Last week I posted a video of me foam rolling my calves, and hamstrings. I promised more videos and here it is.
In this video you will learn how to foam roll the rest of the lower body, i.e. the quads, glutes, hip rotators, IT band, and hip flexors.
Watch the video and let me know if you have any questions.
I will be posting a blog soon answering some of the questions of: “When should I foam roll,” “how many days should I foam roll,” ”before or after I workout,” etc… If you have questions, please post them in the comments section and I will add them to my blogs.
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Hi Keith,
As regards training programs and foam rolling - is it really feasible to expect people to spend 30-60 seconds on a hotspot and foam roll their entire body as part of a training session. If it’s really done correctly and thoroughly, doing your whole body in this way can take 20 minutes to complete. There is no one who is going to have the patience to keep that up consistently (and if they are looking for quick and effective ways to stay fit, they would be right in eventually giving up on it). As a trainer, what are some ways to overcome this problem? Is there any value in just rolling over the area and pausing briefly on hotspots as opposed to spending 30-60 seconds on each one? Wouldn’t this still end up reducing adhesions over time?
Thanks for your reply and looking forward to the next blog post!
Keith-
The foam rolling video for the lower body parts is exactly what I was looking for. Thanks for the post and the video. Where can I purchase the foam roll? How often should I incorporate foam rolling into my stretching routine?
Rob,
I got mine at http://www.Performbetter.com
Just do a search for foam rollers.
I usually instruct my people to foam roll at least 3 times a week. You are running, so I would do it after each run, but you may find it beneficial to do it before as well. I would roll the calves everyday if I were you, along with your hamstrings and hip flexors.
Gio,
Good points. My answer is yes and no. It really depends. For people that have major issues (which there are a lot of people out there that do), I have had some do the whole body, and yes, it takes time. People will stretch every single day and do their whole body. This takes more time than rolling. My contention is that soft tissue work (i.e. foam rolling) is just as or more important than stretching. SO, if you have major issues, then yes, taking that time is a must.
With that said, most people will break up their rolling and do a few spots each day. Schedule their upper body one day, some of their lower the next and finish up the body on the third day. Something like that. It works out pretty well and they can benefit from doing that pretty well.
In regards to how long to spend on a spot, that depends too. The worse the knot or adhesion is, the more time is needed. For example, most need more time on the calves, and the extra time and sets will do more good.
Hope that answers your questions.
Thanks for the comment
-Keith
Awesome response, Keith. Thanks very much for your insight!
Looking forward to more blog posts!
The videos are really great to understand the technique. I have just one small remark on the hip flexors part. I am not sure my technique is correct and from the video I cannot really get it. I wonder if you have another version where the position of the legs and they movement can be seen better.
Thanks Keith, you work is really useful!