Learning to Love a Foam Roller
I’ve always wanted to try a foam roller, but because I wasn’t positive how to use it, I was hesitant to buy one. Besides, I have The Stick — didn’t they do basically the same thing?
Luckily for me, FrontRunner hosted a foam roller clinic tonight.
Kendra — the instructor — had been using a foam roller for years, and was very knowledgeable. (I think she also does yoga. A lot of the breathing and stretching seemed yoga-like.) She did a great job of explaining how to to hit every single knot and sore spot on my body. (I have a lot of knots!)
As we worked the roller up our legs, we periodically tested our flexibility with mild stretches. After each test, I was able to bend better and reach toward my toes just a little better.
I had no idea that my quads needed help, but I really felt it. My IT bands were so tight (I knew that) it hurt too much to continue. And when we needed to dig into a knot a little more, we used a tennis ball. Boy did that feel good!
Though I really like The Stick, I think I like this foam roller just a little better. The main reason is because the roller uses your body weight whereas The Stick requires pressure. When I try to work on my IT band with The Stick, I let go when it hurts. It is much harder to do that when you are laying down on a roller.
Needless to say, I bought a roller on the spot! I’ll let you know if I continue to use it.
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Comments
It’s been two months since you purchased your foam roller. What’s the verdict? Are you still using it? In the interest of full disclosure, I have to confess that I have never used a foam roller and am not sure whether I would like it.
Yes, I’m still using it, but not as often as I should. The clinic helped a lot because I know how to use it properly. If I had not gone to the clinic, I most likely would have stopped using it by now. My IT bands are much better, but I should be using it much more often.
Because of some pain in my hip, I went back to a PT today. He recommended using a foam roller and showed me a few new things to try.
What’s up, just wanted to say, I loved this Learning to Love a Foam Roller. It was inspiring. Keep on posting!
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