Myofascial Release Technique: Make Muscles More Powerful and Injury Proof with Foam Rolling?
The Foam Roller:
Fairly General and Superficial Application?
Maybe.
Great for Injury Prevention and Performance Enhancement?
Looks a lot like it!
Logi Geirsson is an
Olympic Silver Medallist
and one of my Top Athletes.
We had only a little while ago started
rehabbing his shoulder after surgery and building him up
to re-enter the pro athletic circuit.
Logi has just started playing again and recently won the national championship.
On this workout day he brought a foam roller, and proceeded to show me all the lower body drills.
I said: “Ah, one of them foamy-thingies. I never use them.
Logi: ”Why on earth wouldn’t you use them?”
Me: “Well, they are a bit superficial and general in their application, aren’t they?”
And then Logi said something that made me change my mind about these foamy-rolls immediately …
“Yeah maybe, but here’s the kicker: since I use these babies I never had any trouble with injuries in the legs at all!
The German Handball Bundesliga uses them, and there’s this NHL Team that was apparently injury-free 4 years running simply because they added foam roller-drills to their warm-up!”
Well, Hot Diggety!
I’ll be danged!
“Can you please show me these drills again, Logi?”
“Sure Mark, here they are, and in order of progression:”
| 1.This is done at the beginning of the warm-up!
2.Each drill last about 30 seconds, or something like 10-15 ”rolls”. 3. Usually all areas of a structure are treated, so in the example of In English that means to first roll in the middle, then the inside and finally the outside. |
So here‘s how to do it:
You basically put most your bodyweight onto the foam roller, applying pressure to the treated structure.
Then you simply roll back and forth across, or along this muscle group. Adjust pressure by shifting the weight on and off. (the more pressure –and pain!—you can handle, the better … up to a point of course, so don’t overdo it all y’all tough athletes out there!) 
The video below will clarify things further, you can see how to do some of the drills right there.
If, or more like when, you find an extra tender spot (a ”knot”, as it were) you want to apply as much pressure as possible and try to relax the treated muscle. After about 15 seconds or so things will usually start to soften up. That’s when you continue ”rolling”.
So again:
You start at the calf, doing first the middle (or the back of the calf), then the inside and the outside (that’s most painful!;-)
Then you move up to the hamstrings, ditto there.
Now we do the IT Band, that’s on the outside of the thigh, and also quite sore, usually.
Following are the quads and TFL (front and top-outside of the thigh)
And then for the adductors (inside of the thigh)
Hip rotators are done by sitting on the roller and crossing one leg over the other. You tilt slightly towards the treated side and away you roll! 
Finally the spinal erectors (muscles along the spine, including the lower back)
You basically just glide your back over the foam roller at a right angle.
Here’s a Video so y’all can see what on earth I’m blabbing on about:
What’s your experience with foam rolling?
Any coaches or athletes out there who have produced definite and outstanding results with this?
Please leave a comment below and let me know how you apply these babies, and what’s your take on the whole thing.
I’m going to test this with my soccer teams: both the champions league and the 1st division one. See how it goes, I will keep you guys updated.
But I really think this looks very promising and intriguing for sure.
I know the “hands-on” Myofascial release technique (like A.R.T.) works incredibly well, for prehab, rehab, and performance enhancement.
These rollers always seemed too general for my liking, but hey, general does not always have to be bad!
Massage for example is very general and yet really really good for recovery.
If this works as reported, then that will be totally GREAT!
Can’t wait now, let y’all know asap!
Mark
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I must admit that I am absolutely in love with foam rollers. I started using them about a year ago (when my gym got them). I, however don’t use them for my warm-up. Instead, I incorporate it into my post-workout stretching routine. My post-workout soreness has drastically reduced. Now I’m looking to get one just around the house.
I’ll have to try including it in my warm-up now that I’ve read this to see what kind of effect it has. Thanks!
Hey Srdjan,
thanks for your comment !;-)
Yeah it’s a good point, I would have initially thought the same: use it afterwards, just like you would definitely use A.R.T. after, never before training (as a general rule)
But this is what Logi the Olympic Silver Medalist told me he does, as well as countless football and pro handball teams, AND that NHL Team that allegedly was injury free for 4 years!
The whole team!
Impressive if it’s really true, one of my Hockey Players has actually confirmed this to me by now …
It’s definitely interesting enough to check it out for sure!
Matter of fact I will teach these very drills to one of my Soccer Teams tomorrow morning at 10:30, as a warm up for their practice (they just won a league game 2 days ago !;-)
Have a Good One !;-)
Mark
I have never used foam rollers but my friend loves doing them especially since went through rehab for a shoulder dislocation injury. He swears that the advantage with this tool is that it relieves post workout soreness and inflammation.
-Sam
Hey Sam,
Welcome back !;-)
Yeah it actually seems to do a lot more than that:
It breaks up adhesions and lesions in the muscle, restores pliability/elasticity and restores proper bloodflow.
Regular use is highly recommended for injury prevention as well as performance enhancement!
Mark
Awesome reminder.
Since I’m starting to cut soon, I better start putting some of these exercises into my routine (I find I get more sore when I’m in a caloric deficit). These kinda hurt though!
Nathan,
GREAT!;-)
Yeah they hurt the most at the beginning but it gets better all the time (my left IT Band hurts the most, and the calfs)
But boy is it worth it!
Thanks,
Mark
Hi Mark.
Any news on all that foaming you let both of your soccer team do last summer ?
Did the injury cases decrease among the players ?
Maybe all that foaming was the key to all that good success your team showed last summer ?
hehe prob not entirely
Hey Emil!
Welcome back man!
Yebbs, we let them do it and as you know injury rates very extremely low, which isn’t a new situation for the teams I coach though, so the main reason will still be our Prehab/Structural Balance Work.
Nut I’m sure the foam rollers help, I use them myself sometimes and must say you an felt the difference. The ingenious thing about it is you can really work just about all your body with them …
Mark