And now we ask him...
Why start foam rolling?
A: Foam rolling is great for repetitive movements or non-movements. Example: if you sit a lot, your muscles get tight, or if you stand, a lot of muscles can get tight. Foam rolling will help prevent muscle soreness, tightness, and injury.
Q: What are the benefits of foam rolling?
A: Injury prevention, improved flexibility, improved balance, stress relief, and improved blood circulation.
Q: In your videos, you mention the words "myofascial release" when it comes to foam rolling, what... is that?
A: Well, foam rolling is great to release muscle adhesions or "knots." Those "knots" are fascia: the dense, tough tissue which surrounds and covers all of your muscles and bones. Myofascial pain syndrome (MPS) is a fancy way to describe muscle pain. It refers to pain and inflammation in the body's soft tissues. Essentially, foam rolling releases the muscle tension by breaking up those inflamed tissues, so that the muscle is able to stretch and move.
Q: How often should I roll?
A: Foam roll 3-4 times a week or as needed. Ideally, you want to foam roll before activity. You can also foam roll as a recovery day as well.
Q: How long should I foam roll?
A: Foam rolling should be done for around 90-seconds each body part. If you take a look at my videos, you'll hear me mention that a lot.
Q: What are some common tight areas on the body?
A: The IT Bands(Iliotibial Tract), Hip Flexors, and Calves can get pretty tight. These are the areas, the traps included, that I'm focusing on in the Trigger Point videos.
Q: What do I use?
A: The Trigger Point foam rollers and massage balls are really great for rolling.
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Trigger Point MB5 Massage Ball is great for eliminating tightness and restoring range of motion to your traps and shoulders. If you sit at a desk all day, need a trap release or are looking to gain more mobility in your shoulder, there are simple exercises you can perform using the Trigger Point MB5 Massage Ball to aid in your recovery.
The Trigger Point Grid Foam Roller can be used to heal your IT band and hip flexor pain/tightness, which also occurs frequently due to desk job sitting. Shea here, Holabird Sports' Holablogger, was definitely in need of some hip flexor healing and lengthening.
For those of you who are runners or are on your feet all day, the Trigger Point NANO Foot Roller is a great choice for rolling. Heal your plantar fasciitis pain and calf tightness with these various movements.
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