Foam Rolling 101 With Advanced Techniques
Foam rolling is an essential part of any good muscle building / strength training program. It must be done before, during or after your workout. In fact, it should be done on your off days too to help get ready for the next workout or sporting event.
When it is time to get real, it is time to get real.
Nothing is more real than foam rolling.
I’m not talking about the white fluffy foam rollers, I’m talking about the black foam rollers or even a PVC pipe son. The real stuff. Just the right tools to get a brother’s soft-tissue right while bring a tear to your eye.
Nothing is tougher than fighting a dragon-man-beast with a wooden spear in full armor.
Foam Rolling 101
Foam rolling is an essential piece of every workout AND every off day when you don’t go to the gym. You should be doing it everyday.
Why is Foam Rolling Important?
Excerpted from the ACS Manual (just one part of the AMD system)
- Improve ROM (and subsequently execution of movement patterns) of a joint by lengthening and flattening scar tissue, removing adhesions (remodeling fascia), reducing tension / tightness and neurological inefficiencies
- Use in conjunction with your static, dynamic, ballistic and PNF stretching protocols to improve muscle length, flexibility and mobility
- Improved recovery and diminishing the effect of DOMS
- Should be utilized along with other restorative soft-tissue therapies usually grouped as self-myofascial release (SMR): trigger point therapy (golf balls, tennis balls), trigger point therapy, active release technique (ART), the Stick
How Foam Rolling is Changing?
Recently I’ve been incorporating more flowing movements not only to our workout, but our pre-workout routine for not only my athletes, but for myself as well. And it is paying off big time. I can now full squat (after battling a knee injury from high school and a subsequent botched surgery for 20 years), jump, lunge and many other movements.
What we are doing is, in addition to our conventional foam rolling, using a small, dense medicine ball to roll on.
It is denser and has a more focused application to the massage (exactly like tennis ball and lacrosse ball applications). But that is not the coolest thing!
Linear movements on a conventional foam roller now become flowing movements across your cross the body and multiple muscle groups and kinetic segments. If we attack tension and inefficiencies at multiple angles across each joint.
This is very important because we don’t not absorb impact, decelerate or even accelerate linearly. Our bodies act in 3D and we move treat them and improve the function of them in 3D.
Remember, slay the dragon don’t play with Barbies.
Smitty
Advanced Foam Rolling
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Copyright© 2009 The Diesel Crew, LLC. All rights reserved. You may not reproduce this article or post. How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs | Build Muscle, Muscle Gaining Workouts | Build Muscle Membership Site |
How to Build Muscle | Muscle Building Workouts | How to Lose Fat | Six Pack Abs | Build Muscle, Muscle Gaining Workouts | Build Muscle Membership Site
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Tags: flow, foam rolling, get stronger, how to build muscle, improve flexibility, improve mobility, injury prevention, injury rehab, SMR, soft-tissue
January 5th, 2010 at 11:57 pm
Where are you getting the smaller medicine balls from? I’ve tried using some but they’re just too damn big to roll easily on.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:17 am
Hey Smitty great video. When should someone advance into med ball rolling?
I just ordered my 1st foam roller today (Foam Roller Plus), so I don’t plan on jumping into it any time soon, but it would be good to know for future progression.
January 6th, 2010 at 12:36 am
Like the idea…just like the free flow swiss ball concept but with more of a focus on soft tissue work. Im gonna hit it up tomorrow and see how it goes. Keep up the good work guys!
January 12th, 2010 at 10:36 pm
Nice one Smitty!
I wrote an article on foam rolling basics (http://www.straighttothebar.com/2009/05/fix_your_body_with_a_foam_roll.html) but never thought to connect movements together using a med ball.
If I understand correctly, you begin your warm-up with the black foam roll and then progress to the med ball before moving on to dynamic movements. The med ball doesn’t “replace” the foam roll, it complements the foam roll, correct?
January 13th, 2010 at 2:08 am
Very innovative..excellent stuff
March 28th, 2011 at 2:35 pm
[…] glands. It’s just that awesome. I actually learned the importance of foam rolling from a great article by Jim […]
November 17th, 2011 at 9:30 pm
How can you change tissue quality when you move so fast over the roll or ball? 180 degrees in contrast to the proven method of bodywork (rolfing, deep tissue, connective tissue, KMI, etc.). Also, Yamuna Body Rolling. Only go as fast/deep as the tissue allows, never forcing anything, like the hot knife cutting through butter analogy. They both can’t be right, eh?
January 12th, 2022 at 6:56 pm
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