Basics on foam rolling

Self Myofascial Release (SMR)- “A safe and very effective hands-on technique that involves applying gentle sustained pressure into the Myofascial connective tissue restrictions to eliminate pain and restore motion.” (http://www.myofascialrelease.com)

Here are some of my SMR tools (http://tptherapy.com/)

I like to refer to SMR as foam rolling or trigger point therapy, although some like to refer to it as soft tissue work, torture or punishment. Either way, foam rolling is essential for anyone who sits for extended periods of time, who experience chronic pain (knees, lower back, etc.), and for those looking to increase flexibility/range of motion while decreasing the risk of getting injured. Everybody should foam roll! The benefits of foam rolling significantly outweigh the 20 minutes (or more) of “torture”. The more you do it, the less painful it becomes.

“I don’t need to foam roll. I stretch!”. That's awesome! But, you still need to add foam rolling into your training program as well. Traditional stretching techniques (static or dynamic) simply cause increases in muscle length. Foam rolling, on the other hand, offers these benefits and the breakdown of soft tissue adhesions and scar tissue (knots). Here is an example of what happens when you stretch, but don’t foam roll:

Here you have an elastic band (your muscle) with a knot or trigger point (relaxed)

This is what happens when you stretch that muscle (without foam rolling)

What happened there? It only made the knot tighter (not disappear) and now it’s even more of a pain in the glutes to get rid of. Eventually, you will tear that muscle (above or below the knot) and you will be sitting on the sidelines for a little while, wishing you had listened to me when I told you to foam roll.

HOW TO FOAM ROLL
Simply, use your own bodyweight to sandwich the roller between the targeted area (TA) on your body and the floor. Now, what I usually like to do is roll over the entire length of the TA a few times to warm up the soft tissue a bit. After a few rolls, keeping your muscles relaxed and all of your weight bearing down on the foam roller, slowly start to roll over the TA until you find your first trigger point(knot). Trust me, you'll know when you find a knot. Once you've found a trigger point hold it on there for 15-30 seconds before moving on to the next one. Repeat this throughout the TA until you have paused on each trigger point.

Doing some work on my TFL/I.T BAND(Tensor Fascia Latae)

Believe it or not, the more you foam roll the easier and less painful it will be. One day, you will need to increase the intensity on the soft tissue. In order to do this, simply apply more of your body weight to the roller. The simplest way to do this is by either progressing from rolling both legs at once to one leg, or by "stacking" one of your legs on top of the other to increase the pressure. Other ways to increase pressure on soft tissue include:

• Using a higher density foam roller (black foam roller at most gyms or one made of PVC or any other piping)
• Taking your foam roller to a more solid surface. If you usually foam roll on a mat at the gym or on carpet at home try moving to the gym floor or hardwood.

As with almost anything in the world of training, there's large room for experimentation, so you'll definitely want to play around with the roller to see what works best for you. Try rolling from all angles and maybe even holding on a trigger point and rocking from side to side. Make love to it! Just be careful to avoid bony areas.

Another technique I’ve found to be beneficial is to work from the nearest to the center of the body (proximal) to the furthest point from the center of the body (distal). For example, instead of working your quadriceps from top to bottom all in one shot, shorten your stroke a bit. Roll the top half first, and after it has loosened up, move on to the bottom half.

RECOMMENDED AREAS TO TARGET
Below I have recommended a few of my favorite targeted areas along with some videos for you to watch and learn from. I’m not saying these are the best videos ever created. They are simply to point you in the right direction and give you a good idea on how to use a foam roller. With that said....Get your foam roller and twerk out those knots.

LOWER LEG (posterior)
CALVES
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s6aiK6C1HXs&feature=relmfu
PERONEALS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXFt7YcQWw0&feature=relmfu
HAMSTRINGS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WErpKRJFQ3A
HIP ROTATORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JT61cVqCadc&feature=relmfu

LOWER LEG (lateral/anterior)
TFL & I.T BAND
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aWh6HI_iLTg
QUADRICEPS & HIP FLEXORS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9AuuNXB8_gk

UPPER BODY
LATISSIMUS DORSI (lats.)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tD14c2IePWs
CHEST
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HddLMhubEN8
ENTIRE BACK & TRAPEZIUS
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q4SfRIdQZZY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN4eHnp67-g

WHERE CAN I GET A FOAM ROLLER
Amazon.com
Citysports.com
tptherapy.com

CONVINCED?
If you're not already using a foam roller to help improve tissue quality, flexibility, and range of motion, that needs to change immediately.

I can't stress enough how much it can help. If you've been using a foam roller, I'm willing to bet it's time to take it up a notch. Similar to resistance training, the body needs some form of progression when it comes to soft tissue work.

If you've been suffering from injuries for any length of time, I'm 100% confident that incorporating the movements suggested above into your current training program will go a long ways in terms of offering you relief that you never thought would be possible.

If you have any questions feel free to email me at anthonymichaelortiz@gmail.com;
I’m always happy to answer any questions you may have. As always, thanks for reading! :)