Foam Rollers: Rid Yourself from Unwanted Muscle Tightness

Muscle pain after working out, a long day, or just plain stiffness is never any fun. You could go and get a muscle massage, which can end up costing a pretty penny. There is an alternative, less costly way you can help alleviate tightness in your muscles, by using foam rollers.

A foam roller is made of resistance foam, in the shape of a cylindrical cone. It not only can help with muscle problems, but also promote balance, work to make core muscles stronger like those which help with the spine, stretching, elongating, and with agility.

Relieve muscle tightness in your calves

Using a foam roller is really quite easy. To relieve muscle tightness in your calves, you lay on one side or the other, on top of the foam roller, probably starting at your ankles. Then you push your body down over the foam roller, until you reach right below the knee, slowly, making sure it takes about 20-30 seconds. By laying on your side, make sure your body is aligned and neutral, have the other leg you are not working go over the other for added support, placing the foam roller at your hip joint, then rolling up and down, to right above your knee, you can loosen the IT band.

A hamstring with muscle tightness

Place the hamstrings over the roller with your hips off the floor, crossing your feet for additional leverage.

For the quadriceps

You lay stomach down with the roller at the pelvic area, almost as if you are doing a plank, and roll down to your knees, then back up, slowly. The adductor area can be stretched by, putting the leg that needs the work on the inner part of the thigh, again face down, the other leg on the ground and rolling sideways making sure you avoid the inner adductor where the pelvis joint is.

For the rhomboids

You lay on your back, place the roller right about your shoulders, cross your arms over your chest, engage your abdominal muscles, raise hips off the floor and roll slowly, up and down to mid-back.

Around your spine

For loosening the muscle tightness around your spine, lay on the floor in a bridge position on top of the roller, gently and slowly, move up and down for 20-30 seconds. You can do the same for your upper back. You can do these exercises for up to five minutes if needed. Between a minute rest for between 30-40 seconds. It may be painful while doing the exercises; however it will relieve the pain once completed.

As you can see, there are many exercises you are able to do to relieve tight muscles. These are just a few examples. It is important to know that if you already have an injury, do not to try using the foam rollers to help with this because it could end up causing more damage. By using your own body weight, in addition to the foam rollers, you are able to control your own self-massage.

You can use a foam roller for lower back pain relief, for IT band or to relieve muscle tightness.