Get rid of muscle pain, and improve flexibility with these 10 exercises with a foam roll.
If you have never used a foam roller for fitness, you deprived of their muscles a valuable means of care and recovery. Now him can be found in any sporting goods store at a price in the range of 1-3 thousand roubles. ($ 20 – 40). Vlick acts on the principle of a massage ball and also allows you to independently carry out muscular-fascial release.
The effect of the regular use of this simple device comparable to sports massage. It helps relieve inflammation, smooth the scar tissue, reduce the load on the joints, and improve blood and lymph circulation and develop flexibility. it a great way to deal with stiffness and tightness of muscles, not resorting to the help of massage therapists. Foam roll easily saves you from annoying and painful pain points without undermining your budget.
These exercises can be performed individually, or combined them into a 10-minute pre- or post-workout complex. Can also give them a few minutes in the evening after a long working day. In addition, such a massage will positively affect muscle recovery. after hard training. In fact, foam roll is acceptable at any time convenient for you.
It is most effective to massage the heated muscles with a roller. therefore it doesn’t hurt to pre-conduct a small 5-minute warm-up, if you plan to exercise with a roll before power training.
- Orthopedic Roller Exercises for Fitness
- Upper (thoracic) back
- Upper back
- Latissimus dorsi muscle
- Quadriceps femoris
- Iliac-tibial tract
- Gluteal muscles
- Popliteal muscles and buttocks
- Groin area and inner thigh
- Calf muscles
Orthopedic Roller Exercises for Fitness
The right technique is to roll slowly back and forth for 20-30 seconds. for each exercise. Wherein you need to breathe slowly and deeply, helping the muscles to relax. Not should be affected by this method on the joint area – roller should always be directly under the abdomen of the muscle. Passing especially sensitive point or seal, linger in this area, and press on it with a body weight of about 30 seconds. or until extinction pain
Those who have not tried to engage with a similar roll before, It is recommended to limit yourself to the proposed series of exercises, performing her every other day for two to three weeks. Can later do this complex daily one to two times – before and immediately after workout.
Upper (thoracic) back
Option 1
Starting position (PI): Position the roll under area of the shoulder blades. Bend your knees and place your feet on the floor. Lift the pelvis, clasping your hands in the lock behind your head or crossing them on breasts.
Exercise: Tighten the press and slowly roll back and forth from the middle of the back to the top corner shoulder blades.
Tip: Do not bend your neck to look at legs. This will increase the load on the spine. Head must all the time stay in line with the spine.
Option 2
This is one of the simplest but most effective exercises. It is very useful for people who spend a lot of time sitting position.
IP: The initial position coincides with that indicated in the first option.
Exercise: Instead of dynamic movements along full amplitude, move down towards the sacrum gradually, a couple of centimeters. Stop every time and be careful do alternating light inclinations to the right and left. Follow up exercise until you massage the entire spine.
Tip: Focus on your feelings. At stop pain or discomfort immediately exercise. Do not bend too far to the side so that do not cause spinal instability, especially in the presence of hernias, scoliosis and other problems with the spine.
Upper back
The exercise is aimed at stretching the thoracic back and disclosure of the shoulders. This will have a positive effect on posture and relieve stress. shoulder joints.
IP: Sit in the pose of the child. To do this, stand up on all fours, lean back on your heels and lean forward, bringing chest to hips. Point your forehead to the floor and stretch your arms forward palms up. Put the roll under the forearm.
Exercise: Roll the roll along the forearms, feeding the case back and forth. During the exercise, the upper section back will bend, stretching the deep muscles of the back.
Latissimus dorsi muscle
IP: Lie on your right side, stretching out your right hand along the floor as shown in the photo above. Put the roll right under armpit perpendicular to the body. Bend your left hand slightly and place the brush on the floor in front of you as a support.
Exercise: Roll the roll down from the armpit, sinking almost to the bottom edge of the ribs, then return to the original position. After doing the manipulation several times, change the position to study the left side.
Tip: Point the thumb of your outstretched arm. up to bring the latissimus muscle to optimal condition pretension.
