How do YOU foam roll?

Emtabo01
Emtabo01 Posts: 672
in Fitness and Exercise
I got a dense roller a few weeks ago and I really like it. I've been just rolling up and down over each part a few times, slowly. But I was looking at you tube videos and one said to hold it on each painful spot for at least 30 seconds, well, if I did that it would add way too much time to my whole workout. Also, I'm one of the lucky ones who gets those horrible murderous leg cramps in the middle of the night, and I've noticed my absolute most painful spot of foam rolling is my calves. Like I have to stop putting pressure on them or I'll serisouly bring tears to my eyes. Should I keep putting the pressure on even though its almost unbearable, and hope it'll stop my night time cramps, anyone have experience with that?

Replies

  • SkinnyGirlPending
    SkinnyGirlPending Posts: 20
    If you are getting calf cramps at night eat a banana each day. I had that problem until I upped my potassium.
  • Emtabo01
    Emtabo01 Posts: 672
    I do eat bananas every day and take 500mg of magnesium a day, which does help. I still get them though...:(
  • nc805397
    nc805397 Posts: 223 Member
    I've been told to use the foam roller on my IT band due to knee pain. I did it once and the next day MY THIGHS WERE KILLING ME. I haven't used the foam roller since but my physiotherapist said I just have to get used to it. But,....in order to make one body part better (knee) I need to make another part (thighs) sore??? grrrrr..not a fan.
  • fortunateflyer
    fortunateflyer Posts: 23 Member
    I do spend time on any spot I find that is particularly tender. I find that when I'm diligent about foam rolling thoroughly and regularly the "problem spots" get a lot better and I don't have to spend as much time on them. But foam rolling is one of those things, along with warming up and stretching, that I definitely think is worth the time to do a good job. I'd rather spend an extra five minutes at the gym than injure myself!
  • Willowana
    Willowana Posts: 493 Member
    I get terrible cramps, but I think that's par for the course with Fibromyalgia. I take potassium, magnesium, and malic acid to no avail. I've been interested in foam rolling. I might need to give it a try.
  • kirk_clawson
    kirk_clawson Posts: 36 Member
    I use a foam roller on my quads right after I get home from doing squats. I walk in my apartment, drink a shake, then pick up the roller. I don't even shower until *after* the rolling happens. I've found it helps immensely with reducing my length of time in recovery.
  • helpfit101
    helpfit101 Posts: 347 Member
    When you use the foam roller more often at some point you'll get less spots that hurt a lot. And then less and less and less. Until at some point most spots don't hurt. Then you find the spots that hurt the MOST and roll those. So you save time later on because most spots don't hurt.

    By the way when most spots don't hurt you can get a harder foam roller or roll on a baseball instead.
  • p1otty
    p1otty Posts: 2
    I have a wide variety of foam rolling tools I use. From a 4-inch PVC pipe for my back to "the Orb", a 5-inch round ball for my thighs/IT bands and a lacrosse ball for my calves. All bring me lots of pleasure...cue sarcasm. More like pain, but a good pain!
  • eowynmn
    eowynmn Posts: 165 Member
    When thinking about foam rolling sore spots, think about what you are doing. Foam rolling is a form of deep tissue massage that aids in loosening up your muscles, and recovering muscles for future workouts among other benefits. when you feel a very painful spot, that means that you basically have a knot in that muscle. Holding pressure on that spot (and yes it hurts!) helps release the knot and recover that muscle faster. So working that one really sore spot is pretty much the most important part of foam rolling.

    So if you have a limited time overall think about spending for example 30 seconds on your left calf, but roll around for 10 seconds and spend 20 of those seconds on that spot. Adjust to the time you have. Another option is to think of foam rolling as something to do outside of an exercise routine. I sometimes foam roll while watching a tv show for instance. It's good to do it before/after a workout to help with those muscles, but with working the knots and getting all of the very sore spots, that's a perfect activity for when you have a few minutes at home.

    Hope that helps!

    eh...just realized this was a bumped thread. ;)
  • Catjag
    Catjag Posts: 107
    I cry, I cuss and I beg for death. And that is just while rolling my IT bands. Happy when its over, hate life during.

Categories