Hurts so good {giveaway}
You know the dad in My Big Fat Greek Wedding and his Windex?
That’s me and the foam roller. It helps with everything, from sore hamstrings to a broken heart.
I tell everyone that it “hurts so good” – that is, if you like a little pain.
So I wouldn’t recommend it in every possible situation, but for me, it’s helped with the chronic IT band pain I used to have, word on the street is that it reduces the appearance of cellulite (I’m a believer!) and it’s like a free massage. So when I ask the Pilot for a back rub and he pretends to not hear me, I can foam roll instead 😉
Here are some benefits of using a foam roller:
-Self myofascial release —> fancy way of saying “self massage” and enables soft tissue work. Many athletes accredit their fitness gains to soft tissue work. While using the foam roller, you use your body weight to apply pressure to sore spots and the eventual release can help restore or maintain full range of motion. When you have full range of motion, you aren’t forced to compensate by changing your normal movement patterns (which can cause muscular imbalance). This way, you’re less likely to become injured.
-Foam rolling helps to reduce fascia buildup, which makes us stiff. To read more about the benefits of thinning out fascia, this is a fantastic and thorough article.
-It’s easier to roll certain tight areas that are difficult to stretch in a static manner (like psoas and IT band). Static stretches also do not provide the compression that occurs while foam rolling- it’s similar to the release of a massage. This has worked WONDERS for my IT band, which can give us some issues if we do repetitive exercise (like running, spinning, walking/hiking, etc). It’s a difficult area to stretch and constant IT band rolling has helped reduce the knee pain I’ve experienced. One of my friends suffered from intense plantar fasciitis and foam rolling her calves helped immensely.
-It can help you de-stress and relax. If anything, it feels good! Of course the sore spots will be a little painful, but to me, always feel better after a foam rolling session. After a long day, I love rolling out my back, too.
*Heads up: if you’re currently injured or experiencing pain, check with a doc, Physical Therapist or Exercise Physiologist in your area before starting a foam rolling routine.
Here are some of my favorite ways to foam roll:
Tips:
Start to roll very slowly in long, sweeping motions.
When you find a tight spot, hold the foam roller on the spot for 30 seconds – 1 minute.
Continue to roll until you find the next tight spot, hold (30 seconds – 1 minute) and release.
Use your arms to support your body. If it’s too much, transfer more weight to your arms. If you want more, try lifting one leg (or one arm) to transfer more of your body weight to the roller.
See the blue Thera Roll in the above pics? It has ridges which helps penetrate the muscle a little deeper. It’s like the original foam roller’s angry cousin- and I love it.
OpenSky generously offered to send one to a lucky reader 🙂
Here’s how to enter:
–Follow me on OpenSky and leave a comment with your favorite way to sweat and/or any sore spots you’d like to foam roll
-Already follow me on OpenSky? Just leave a comment with your favorite way to sweat and/or any sore spots you’d like to foam roll
I’ll pick a winner from the comments tonight (5/23) at midnight EST.
Have a great day!
xoxo
Gina
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I’m following you, and this would be GREAT for my tight IT-band! 🙂 “Original foam roller’s angry cousin” – made me laugh out loud!
I want to foam roll my hamstrings with that bad boy!
I adore my foam roller! I use it daily, especially on my quads and IT bands. Before bed, I love rolling my upper back with it – feels divine after a long day at a desk! Sadly I can’t enter because I don’t think OpenSky ships to Canada, but I do follow you!
I already follow you on Opensky!
I Crossfit so I would love to foam roll EVERYTHING!!!
My lower back has been so tense lately! I would LOVE to try this to see if it would help…..much cheaper than a massage every week! 😉
I follow you on Opensky and love to run and need a roller of my own 🙂 Thanks!
following you already 🙂
and my calves are my favorite foam rolling spot 🙂
This is an awesome giveaway! I have constant sore muscles—I just can’t get rid of them. Would love a foam roller!
My IT bands have been pretty sore now that I’ve started training for a half marathon!
“Hurts so good” is the BEST way to describe foam rolling!! Quads are my fave and would love to try the Thera Roll!
As a triathlete, I love rolling out pretty much every part of my body. My favorite is my back and glutes, though. Hurts sooooo good!
I love this! I have a foam roller but I wasn’t really sure how to use it, other than rolling my calves. Can’t wait to try these self massages 🙂
I’m following you! I foam roll my calves and behind my knee on the Hammy. I’ve been seeing a physical therapist for my chronic pain and foam rolling has actually made a huge difference in the areas of build up!
My favorite way to sweat is to run and that leaves me with horribly sore calves! Would love to foam roll those babies out!
I would foam roll my calves! Still aching from a weekend race 🙂 Have been dying to get one but didn’t want to spend the money so this would be fantastic!
already follow you! I need to foam roll my IT band, sooo badly!
