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When to foam roll...

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Comments

  • #32
    madfred
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18 ✭madfred


    Will Heffernan wrote: »
    Sounds like you need to work on that.


    Holistically.


    How long is a piece of hamstring?

    Lots of reasons...some of which might be mobility issues...anywhere for ankle to back and everywhere in between, could be osteological...leg length discrepancy, could be as a result of previous injury...scar tissue build up and on and on the list goes.


    No.

    Thanks Will. When you say I need to work on that, what would that work involve?

    Have had a back injury before. Also pulled my other hamstring a few years back playing football. Had a physio tell me in the past that one leg is slightly longer than the other but was also told that this is extremely common.

    And why no to that video I posted? Because it's hard to foam roll that area and get enough pressure against your hamstring? Or...??

    For what it's worth I did do some of that foam rolling last night before bed. Out of desperation I guess. Woke up this morning and it feels quite tender.

    Edit: Also forgot to add that it's the first time I've trained in a couple of years but it doesn't feel like DOMS.


  • #33
    Will Heffernan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭Will Heffernan


    nice_guy80 wrote: »
    I find foam rolling before weights or a pitch session a great use of my time
    When you say 'find'...do you mean you have evaluated it scientifically? Is it more a matter of anecdotally you that you have reduced your rate of injury when compared to not foam rolling? Maybe you just 'find' it is a great use because you just enjoy it...I find standing around talking shop and shooting the sh*t before training a great use of my time but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. You know what I think...I think that people got along just fine before foam rolling. People survived training at rugby before skins were invented. I am old enough to remember when people used to wear leg warmers in the gym. I remember when people used to wear stupid wrist bracelets with crystals in them to improve their power and balance (oh wait...do people still do that).

    See the thing is...training, human health and performance can be stripped back...it can be stripped back to really simple 'fundamentals'. Everything else is just fluff. I see fat people foam rolling. I see people with poor with poor mobility foam rolling. I see plenty of people who can't see the forest for the trees.

    If you have time, money, inclination...all the fluff is fine...foam rolling is fine. I foam roll...I do it when I do recovery sessions and have the time. I would never choose foam rolling over a proper staged warm up and structured mobility work prior to a training session though.

    Like I said though....each to their own.


  • #34
    Zombienosh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,911 ✭✭✭Zombienosh


    I still don't fully understand foam rolling, is it done in place of stretching or in conjunction with stretching?


  • #35
    nice_guy80
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,722 ✭✭✭nice_guy80


    Will Heffernan wrote: »
    When you say 'find'...do you mean you have evaluated it scientifically? Is it more a matter of anecdotally you that you have reduced your rate of injury when compared to not foam rolling? Maybe you just 'find' it is a great use because you just enjoy it...I find standing around talking shop and shooting the sh*t before training a great use of my time but I wouldn't recommend it to everyone. You know what I think...I think that people got along just fine before foam rolling. People survived training at rugby before skins were invented. I am old enough to remember when people used to wear leg warmers in the gym. I remember when people used to wear stupid wrist bracelets with crystals in them to improve their power and balance (oh wait...do people still do that).

    See the thing is...training, human health and performance can be stripped back...it can be stripped back to really simple 'fundamentals'. Everything else is just fluff. I see fat people foam rolling. I see people with poor with poor mobility foam rolling. I see plenty of people who can't see the forest for the trees.

    If you have time, money, inclination...all the fluff is fine...foam rolling is fine. I foam roll...I do it when I do recovery sessions and have the time. I would never choose foam rolling over a proper staged warm up and structured mobility work prior to a training session though.

    Like I said though....each to their own.

    I've tried training with and without foam rolling, both in the gym and field

    I do agree that training should be paired back to the fundamentals. however, if I have 15 mins to use, foam roll is a good use of that time


  • #36
    Will Heffernan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭Will Heffernan


    nice_guy80 wrote: »
    I've tried training with and without foam rolling, both in the gym and field
    If it 'works' for you then that's all that matters.
    I do agree that training should be paired back to the fundamentals. however, if I have 15 mins to use, foam roll is a good use of that time
    In short I wasn't targeting all my comments directly at you..I was just talking out loud and in general...1. What I was getting at was that you need to prioritise your training to ensure that you are doing what is going to give you the most bang for your buck....and if you have major mobility issues then foam rolling is not going to get the job done. 2. In your particular case...I agree...I would tend to approach my foam rolling the same way...in that if I have the time...it is easier enough for me to talk sh*t and annoy people at training/work WHILE foam rolling.


