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Don't Make Your Muscle Cry |
Very recently I had someone tell me that they don’t do foam
rolling. I gasped in pure shock at the tight muscle tissue they must possess. They
then proceeded to inform me of some of their nagging injuries that are
inhibiting their training. I could hear their myofascial tissue weeping beneath
their skin. Perhaps you yourself don’t roll out? If you don’t you should have
to sit in time out and think of all the damage you’ve done to your body. Maybe
you want to roll out but you have no idea what you’re doing. That’s okay,
follow me for some strengthucation.
Why Foam Roll?
The purpose of foam rolling isn’t to make you look silly on
the floor. It’s actually a therapeutic aid in breaking scar tissue, myofascial
release. When we stress and tax a muscle, we tear and break it down on a microcellular
level. If the stress exceeds recovery capacity, than that muscle will develop a
“quick” fix to hold that muscle together. Scar tissue forms before muscle
tissue can, and then you’re stuck with it. Now, before you go and scold your
muscles you should know that this is a stress adaptation that prevents your
hamstrings [or whatever] from ripping in two when you’re training hard.
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these trigger points are common knot areas |
To eliminate this tragedy you stretch, or roll out.
Stretching will pull on the tissue and elongate muscles. Remember a longer
muscle, is a stronger muscle [so all heavy lifters and crossfitters should
STRETCH]. Sometimes touching your toes is not enough to loosen up knots. Have
you ever felt a knot on yourself before? That is a hyperirritable spot of built
up proteins and waste that can turn into nasty scar tissue. These areas are
some kind of special evil, and they need to be taken care of.
How to Roll Out
Before we cannonball into the deep end of knowledge on all
things stretching, I should first inform you that not all rolling out requires
a foam roller. My personal caviate of equipment include [and I recommend you
obtain something similar]: Thick foam roller; Soft ball; Base ball; Tennis
ball; Massage Stiff Stick; “Pressure balls” taped together.
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Not sure what this is. But Don't Do It |
So as you can see only one of these things includes foam. The
rest are hard plastics that make me weep in the name of fitness. A progressive
roll out consists of going from broad therapy, to pin point. I also suggest that
you do a brisk warm up before rolling out or stretching. Warm muscles will have
increased blood flow, and can shuttle nutrients to and debris away from the
source faster. Start with the thicker foam roller and do a body sweep. Pop your back
and find tender muscles that could use a light roll. If it hurts, or feels
extra sensitive then you’re doing it right. Spend 3-5 minutes working this
broad area. Don’t forget to apply pressure and roll on the key areas of
tightness. Upper middle back, Hamstrings, and Quads are a few common points
that people are most damaged. The best way to learn to roll out is to roll out.
Next apply your
second largest roll out tool; in my case I use the soft ball. This is where
people decide to be athletes, or super sore soccer moms. Take the softball and
gently roll it over all previously discovered sore muscles. Once knots and
specifically tight muscles are found we can engage. For knots you will find the
spot of most tenderness and place the softball directly under the muscle, and
apply as much body weight and pressure you can take. Small circular movements
can be performed to roll the ball around underneath hitting the spot from different
angles. For tight muscles, there is usually a point of origin. This point of origin will be either a not, or the most tender spot. Apply the same roll out tactics. Remember kids it takes 2 minutes to change soft tissue, so spend no
less than 2 minutes per knot.
Do this progressively until you have used your smallest
piece of equipment. 2 minutes may not be enough for you overly neglected
myofascial monster, and that’s okay. I’ve developed such massive scar tissue
from one workout that it lasted me weeks. The key to overcoming this
debilitation is PERSISTANCE
The Pain, Is It Worth The Pain
Yes it is going to be tender and uncomfortable, but totally
worth it. By removing the evil tissue your muscle works better. Scar tissue
takes away from the total number of muscle fibers you can have. It also
prevents the muscle from getting “longer.” Imagine you have a giant rubber
band, and in the middle is a piece of cork. Now pull it as hard as you can.
That piece of cork is going to prematurely stop you [or you’ll snap the rubber
band in half, how would you like your muscle to do that?] So you can be
stronger, healthier, and less likely to rip in half. I recommend a minimum 20
minute roll out sesh, mine can take up to an hour on off days. A trick I’ve
learned is to always follow this self mutilation with compression of the tenderest
areas. This lovely pressure will force debris into your lymphatic system and
get it outta there.
Stay strong in the lord. Humble lifters. God Bless.
CLEAN SLATE SLAM WEIGHT
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