How to effectively roll and loosen muscles for soft tissue maintenance and athletic success

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It seems that several people know they should be foam rolling or doing their soft tissue maintenance but few are actually doing it or know how to do it. The video is much more detailed and I use two areas for examples though the techniques could be used on most muscles in the body. Be warned that the more aggressive the technique then the more likely you are to get sore.

***Not to be taken as medical advice. Techniques are intended for healthy, uninjured, active individuals.***

Consider the following tips:

  • Your best location is on a carpeted floor, larger rug, or a yoga mat to provide just a little cushioning but otherwise is very firm
  • Proceed more conservatively until you realize how your body is going to react
  • Only roll or release the same area once every 2 days until you see how sore you are going to get and then you could do it daily
  • It should be uncomfortable, maybe 5/10 on the 0-10 pain scale but will improve with consistent work.
  • The most tender areas tend to need the most attention but don’t overdo it
  • The steady holding techniques should noticeably improve in a matter of minutes.
  • Steady pressure techniques should be maintained until the muscle progresses from tender and uncomfortable to not tender and a sense of pressure only
  • You will have to shift your body weight to vary the pressure
  • It’s ok to have referral discomfort from the muscle which would be an aching, not a pins and needles or tingling sensation
  • Be cautious of numbness or tingling sensations further away from the area you are working on as you could be compressing fragile nerve structures
  • Start with shorter bouts of rolling or pressure and go longer or aim for more reps when it becomes harder to find involved areas
    • beginner 10 reps or 20-30 seconds of rolling
    • advanced 40-50 reps or 2-3 minutes of rolling

The main techniques, regardless of device are:

  • BEGINNER: strictly rolling up and down the full length or partial length of the muscle while the muscle is more relaxed
  • BEGINNER to MODERATE: rolling up and down the full or partial length of the muscle while the muscle is under a stretch
  • BEGINNER to MODERATE: moving the local joint through motion while you sustain a pressure on a specific tighter area in the muscle
  • MODERATE to ADVANCED: placing a sustained pressure on the muscle at a specific tighter, tender area in the muscle and waiting until it doesn’t feel tender any longer
  • SUPER ADVANCED: placing a sustained pressure on the muscle at a specific tighter, tender area in the muscle while it is under stretch and waiting until it doesn’t feel tender any longer