I'm foam rolling daddy

A foam roller sounds like some kids toy out of a cooking set. This piece of equipment is far from that and is an essential tool in any avid exercisers kit. Foam rollers are great at alleviating knots and releasing tension to help with mobility.

Let's Roll!

I started using a foam roller, not consistently, well over one year ago. I was having issues decompressing my spine and I did not want to see a chiropractor or go to a physical therapist. Like any stubborn man, I decided to search out things on my own. I found the foam roller. I was trying to find the best way to utilize it to decompress my spine. Hundreds of minutes of youtube viewing later, I found that this was a BEAST to say the least. If you ever buy a roller, or have used one, be ready to tolerate some pain. That face you make when you hit your "funny bone" is exactly the same face when you find a trigger point. At first it feelings like the extremity that you are rolling on is about to go numb. Then after a few minutes of staying on those trigger points, relief arrives.

I did not foam roll daily (and don't necessarily recommend that), but I do make sure to foam roll the night before a heavy training session. I will also roll the night after a heavy training session (depending on how I felt during the training session). There are going to be all schools of thought on when the right time to "roll out" should be, but it is all a learned practice for you and your body. I prefer to do dynamic stretching prior to a training session to loosen muscles. Trying to loosen up a tense muscle via a stretch with applied pressure can lead to injury.

How I roll:

• Lie on foam roller with head (protruding part slightly above neck) on roller and pelvic region (essentially the top portion of your glutes). Aim for 3-5 minutes to relax spine.
• Move on to areas of focus. Legs, lats, lower back, upper/outer pecs, glutes.
• Whichever extremity I am working on I generally make 4-5 passes through each angle. I may make 20 passes over my quadriceps alone because I will adjust the portion of the muscle I am rolling through as I go. During these passes, I pay attention to areas of tension (trigger points, think "funny bone face". 
• After my passes, I will move slowly into a trigger point and stay there for 1-2 minutes. Then move to a different area of the extremity. Do more passes. Then, work on a potential trigger point in that area.
• At first, you may be rolling just your legs for 10-15 (maybe more) minutes. The longer you wait, the longer you roll. 

I'm foam rolling daddy

As a liftingdad, my son tends to pay attention to what I do (See: Ormond Milk & The Boom Shirt). Over time I've added an additional mini roller (about 12 inches long, the other is 36 inches long). As I am doing my foam rolling, I make sure to have both rollers out since the smaller one is easier to use for legs (and other areas where you'll need to maneuver). I am using the small one and I look over only to see this happening (I had to crop the picture because my son does not like pants and is usually running around in underwear and a shirt). I asked what he was doing and he said "I'm foam rolling daddy". Like father, like son.

LiftingDad Youtube Channel

I've got the youtube channel all setup and will be adding videos (a "this is how I roll" video should be live soon). So, please remember to check it out here, and hit "subscribe".