? When your hamstrings are very tight, they tend to rely on your lower back to make up for some of the exertion (leading to pain, spasms, and more).
See this video for more information on the benefits of Foam Rolling:
Benefits of Foam Rolling – How to do it Right
Beyond my own success with improving my lower back by rolling my hamstrings, there are many other benefits of foam rolling including:
- Improved circulation
- Increase in blood flow
- Reduces tension in your muscles (tightness)
- Reduces overall pain
There are a few things I have learned in speaking to a lot of fitness professionals, our Sweet Life Fitness community, and my own research. Be sure to follow along with the tips on how to do the proper foam rolling below:
- HOW TO ROLL: Take it SLOW and steady. In fact, don’t act like you are rolling out dough – that isn’t the purpose of foam rolling. Find a point where you feel strain (tight muscles, a knot, etc) and then back off only about an inch and sit a bit on the pain. The natural myofascial release of the muscle will begin (and save you a ton of money on massages!). IT MIGHT HURT! But don’t worry, it’s releasing the tension in a good way.
- USE FOR WARM-UPS and COOL-DOWNS: This is a great way to get prepared for the workout. You often see this in athletic training, and the P90X2 workout series. This can be highly beneficial for any type of workout.
- DON’T ROLL YOUR SPINE: A lot of the people I talk with that have lower back pain or any type of back pain think they can roll their back. This is one of the only areas (next to my FACE) that I don’t really foam roll. It normally is stemming from another problem area (hamstrings, calf muscles, etc).
What are the type of muscles you should focus on?
- LEGS: Anything from calf muscles to hamstrings. As far as the IT band (the outside part of your leg) – take it lightly as the IT band can be tight by nature.
- CHEST: The chest, on the side middle and top for both men and women could benefit greatly from foam rolling (especially if you’ve been doing a lot of push-ups/weights such as P90X3 Challenge or Body Beast Chest).
- ARMS: I love working the triceps and rolling out my shoulders as well. Check out the picture below on how I am rolling my triceps. To properly roll the shoulders, shift the foam roller downward to between your shoulders and pecs.
Rolling the Triceps and Shoulders can help take your flexibility and muscles to a new level.
Benefits of Foam Rolling – How to Make your Results Even Better
If you are looking to take advantage of the benefits of foam rolling, check out the two below. This way you can have an option for the results you deserve. These are both of a higher quality than the cheap stuff on the market.
Regular Foam Roller (as used by Coach Bob): Specially designed for self-myofascial release, an intense form of sports massage. It can help reduce muscle and joint pain and enhance your athletic performance.
=>Click here to learn more about the Foam Roller<=
U
sed for self-myofascial release, an intense form of sports massage. Because of its uneven and raised nodules, this premium foam roller works like a deep tissue massage to get even deeper into the muscle tissue than ordinary rollers do.
=>Click here to learn more about the Rumble Roller<=
I hope you found this article on the benefits of foam rolling helpful. If you did, be sure to share it with others, and comment below if you have questions. I am here to help YOU get the results you deserve!
Yours in Success,
Coach Bob