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Foam roller

Sixguns

Sixguns

Platinum Member
My wife bought me a foam roller for Christmas. I've seen that it seems to be the latest rage but is it really worth doing? So far I've seen that it's best before or after and it claims to help growth. Is it something I should try since I have one? Or not waste my time?
 
if you are serious about lifting/training it will keep you upright and functioning. I use mine all the time along with trigger point balls. recently had a seriously tight teres minor that was restricting my horizontal adduction.

Long story short, you don't even know how stiff areas of your body are until you start rolling them out. it is definitely worth your time
 
Zivic, tried today and I'll say ouch. Going to keep it up and see what happen. Flexibility is one of my trouble areas that I have been working on recently.
 
Sixguns said:
Zivic, tried today and I'll say ouch. Going to keep it up and see what happen. Flexibility is one of my trouble areas that I have been working on recently.
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It hurts a lot at first, but it gets better. I foam roller quite often, as a warm up and a day after type of "therapy". It will get easier. And you'll feel better afterwards, in my experience.
 
To repeat what everyone has already said, it was tough at first, but even if it doesn't REALLY do anything, I feel a lot better after foam rolling. I have been really busy these days and haven't been doing much of that lately... Gotta get back into it.
 
Did back today and it isn't nearly as tight. Will see tomorrow morning if there is a difference at all.
 
I've never really foam rolled at all and for the first 13yrs NO FOAM ROLLING at all. I've foam rolled less than 20x in the last 2yrs. No real benefit to me. I don't feel any better.

I do my dynamic stretches pre training and static stuff post training. I'm naturally flexible so this may help me out and not others.

If it helps you out then spend the time to do it. But for me it doesn't. I've had a sports masseuse say she's never felt someone with the amount of muscle I have be so supple.

Koing
 
Koing said:
I've never really foam rolled at all and for the first 13yrs NO FOAM ROLLING at all. I've foam rolled less than 20x in the last 2yrs. No real benefit to me. I don't feel any better.

I do my dynamic stretches pre training and static stuff post training. I'm naturally flexible so this may help me out and not others.

If it helps you out then spend the time to do it. But for me it doesn't. I've had a sports masseuse say she's never felt someone with the amount of muscle I have be so supple.

Koing
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you are lucky. I only have time to get 'tissue work' done in the winter time. it takes about 3 sessions (4.5 hrs) before she can really get through to where I need the work. I have a lot of congestion in my upper back/shoulders. Big problem with my horizontal adduction. Imagine pain through the back of your arms (tricep area) through the arm pit and down the side of your upper back when you brought your arms up like in a shoulder press/double bicep pose. Crazy tight teres muscles. Then I start having issues with the Infraspinatus into the traps. Foam rolling helps this and a lot. I have to use a smaller pressure point ball for the teres issue. I think I have a few yrs on you(I'm 36), and these are more recent developments in my training career..... cross your fingers you stay limber and 'supple'
 
Zivic said:
you are lucky. I only have time to get 'tissue work' done in the winter time. it takes about 3 sessions (4.5 hrs) before she can really get through to where I need the work. I have a lot of congestion in my upper back/shoulders. Big problem with my horizontal adduction. Imagine pain through the back of your arms (tricep area) through the arm pit and down the side of your upper back when you brought your arms up like in a shoulder press/double bicep pose. Crazy tight teres muscles. Then I start having issues with the Infraspinatus into the traps. Foam rolling helps this and a lot. I have to use a smaller pressure point ball for the teres issue. I think I have a few yrs on you(I'm 36), and these are more recent developments in my training career..... cross your fingers you stay limber and 'supple'
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I recently turned 32.

Yeah got to keep on stretching. I'm funnily enough spending more time stretching my shoulders at the moment to help in a deeper power jerk position. I'm also going to be more religious in using the sauna as it helps me for the following days training session a lot. I notice a huge difference after Tennis if I don't use the sauna or not. I usually go heavy on a Thursday but feel much worse if I don't go to the sauna after Tennis.

No knots and stuff at all in my muscles. I guess I'm lucky but I do my stretches.

