June is just round the corner.. and with it, running fever.
But do you wonder, how great athletes just keep increasing their mileage without any injuries and seemingly without effort, when your gluteal muscles are just screaming for release, as you approach the 60KM /week mileage mark?
Well, here’s one way how…
Foam Rolling.
Seriously the best thing since sliced bread.
I kid you not.
Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique that is used by athletes and physical therapists to relaxes overactive muscles. By applying pressure to specific points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of muscles and assist in returning them to normal function.
Well for runners, there are the basic 5 that I perform. Mostly after more than 21K runs, my Gluteal Muscles, my Hamstrings and my IT Band are killing me.
These exercises will help alleviate the trigger points, i.e. knots that form in muscles. So how do you know, your trigger points? Well, once you start rolling, you will feel these knots or tight muscles as bumps in your muscles. Literally knots. And as you roll, you might feel the discomfort, radiating in another area. E.g. when foam rolling your iliotibial (IT) band, it causes pain to radiate up to the hip or all the way down the leg to the ankle. Just bear in mind that when rolling or working on tight/sore muscles you should experience some discomfort. Think of it like the pain you get while stretching or during a deep tissue massage. It should be uncomfortable, but not unbearable, and when you are done it should feel great!
Here are 5 Moves You can check out, on a this cool You Tube video, that’s already out there, and easy to follow.
Enjoy!
No comments yet.