Quadriceps femoris
IP: Lie face down so that the roll is just under the hips. Bend your elbows with your forearms on the floor. to maintain body weight. In this position, the feet come off gender, as demonstrated by the example above.
Exercise: Pull in your stomach and tighten your muscles bark. When pushing your hands off the floor, move your body forward and back and roll the roll between the pelvic bones and patella (not reaching them).
Tip: Want to increase the intensity exercises and fully feel all your trigger points? Cross your legs so that there is only one on the roll hip.
Iliac-tibial tract
IP: Put the roll on the floor and lean on it left side of the pelvis. Cross your legs with your right foot. bent legs in front of the left knee, as in the photo. With both hands rest on the floor for balance.
Exercise: Helping yourself with your left hand, roll lateral thigh from iliac wing down, stopping just above the knee, and in the opposite direction. Repeat movement for the recommended time. Further, take the opposite position to roll the other leg.
Tip: If you need to increase the pressure for deeper muscle work, try to connect the legs. But note that then it will be more difficult for you to maintain balance.
Gluteal muscles
IP: Sit on the floor with legs straight. Lean on your hands, raise your pelvis and lower your buttocks onto the foam roll. Bend one leg, placing the body slightly at an angle so that so that body weight is concentrated on one buttock.
Exercise: Roll your buttock up and down. Note that the amplitude of this movement will be negligible. Having done exercise the required amount of time, go to another buttock and repeat the procedure.
Tip: Push your palms off the floor and initiate movement of the body with your hands from the shoulders.
Popliteal muscles and buttocks
The muscle area immediately below the buttocks is often very tight. and painful. Foam roll helps relax muscles and restore the length of their fibers.
Option 1
IP: Sit on the floor, legs stretched forward and putting the roll under the hips. Keep your arms outstretched behind your back for equilibrium.
Exercise: Use your hands to roll back and forth from the lower gluteal folds to the upper edge popliteal fossae.
Tip: Try while driving. turn legs in turn in and out of the hip joints. So you more thoroughly stimulate both medial and lateral muscles of the posterior thigh.
Option 2
IP: Place the roll on a flat surface. approximately at waist level. It may be a low table, a hard bed or even the back of a sofa. “Saddle” the roll, throwing on his right foot. Roll the roll to the top of the right hips standing on the left leg.
Process: Slowly work through this a small piece of muscle, squeezing it well. Then, do the same with the left foot.
Tip: Change the depth of exposure using body weight.
Groin area and inner thigh
This exercise perfectly relieves tension in the medial the thigh muscle, which worries many people. Also it will help increase the amount of movement when abducing the leg. At first the procedure can be painful, because you will stimulate muscles and fascia in an unusual way.
IP: Lie on your stomach with the roll between your legs. Bend the right leg in the hip joint to a right angle, deflecting to the side so that the thigh lies parallel to the floor.
Exercise: Put the roll near the groin and work out the inner upper thigh carefully, slowly sliding from side to side from the groin to the knee. Repeat the same most on the left foot.
Tip: As in the previous case, adjust massage intensity, transferring body weight.
Calf muscles
IP: Sit on the floor with your calves on the roll. Place straight arms behind your back and tear your pelvis off the floor for weight body supported by palms and roll.
Exercise: Gradually roll the roll from the lower edge of the popliteal fossa to the ankle and vice versa.
Tip: To enhance the effect, roll shanks individually, throwing them on top of each other on a roll. Work more intensively on the medial and lateral heads of the calf muscles can be developed by turning the foot in and out during performing exercises.
Anterior surface of tibia
IP: Get on all fours. Position the roller under the front surface of the legs. Palms should be straight under the shoulder joints. Separate the socks slightly apart.
Exercise: Transfer body weight to your hands, pushing your shoulders forward over the line of the palms. In this case, the roll will be move from the ankles up towards the knees. Repeat movement in the opposite direction.
Tip: Be careful not to touch the roll. patella. This will cause discomfort and may result in personal injury and exacerbation of pain in the presence of problems with the knee joints.