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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Foam rolling does hurt so good. 🙂 My IT band bothers me on my left leg only and always feels better after foam rolling. My favorite way to sweat is running intervals.
Hi! 🙂 I already follow you on OpenSky.
My favorite way to sweat is the TRX!!!! I love how versatile the TRX is (cardio and/or strength on one piece of equipment!). That being said, my lats (a muscle that I had never noticed pre-TRX days) “hurts so good” when I move my arms, after every TRX class.
I would love to have a foam roller for my glutes and hamstrings after body pump!
Ooooo!!! I already follow you on opensky! I would love to foam roll my back! Thank you for this giveaway!
I would love to try the foam roller angry cousin haha 🙂 I love running and foam rolling my calves really helps!
I love my foam roller! I was having a lot of hip pain when I first started to run and it definitely helped so much. Thanks for this post, I need to foam roll tonight and this is a great reminder 🙂
I have super sore hamstrings and shoulder…A massage could definitely help!
My favourite way to sweat is hockey! I’m a hockey player through and through and foam rolling helps release the pain I get in my IT bands and glutes!!
I would love to win a foam roller! I would foam roll my glutes and hamstrings.
I follow you on OpenSky! I would loooove to roll out my back and hamstrings. They’re always super tight!
I’m training for my first 5k and have been experiecing super tight muscles that basic stretching isn’t getting out. I have added a yoga day to my weekly routine, and it has helped. However, I was just reading about foam rollers in my Women’s Health mag, and am so interesting in getting one. Once I finish my 5k, I made a deal with the hubby that while he is away for his 6monther in Korea, we can both train for a 10k and when he gets back in October we’ll run it together. I’m sure we’ll both love using a foam roller after our race together as well.
I would love to experiment with a foam roller. I have an office job and sit all day, so I think rolling my back out in the evenings would feel incredible.
Thanks Gina! xo -Kat
Thanks for showing me how you use the foam roller! I already have one, & I use it for my IT band & quads veeerrry infrequently. I don’t really like pain (weird, I know), so it’s hard for me to stick w/it, but I know it helps, so I’ll try to do it some more & incorporate those other moves too!
I am a runner, so foam rolling my legs is a must but I also have a lot of tension in my back and think it could be helpful for that also.
I have never tried a foam roller but would love to! My husband has selective hearing as well so I don’t get a massage too often! 🙂
My favorite way to sweat is always TurboFire!
I am following you on open sky! I would love to foam roll my sore hamstrings. I actually took to using an old rolling pin last night bc they hurt so bad….so embarrassing! LOL
Both me husband and I would use the foam roller — between Crossfit, Kettlebells and running it would be awesome.
*my
I’m an OpenSky follower! I’d love to foam roll my hamstrings and glutes right now. I’ve been doing a ton of squats and lunges lately and I’m sooo sore!
I follow you on OpenSky. I have been having tons of knee pain right now training for the Seattle Rock and Roll half marathon and I’ve heard only good thinks about foam rolling. I’d love to have one at home to roll at my leisure!
I follow you. 🙂 And my hips! They could sooo benefit from this! And my back and shoulders!
Omg a foam roller sounds ahhhhmazing right now. My quads are crying from my pre-work
workout this morning. Burpees and deadlifts will do that to ya! Awesome giveaway, Gina!
I have been following you on OpenSky it seems like forever. The favorite way to sweat is conquering a huge mountain in 90 degree weather.
I love foam rolling! I’ve been mountain biking a lot lately and have noticed tightness in my psoas. What’s the best way to foam roll that area?
My legs would love a foam roller! Great giveaway!
I definitely need to roll out my quads and IT band. They are suuuuuper sore right now!
This is a great post, love all the ideas how to foam roll!!
Already an OpenSky follower! I love me a good, sweaty spin class and that foam roller would sure be a nice way to treat the hammies afterwards. Thanks for hosting this awesome giveaway, Gina!
I would love to roll on my back and legs–they get so stiff!
