These things are great - working in an office in the day stiffens you up pretty badly so I like to use it to loosen up a bit beforehand and generally have a go on it after, too. Is there any way to target the trapezius muscles particularly? Considering the strain put on the shoulders by boxing I feel like I don't really hit those too much - a lot of the lower back. Post any exercises you find useful.
strange this i started using one last night, i use it to massage out my glutes as i was getting bad lower back pain from immobility in my glutes hams and lower back, used it to massage out lower back too by just lying on it and rolling over on it on my lumbar area, felt so ****ing good icouldnt describe, for my glutes, the gluteus medius the one of side of your butt basically lying straight side ways on rolling over the thick part of the medius until you find the spot that feels most stiff hold for ten seconds then start rolling again trying to find another spot, for the gluteus maximus sit on the foam roller with one foot resting on your quad just above teh knee and same thing again just slight roll back and forth until you find some spots that need attention, cannot wait to use it again and free up the problems i have, my injury was so bad i couldnt box for 18 months everytime i threw the right hand id pull the QL muscle in lower back, when i found out it was a mobility issue i increased my flexibilty through stretching but its still not 100% and i cant fully commit with the right hand, these foam rollers are gonna bring me close to 100%
Should probably contribute a little myself - probably the best exercise I've used for my legs, though I rarely get bad DOMs in them - lie down sideways on the foam roller as above with it around your hip level and roll all the way to the knee and back, switching from the front of the quads to the back every few rolls. Pretty painful but very worthwhile.
I had knee issues due to a tight IT band, picked up a foam roller, and use it semi-regularly, and now I'm golden.
It is a golden piece of equipment for anyone who trains seriously. Sports massage is superior, but pretty damn expensive, a foam roller is a decent alternative. Hardest spots for me are IT bands, upper back (cross your arms to open your shoulder blades), and certainly VMO/quad.
:deal being too cheapskate to spend my cash on a bit of foam, i too stumbled upon the way of the log..
My ITB gets tight very easily so using one of these is a must.. A close 2nd place to a proper sports massage imo.
Foam rollers are great, but a little med ball is even better for some exercises. With the med ball the weight is concentrated on a smaller surface, so you get a deeper massage.
Yeah? Please share :good The only one I do with any regularity is the one where you have your legs bent at right angles in front and behind you and have your chest over the front knee on the ground, sort of a modified hurdlers stretch.
This is one recommended to me by my physio, helped a lot: http://www.rice.edu/~jenky/sports/itband_str.html
