This past weekend I had the chance to attend a ‘Foam Rolling Clinic’ at the Charm City Runstore in Annapolis, Maryland! I own two types of foam rollers and have used them for quite some time now.
Trigger Point Grid Roller and Pro-Tec Athletic Foam Roller
My favorite blue, textured massage ball! It really gets deep into my calf muscles!
However, I was curious to see how I could use the foam roller to achieve better benefits! I try my best to foam roll my calves before and after running! I alternate between my solid blue foam roller and the Trigger Point Grid foam roller. My blue foam roller is really hard and dense. For the clinic, I actually chose to bring my slightly shorter grid foam roller. Although, I honestly prefer my blue solid foam roller.
Annapolis Charm City Run Store
I arrived at the store in Annapolis just before 9:00am. There were already a few runners setting up their foam rollers for the clinic inside the store. Charm City Run had opened up space right inside the store for the foam rolling session!
Foam Rolling Area at Charm City Run
The foam rolling instructor was great! He took his time explaining the terms -Myofascial release and trigger points. Essentially, the foam roller is used to break up adhesions in muscle tissue and get the oxygen and blood flowing again in those areas! The goal is to prevent tissue build up and promote healthy muscle recovery. I really should have taken “pencil and paper” notes, but I was so focused on getting the right foam roller techniques!
Awesome Charm City Run Instructor!
The instructor explained and modeled how to foam roll- calves, quads, ITBand, hamstrings, glutes and hip Flexors. I didn’t take nearly enough pictures of each area to foam roll! The instructor talked to us about some key things to consider when foam rolling:
- foam rolling breaks up tight knots in muscles
- foam roll across the muscle first to break apart adhesions- muscles run vertical, so create that ‘cross friction’ across the muscle
- linger on tender spots and apply pressure- Trigger points
- Do not foam roll on bone or tendon
- foam rolling benefits increase with daily and weekly routines { Morning and Evening}
Take Aways from The Foam Rolling Clinic:
- Foam Roll Daily! Especially at night, to help relax and ease tension in muscles!
- Foam rolling is also a great core workout! Balancing the roller on all those different muscles!
- Drink plenty of water after foam rolling- hydrate those muscles and increase oxygen and blood flow!
- I felt more confident in foam rolling after attending this clinic! If only I could attend a foam rolling class once a week!
There was so much information during the 45 minute session! Later on, I googled some more information on foam rolling. THISwebsite was a great ‘follow-up’ to what the instructor focused on in class!
After class, I hung out for a while at Whole Foods! I tasted all the free, yummy samples of soups and smoothies at the Vitamix ‘Road Show’!! I own the Vitamix Pro 750 and love it! Always learning new ways to use it! The smoothies definitely helped to hydrate and replenish fluids after the ‘Foam Rolling Clinic’
Vitamix-Soups and Smoothies!
Do you ‘Foam Roll’ daily, weekly? How do you assist your muscles in recovery? What clinics have you attended at your local running store?
MaineGirl2Runs 