I need a foam roller for my calves. Desperately! And I already follow you on OpenSky. 🙂
I already follow you on OpenSky. No matter how much I say I am gonna stretch after my workouts.. I very rarely do -I am so bad at that! I’ve been intrigued by the foam roller for awhile and I feel If I had my own, It would encourage me to do some stretching. I get super tight, esp. my back and legs, from weight training and HIIT on the stairclimber and I love that ” Hurts so Good” feeling!! Thanks for the opportunity <3
I am already a follower, but my husband is a long time cyclist and I have just started getting into it, and after a long ride my hamstrings are tight and sore would love a foam roller.
mandykirk@gmail.com
Right now I’m a big fan of the Insanity workouts and Zumba! I would definitely be foam rolling all the tough spots in my upper back and shoulders, they never seem to wanna chill!
and it can heal a broken heart too? sign me up. 😉
I love taking the circuit training and spin classes at my gym, but my IT bands and hips get so tight! This would be perfect for me 🙂
I love weights and HIIT workouts!
I’m currently loving running and yoga! I have my first FULL MARATHON coming up on June 16 so I would loooooveee to roll out a few aches and pains (IT band, quads, calves) before the big race!
I’ve been having some issues with my shoulder so I would love to try the foam roller on it!
I’d love to roll out my lower back! Sounds amazing!
Gina,
I’ve been in PT since last fall for a “mystery” condition that is most likely patellar femoral syndrom (i.e., ANNOYING knee + surrounding area discomfort). I do a lot of foam rolling, as well as core and glute strengthening, but the discomfort and poor tracking of my knees still prevents me from being very active. Basically, the muscles in my entire leg, including my IT band, all tighten up. I’ve been like this for a year now, no fun…
Would you mind elaborating on the knee pain you experienced in connection with your IT band? I’m curious…
I discovered the foam roller yesterday at physical therapy! I was using it on my IT band to help with my knee injury and you’re so RIGHT! It hurt so good! I certainly complained at first but I could see the benefits almost immediately afterward!
After that experience, I want to foam roll EVERYTHING!
I have been following you on OpenSky and love your products/recommendations! I would LOVE one of these foam rollers to help my sore muscles. I started the Insanity program this week and my hamstrings could realllllly use a good “roll”! 🙂
I’m already following you – going to go check out whether there’s a sun warrior deal – we’re running low! I’d love one of these foam rollers with ridges for my back…my current roller could use an upgrade!!
Following! I need a foam roller for my entire body– Zumba instructor, dancer, and soon to be personal trainer, I am bound to wake up with some sort of knot or ache!
I totally forgot about OpenSky! I just added you. My IT bands are my favorite spot to foam roll. I am in the market for a new one..mine got destroyed about a month ago!
Great post! I always say the same thing a out foam rolling- it hurts so good!
My favorite part to roll is definitely my IT bands.
Following you! I love spinning – it is hands down my favorite way to break a sweat. I’m having surgery for a torn labrum this summer so this would come in handy during recovery.
HAMSTRINGS! I have the regular foam roller, but it just doesn’t work as well as I think its angry cousin would!
Right now I’d like to foam roll my lower back :-/ Pre-pregnancy it was my IT band from running. That one with the ridges looks like great torture 🙂
What an awesome giveaway! Thanks. I already follow you over on OpenSky so here is how I love to sweat. Actually there are two ways……First is a vigorous yoga practice, espcially the warrior series. And the other way is “flying” on the elliptical machine. My favorite place to roll out is shoulders.
I would love this right now! My arms are already so sore from sunrise yoga this morning!
I follow you on Opensky already! I’ve been wanting to try a roller for so long, but have never broke down and bought one. I think it would really help with my lower back pain.
I already follow you on OpenSky and I would love to use the foam roller on sore hamstrings after a run!
I love foam rollers! I don’t have one but I use it at my pilates studio and it feels oh so good on my back. I would use it al day if I win!
I mountain bike and trail run and have for many, many years. Because of this I have chronic tightness in my hips and low back that would really benefit from this awesome looking foam roller. I would love to see if it gives those tired and sore muscles some relief.
I always make sure to foam roll my quads! It’s amazing how much better they feel after a nice foam rolling session!
I just started following you on Open Sky. I learned to foam roll from my PT after a knee injury. My favorite places ro roll are my quads and my hip/butt areas…and of course the back!
I’m already following you. I would love to try one of these foam rollers on my upper back which gets really sore! 🙂
I love love love foam rolling! I am a long distance runner and I really do think it helps everything! Knee sore? FOAM ROLL! Glutes sore? FOAM ROLL! Calves mooin? FOAM ROLL! It’s my fix all! Haha
I found that after a while I was getting used to the foam roller, so I went to a hardware store and bought a PVC pipe (don’t know what size but just basically the same size as normal foam rollers) and use that to roll out! Talk about hurts so good!
I can only imagine how amazing this would feel on my calves 🙂
following you!! Id use that bad boy for my lower back! Gardening has really got it all messed up! The foam roller would be great and cheaper than a message a week!!
I followed you 🙂 I have been looking into buying a foam roller recently! I want to roll out my lats and back!
My favorite way to sweat is doing a little hot yoga. I would love to try a foam roller on my lower back. I had a herniated disc injury a few years back and it gets tight every now and again.
I already follow on Open Sky. And I am soooo wanting to win this one! I have been wanting to get a foam roller to use after long runs, but they seem pricey for a piece of foam. This would be great to have before training for my first marathon 🙂