This post could NOT have come at a better time!! I’ve been thinking about researching foam rolling and getting a foam roller for a few weeks, and just today started doing a little Googling – and then you posted this! Perfect timing 🙂 I would love to be able to roll out my legs and my back/shoulders – I always have so much tightness there!
I follow you on OpenSky 🙂 This is a great giveaway!
Right now, my favorite way to sweat has been running! I’m currently training to *hopefully* place in a 5K for Melanoma Research in memory of my Dad who passed away in December. Needless to say, my workout intensity has upped quite a bit lately and my legs could use some foam rolling!
I already follow you on Open Sky. My IT Band is screaming for a little foam rolling.
I’m following you on OpenSky! My favorite way to sweat is a long run. I’m currently training for my first half marathon, and I’d love the foam roller to use on my legs/butt! I’ve never rolled before, so I’d love to give it a try!
My favorite way to sweat? Activities with my husband 😉 Actually, I love building up a sweat during all exercises, especially in baptiste yoga-feels so good!
I already follow you on open sky! But my favorite way to sweat is HIIT workouts or dancing, and my hips have been sooo sore. I’ve been needing a foam roller for awhile.
I couldn’t live without foam rolling!!! My favorite part is rolling over my back for a massage, but I can only do that if I torture my hamstrings and quads first! 😉
I’ve been addicted to Barry’s Boot Camp here in California. I’ve been running and lifting about three to four times a week for six months and I feel heavy like a Clydesdale (*gallop* *gallop*) when I start the run portion of my workout, especially in the mornings! I’d love a foam roller to work out my tight quad muscles.
Just created an OpenSky account… simply so I could follow you 😉 I ran my first race (a half-marathon! Woot Woot!) at the end of April. Since then, I’ve been having pain in one of my legs if I try to run. I think it’s related to a muscle or tendon, so I’m sure foam rolling could help the healing process and get me back running again!
I would love it for my calves, they get sore sometimes after my hill runs
My favorite way to sweat is definitely running, but the Nike training club app is growing on me as well! I’m in need of a foam roller to massage my hamstrings and IT band!
Hey there! My favorite way to sweat is through HIIT workouts. I just recently found them and LOVE how I feel after them. I’m currently training for the Marine Corps Marathon in October and they are an awesome way to run out the soreness and get some speed work in. My hubby is an athletic trainer and I’m always stealing his foam roller from his office so this would be awesome! I have had IT issues and love rolling out my glutes too!
I’m an opensky follower already but I’d love to be a foam roller! I feel like my back and legs would love a little foam roller action!
Id love to try it on my calves. I’ve been having the pregnancy cramps in the middle of the night and GI myself constantly having to rub my legs out!
I’m pregnant with baby number three and my lower back could seriously use this foam rolling action!!!! (already follow on opensky)
Following on opensky. Love foam rolling for ITB issues too!
Hey Gina! My favorite way to workout is through HIIT workouts or with weight training! I use to swim competitively for most of my life and through college and I’m trying to find some new ways to work up a sweat. Your website has introduced me to all kinds of new ways to get moving! I would love to try out the foam roller, my back is always so sore after lifting!
I followed you on OpenSky! I would love to try foam rolling.
i already follow you on open sky! I havent ever used a foam roller so this is something i need to try. my favorite way to sweat is hiking!! love it!
My fav way to sweat is a good run and instructing my ladies outside….I run an outdoor Boot Camp in the summer and it’s been pretty schwetty of late!
I would foam roll my whole body! *lol* Between showing the ladies how to do thier tuck jumps and my own workouts, I need a good rollin.
Thanks for the foam rolling pictures! I’ve got a couple new moves to try out. That foam roller looks INTENSE – I’d love to try it out. I already really like rolling out my IT band – it definitely makes a difference. My favorite way to sweat changes a lot! Spinning classes are great because they always leave me drenched – and so do your monthly “schweaty” workouts! Thanks for a great giveaway 🙂
Come on baby make it hurt so good! 🙂 Sorry, you got me singing.
I’ve never foam rolled, but I’d love to try it out!