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| Mia Kay Fitness 2015, Foam Rolling © |
Have you ever had those days where you feel like you’re muscles are sore and tight but you neglected doing anything about it? At first I was skeptical about the benefits of using a piece of foam to loosen my muscles but when it comes to resistance training, the very thought of alleviating my DOMS encouraged me to do something about it. It’s now my go-to fitness product and (almost) everyday ritual, especially after leg days or running.
At first the pain may seem unbearable but you’ll soon learn
to love the pain! Sounds a bit crazy but trust me on this.
So what are the benefits?
1) Foam rolling is a great way to reduce mild muscle tension,
especially after a hard workout. I find it great for loosening off the IT band
(outside of your leg from the knee up), my glutes and calves.
2) It helps to decrease recovery time by helping with muscle
repair. For all of you frequent gym-goers you’d be happy to know that using a
foam roller can help you get more training session in per month.
3) It doesn’t cost much in comparison to booking a sports
massage so you’ll be saving yourself a lot of money. If you do buy one, you can
get compact ones, which you can use wherever, and whenever you want so it’s
super convenient. Having one at home will help you do a bit here and there
saving your time on making trips to the gym/ sports therapist. You may even be
lucky to have one in your local gym which you can use.
4) Lastly for females – it can help to reduce the appearance
of cellulite so when beach season comes, you’ll be feeling more confident in
your own skin.
When do I use it?
I sometimes use it before my workout as a warm-up if my
muscles are feeling a bit tight but I most often use it during the evening
where I spare some minutes before bed.
Using it before your workout helps to increase blood flow to
my muscles to areas that may not be receiving much blood flow whilst reducing
tension in the muscles. If your muscle is too tight when you start your
workout, you may not be able to get deep enough into your exercise so you’re
essentially restricting yourself in getting better results.
Using it after your workouts helps to flush out the blood
flow and allows fresh nutrients and oxygen to help with the healing process. You
may also find it helps me to unwind, relax and get a restful sleep if I do it
before I go to sleep.
Let me know if you try and how you feel in the comment
below! Or if you’ve got a tip for muscle recovery please share it!
MKx
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