Koing
 
i like the rumble roller.. I had regular foam roller. gf sat on it and it became worthless! so I bought the 70$ rumble roller (has spikes and very hard) but feels good and you can sit on it with out ruining it 😉 My gf 110 pounds at most so its not like she abused it.. was a 20$ cheap one to start with.
 
You can also just cut a big diameter pvc pipe 😀

Koing
 
killster1 said:
i like the rumble roller.. I had regular foam roller. gf sat on it and it became worthless! so I bought the 70$ rumble roller (has spikes and very hard) but feels good and you can sit on it with out ruining it 😉 My gf 110 pounds at most so its not like she abused it.. was a 20$ cheap one to start with.
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I just got one a few months ago at the advice of my sports chiro. Man it was brutal the first week but now feels like a nice massage 🙂

I think it serves it's purpose if you have knots or tight muscles, or more for sport specific. You're full of crap if you tell me you don't have any tightness in your body and stretching will solve all that...as a runner, I can say that's definitely not the case for us. It's probably more repetitive motion and overuse in our sport - less of an issue just lifting, but it serves a purpose.
 
I am not really a big fitness guy, but I can say that the foam roller helps me when I'm feeling sore or tight. I have this one:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Gold-s-Gym...-Roll/17804156

It's a 3-in-1, with 3 diameters. The smallest diameter is basically like a 1" stick with handles at both ends and with little rollers (not foam) in the middle. If my legs are sore from a long day's walk or something like that, I can roll that up and down my calves and hamstrings, and it makes a huge difference in loosening everything up. You can get the same effect with a larger diameter roller by supporting yourself on your hands and placing one calf on the roller, and rolling back and forth. It smushes your calf muscles in a very pleasant way.

I use the larger diameters for my back mostly. I have a problem where one of my rib heads pops out sometimes. I went to the chiropractor the first time, but I have been able to fix it myself with the foam roller for the past couple of years. Just have to put the pressure/weight concentrated in the exact right spot while pulling my scapula out of the way.
 
I have a lot of lower back pain, and I figured out a way to use a roller to "iron out" my back and work on my core at the same time.

I need pics.. don't have any.

1) Lay down on your back
2) put a 3-6" foam roller (bigger is better) underneath your lower back
3) engage your core and straighten your legs. this should lift you up on the foam roller like a teeter totter. You are sort of doing a plank.
4) use your legs to scoot your body back and forth over the roller. The weight of your body will roll against the roller and really help 'roll out' your lower back. At the same time, engaging your core helps activate your abs, which help relax your lower back as well.
5) do this until your core gives out and you can't hold yourself up.

It works amazingly well.
 
Did legs for the first time yesterday and can I say holy hell that hurt. Do you guys that do roll, do a full body roll or just body part worked that day?
 
Sixguns said:
Zivic, tried today and I'll say ouch. Going to keep it up and see what happen. Flexibility is one of my trouble areas that I have been working on recently.
Click to expand...

Wait until you move to trigger point balls (e.g., lacrosse ball). Hurts so good.
 
Sixguns said:
Did legs for the first time yesterday and can I say holy hell that hurt. Do you guys that do roll, do a full body roll or just body part worked that day?
Click to expand...

On leg day I usually roll out my calfs, hamstrings, thighs and butt before and after the workout. Helps a lot.
 
Foam rolling is very beneficial. Every PT, including my g/f has advocated its use.

I use mine everyday to roll out my back, and any other sore spots. You'd be amazed at what things you find on your body are tight or have pain. For me, a weird one was my forearms. They never hurt, but boy when I rolled those puppies out, it was painful.
 
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I just bought a rumble roller yesterday. I have used smooth rollers for years and this a new experience all together. lately I am dealing with issues in my shoulders (teres) and a lacrosse ball is helping, but found info on the rumble roller and decided to get one. the nubs allow you to get into places where the smooth rollers cannot. it's like foam rolling with trigger point release. most notably in the shoulders and around the hips. on my thighs and back it feels the same, but if you slow down and feel around, it can really get into places a smooth roller cannot
 
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