Fitness Friday #19: 5 Favorite Foam Roller Techniques

Have you ever tried using a foam roller? As an active individual, I am constantly looking for ways to relieve my muscles between workouts and teaching classes. Food recovery is great, but sometimes I like to directly target those tight muscles with a foam roller.

What is it?

Foam rolling promotes muscle recovery. Sore muscles with tight knots? Foam roll it.

It also helps with flushing lactic acid, improving flexibility, and preventing injury. Basically, it can be an all-around great investment of time for an active individual!

Foam rollers come in many sizes. I prefer a standard foam roller. Here’s the exact one I purchased (<– affiliate link). As you can see from a quick search on amazon, there are tons of different kinds of foam rollers.

Now the big question – but how do I use it? I’m sharing 5 of my personal favorite ways to use a foam roller. I only foam roll my legs, but there are others who will use it for upper back or shoulders.

Disclaimer: Remember that every individual trains and recovers differently, so these might not necessarily feel the best for you! I also always encourage you to check with your doc before starting anything new in your fitness/wellness routine.

Tips for all foam rolling:
1) Go slowly. No, slower. See-sawing back and forth will likely not feel good. As you can see from these videos, I go very slowly.

2) If you find a particularly tight knot, stop and hold for 30 seconds. The added pressure feels awesome.

3) There might be some discomfort at first, but it should never feel painful. If it feels exceptionally painful to roll a certain area, stop. Roll around it.

4) In any of these exercises I list below, feel free to turn the legs to roll different sides and directions. For example, in the calf video, my toes are facing up. You could rotate to the right or left to roll different sides of the muscles.

Now, here are my five favorite foam rolling exercises and where they target:

1. Hamstrings

I prefer to roll one leg at a time when rolling the hamstrings. I sit behind the roller, place one extended leg over the roller, and bend the opposite leg, placing that foot on the ground to help with movement and balance. Roll slowly from the top of the knee to just below the glutes.

2. Calves

I prefer to roll one leg at a time with the calves. I sit behind the roller, place one extended leg over the roller, and bend the opposite leg, placing that foot on the ground behind the roller to help with movement and balance. For added pressure, I’ll cross the bent leg over the leg I’m rolling. Oooo. Roll slowly from the ankle to just below the knee.

3. Piriformis (a gluteal muscle)

For this one, sit on top of the roller, leaning toward one side, with your hip being the focal point. Cross the opposite leg over the one you’re rolling to add pressure. Roll slowly.

4. Quads

Oh my quads. This is the move I love to hate. My quads get a ton of action daily, and they’re almost always tight. Foam rolling this areas makes me react verbally. I roll both quads at the same time. Getting into lower plank position with the roller underneath me, I roll slowly from the hips to the top of the knee.

5. Adductors

It’s time to get personal with that foam roller. This is one of my tighter areas and is an area often forgotten when it comes time to stretch and take care of the muscles. I place the foam roller parallel to my body and swing one leg over it, bending that leg. This is the focal point of the rolling – the inside of the upper leg from knee to pelvis.

I like to get into a low plank for this one, too.

There you have it. When I roll, my recovery time speeds up, which is super important because I teach 2 classes a day! This, combined with daily yoga practice, helps me with flexibility as well.