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  • #37
    Mellor
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 40,572 ✭✭✭✭Mellor


    Zombienosh wrote: »
    I still don't fully understand foam rolling, is it done in place of stretching or in conjunction with stretching?
    Yes.


  • #38
    madfred
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18 ✭madfred


    madfred wrote: »
    Thanks Will. When you say I need to work on that, what would that work involve?

    Have had a back injury before. Also pulled my other hamstring a few years back playing football. Had a physio tell me in the past that one leg is slightly longer than the other but was also told that this is extremely common.

    And why no to that video I posted? Because it's hard to foam roll that area and get enough pressure against your hamstring? Or...??

    For what it's worth I did do some of that foam rolling last night before bed. Out of desperation I guess. Woke up this morning and it feels quite tender.

    Edit: Also forgot to add that it's the first time I've trained in a couple of years but it doesn't feel like DOMS.

    If you have a second Will :)


  • #39
    Zombienosh
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,911 ✭✭✭Zombienosh


    Mellor wrote: »
    Yes.

    no


  • #40
    Will Heffernan
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭Will Heffernan


    Mellor wrote: »
    Yes.
    Zombienosh wrote: »
    No
    Yes and No apparently...I'd tend to agree with that.


  • #41
    jugger0
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,453 ✭✭✭jugger0


    Is foam rolling not in the same vein as getting a sports massage? obviously not as effective but i usually hurt my hip flexor and after a hard rub its back to normal, would using a foam roller on the sore area not be helpful?


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  • #42
    Brian?
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 23,001 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    Zombienosh wrote: »
    I still don't fully understand foam rolling, is it done in place of stretching or in conjunction with stretching?

    Foam rolling is done as a form of self myofascial release:

    http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Myofascial_release

    I tend to use a roller shaped device* on my quads, upper back and calfs.

    I'd use a ball shaped implement* on my hamstrings, pecs and glutes.

    *foam roller, grid roller or wavin pipe.

    ** tennis ball, sliotar or baseball.

    they/them/theirs


    The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.

    Noam Chomsky



  • #43
    thegreatiam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,869 ✭✭✭thegreatiam


    Brian? wrote: »

    I tend to use a roller shaped device* on my quads, upper back and calfs.

    I'd use a ball shaped implement* on my hamstrings, pecs and glutes.

    *foam roller, grid roller or wavin pipe.

    ** tennis ball, sliotar or baseball.

    is there a reason for using a ball on your hammy and not a roller?
    My hammys are still tender today and I used a grid roller there yesterday. what difference would a ball make?


  • #44
    Brian?
    Moderators, Recreation & Hobbies Moderators Posts: 23,001 Mod ✭✭✭✭Brian?


    thegreatiam wrote: »
    is there a reason for using a ball on your hammy and not a roller?
    My hammys are still tender today and I used a grid roller there yesterday. what difference would a ball make?

    I don't really have a technical explanation, it's just better at applying pressure where I need it. I used to use a foam roller on my hamstrings but felt it was becoming ineffective, so I switched to a soft ball and now a baseball.

    they/them/theirs


    The more you can increase fear of drugs and crime, welfare mothers, immigrants and aliens, the more you control all of the people.

    Noam Chomsky



  • #45
    DylanJM
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,468 ✭✭✭DylanJM


    A ball will have less surface area than a roller so the pressure will be greater. I'd agree with Brian in that I find it hard to get enough weight on to my hamstrings with a roller to the point where it feels like nothing is happening.


  • #46
    LuckyLloyd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,701 ✭✭✭✭LuckyLloyd


    Will Heffernan wrote: »
    I see fat people foam rolling. I see people with poor with poor mobility foam rolling. I see plenty of people who can't see the forest for the trees.

    Hi Will, just wondering why us fatties shouldn't foam roll? Or do you mean to say that our number one priority should be weightloss sans all other effort? Cheers.


  • #47
    Username99
    Closed Accounts Posts: 235 ✭✭Username99


    Antisocialiser wrote: »
    Ok, there is very little floor space in my office though. Should I maintain eye contact with the 65 yo secretary as I roll my adductors? The raw sexual tension is already at an almost unbearable level so this may just tip her over the edge.

    Or do you mean prior to my weights & pitch sessions?

    Do it now god dammit, maintain full, steely, eye contact throughout!


  • #48
    thegreatiam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,869 ✭✭✭thegreatiam


    LuckyLloyd wrote: »
    Hi Will, just wondering why us fatties shouldn't foam roll? Or do you mean to say that our number one priority should be weightloss sans all other effort? Cheers.

    Fatties should be avoiding all types of roll. foam, slow and bread.
    DylanJM wrote: »
    A ball will have less surface area than a roller so the pressure will be greater. I'd agree with Brian in that I find it hard to get enough weight on to my hamstrings with a roller to the point where it feels like nothing is happening.

    ok, i get it. Tbh the hammy part of my rolling routine was a nice respite from the screaming agony of my calfs followed by the tortuous pain of my quads. looks like those halcyon days are over.

    oblig inuendo: Cant wait to feel the balls hammering deep in the back of my thighs tonight.


  • #49
    nice_guy80
    Closed Accounts Posts: 8,722 ✭✭✭nice_guy80


    DylanJM wrote: »
    A ball will have less surface area than a roller so the pressure will be greater. I'd agree with Brian in that I find it hard to get enough weight on to my hamstrings with a roller to the point where it feels like nothing is happening.

    It's a denser muscle

    baseball, hockey, lacrosse or well worn sliotar do a great job of finding the tight spots on a muscle.
    very effective for calves, shins, glutes


  • #50
    WHIP IT!
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 5,887 ✭✭✭WHIP IT!


    Picked up one of these last week. It's tougher than a tennis ball but not as rock hard as a hockey/lacrosse ball and the ridges aren't as severe as a regular sliothar... Pearl Diver in Lifestyle sports...

    dsc_0101_2.jpg


  • #51
    thegreatiam
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,869 ✭✭✭thegreatiam


    WHIP IT! wrote: »
    Picked up one of these last week. It's tougher than a tennis ball but not as rock hard as a hockey/lacrosse ball and the ridges aren't as severe as a regular sliothar... Pearl Diver in Lifestyle sports...

    dsc_0101_2.jpg

    lidl 2.99 last week, should still be some about

    edit, just saw that its a different type to what i have.


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  • #52
    LuckyLloyd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,701 ✭✭✭✭LuckyLloyd


    thegreatiam wrote: »
    Fatties should be avoiding all types of roll. foam, slow and bread.

    Seriously though, if there is a specific reason why foam rolling is ineffective or less effective for those with excess weight I'd be interested to hear it.


  • #53
    Hanley
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 21,981 ✭✭✭✭Hanley


    LuckyLloyd wrote: »
    Seriously though, if there is a specific reason why foam rolling is ineffective or less effective for those with excess weight I'd be interested to hear it.


    Because they're fat....?

    Think about it. What gets between the fo roller and muscle the heavier you get...?


  • #54
    LuckyLloyd
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 36,701 ✭✭✭✭LuckyLloyd


    Hanley wrote: »
    Because they're fat....?

    Think about it. What gets between the fo roller and muscle the heavier you get...?

    I wasn't thinking hard enough needless to say. Makes perfect sense.


  • #55
    brownej
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 886 ✭✭✭brownej


    WHIP IT! wrote: »
    Picked up one of these last week. It's tougher than a tennis ball but not as rock hard as a hockey/lacrosse ball and the ridges aren't as severe as a regular sliothar... Pearl Diver in Lifestyle sports...

    dsc_0101_2.jpg
    I got one of these but I find it a bit soft.The ridges are good though.
    My current favourite is a cricket (training) ball. It's a hard rubber ball and works pretty well.
    I tried a grid roller but found it to be quite soft. I'm not sure if it was a cheap knockoff one though. Its compact size makes it convenient though. I have the long blue foam roller at home which seems to work well but my favourite is still the cricket ball.

    The best thing I've used by far is two sliotars taped together. Works brilliantly. Keep meaning to pick up a couple of sliotars and gaffer tape to make my own.


  • #56
    TimeToShine
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,880 ✭✭✭TimeToShine


    LuckyLloyd wrote: »
    Seriously though, if there is a specific reason why foam rolling is ineffective or less effective for those with excess weight I'd be interested to hear it.

    It's gonna be less effective but still there's no reason to stop doing it.


  • #57
    madfred
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 18 ✭madfred


    There is a foam roller in this so I think it's somewhat relevant. What do you guys think of the two exercises below for improving flexibility and tight hamstrings? I genuinely never has able to touch my toes whilst sitting down and legs out straight. Did the below and was able to touch them with ease, which surprised me a little! But is it good for me to do?



    and



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