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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Followed on opensky! My favourite way to sweat is skiing but since I can’t do that every day I’ve started running.. and am hooked! I’m usually so bad about stretching (and then I pay for it later) and have been wanting to try out foam rolling forever and have yet to get around to it.
Already follow you on OpenSky. 😉
Favorite way to sweat would be a little tmi, but it involves my husband. bwa ha ha.
Exercise sweat wise. . . . hmmm . . . swimming. I honestly hate the feeling of sweating so the pool makes me feel better. Though I just had thr thought that I am swimming through other peoples sweat as well. Eww. Okay, cycling would be my second favorite way to sweat 🙂
Upper back and shoulders for sure. They are killing me right now.
Right now I’m really digging sweating in my cycling class!
I definitely need a foam roller. I’ve got crazy tight painful calves and now I’ve started having problems with plantar faciitis. I’d love to give this a try!
I love to foam roll my glutes — it’s hard to find someone to give you a butt massage!
I’ve been following you on OpenSky for a while! I love to run and ride my bike, but lately I’ve been focusing on my Physique 57 DVDs. Nothing has made my legs shake like that! That, plus my 12 hour shift at the ER, are making me so sore! I definitely need some myofascial release 🙂
My favorite way to sweat is definitely on a bike. I love the speed! After that, I would use the foam roller on my butt. It always feels nice after a good ride!
i have never used a foam roller so i would love to try it! Favorite way to sweat is a good weights work out!
Following you finally on OpenSky!
Favorite way to sweat? Definitely Cardio Kickboxing! I love the empowerment and energy! Sore Spots to foam roll? Definitely my quads, the muscles have been really sore lately!!
Favorite way to sweat is running outside…preferably on the beach:)
this giveaway is a sign from above!!!! i am in my third week of marathon training and my left leg has started hurting a bit…. after some research I found some great foam roller IT band exercises (and now I have yours too!) I used one at the gym yesterday and felt the burn and could tell it was helping… I was about to go find one of my own today when I saw your giveaway!!! I would LOVE LOVE LOVE to get this angry looking foam roller!!
Gina, that foam roller looks IN-TENSE, not gonna lie! 🙂
I already follow you on open sky (love the sun warrior deals!)
I love using the foam rollers at the gym (none of them look like the one in your picture though, they are pretty basic, but do the job for sure) for my hammies & buns. I completed my first sprint triathlon on Saturday and during training the foam roller helped loosen up my legs beyond just stretching.
And it really does hurt so good – it’s strange, right!? 🙂
I already follow on OpenSky! I would love to use the foam roller on my back/neck which gets so tight and messed up after sitting hunched over a computer all day.
Love this! I want to get back into foam rolling so bad! Fav way to sweat is spinning and favorite place to foam roll is my back. I hold so much tension there from my stressful job.
Great post Gina! 😀 I love how you included other muscles to roll out other than just the legs. Sometimes my tri’s get so tight! A while ago I did a foam rolling post, too! 🙂 Here’s the link if you ever have time to check it out http://adashofmeg.com/2012/01/13/it-hurts-so-good/
When my hamstrings get sore, I spend a lot of time on a foam roller at the gym! I also try to use it on my glutes, either on my side in the IT-band position to target the medius, or just by sitting on the roller and rolling back and forth. I wish there were a deeper way to target the glutes- maybe you have a method?
I would love to use a foam roller on my lower back! Its always a bit tight after an 8 hour + work day sitting at a desk.
I already follow you on Open Sky 🙂
Ohhh! It does hurt so good. My husband is in PT and uses the foam roller often. My glutes and hamstring totally need it. Thanks for this giveaway!
I love foam rolling! It hurts so good!!
I am following you on OpenSky!
My favorite way to sweat right now is during CrossFit! I’m addicted!
I follow you on OpenSky. I would LOVE to use that foam roller for my back!!!
Following you on OpenSky! My favorite way would be doing a great DVD or hiking. I’d love to roll away the pain in my shoulders and in my calves.
I follow you on opensky 🙂
I like to go on bike rides with my kids. They are so full of energy and go really fast so at the end I’m dripping sweat 🙂
I need to foam roll my quads! They get sore all the time!
UM…get rid of cellulite?!! I’m sold.
And I’d love it for my lower back & hamstrings.
Thanks Gina!
I follow you! I am a distance runner, and foam rolling would probably help my sometimes achy it band!
i follow you! i love to do crossfit, and since those workouts can get pretty intense, im sure a foam roller would come in handy!
Hi Gina! I love Open Sky and already follow you! My NEW favorite way to sweat is kickboxing! I love how confident and strong I feel after a class 🙂 and I would love a foam roller to stretch out my IT band, back and shoulders. Thanks!! XO
My glutes and hamstrings NEED this foam roller! And my favorite way to sweat is definitely cardio. 🙂
Hey Gina! Just followed you on opensky. I love getting my sweat on in either Zumba or Step Class. I think I need to start foam rolling my quads due to some knee pain I have been having for quite a while now. Also the back massage sounds like it could be a goer too!
I recently ran my first half marathon and my calves were so tight throughout training and especially after the race. I’ve heard great things about foam rollers and kept meaning to buy one but I just never got around to it — I would love to win this and hopefully use it for my next race!!
I injured my hip recently (dancing to the Kinect a little too vigorously, haha), and the foam roller definitely helps with the soreness. That blue one looks awesome! And the only cardio I get these days is chasing a two year old and walking up the stairs at work!
My favorite way to sweat is the elliptical and I could definitely use this on my back after sitting at a desk all day for work!
What an awesome giveaway!!! I have terrble sciatic nerve pain, and would love to try the “original foam roller’s angry cousin”! I’m marathon training, so I know it would help with my tight IT band and hammy’s.
ps, I already follow you on open sky 🙂
My poor aching back from working retail! That is how I would “roll”!
My favorite way to sweat is kickboxing. Sadly I’ve had wrist problems the last few months and haven’t been able to go, but I had surgery at the beginning of this month and physical therapy is going well so I should be back to beating that bag up in a few weeks!!
And while the foam roller won’t help my wrist it will definitely help my tight IT bands. Such a PITA!
Fave way to sweat…… Golf. Or volleyball. Its a tie! 🙂
Good company is a plus too!
I already follow you on OpenSky! I would love this foam roller because I’m a long distance runner, and I get lots of aches in need of some lovin pain. Running is definitely my favorite way to sweat, seconded by the sweat you get from a slow, heavy lifting session.
I am training for my first half marathon post baby & I would love to roll out my tight IT band ouch!!!!
I follow you on opensky! My favorite way to sweat is running! 🙂
I would love that foam roller right now to roll out my pregnancy induced sore back! I try to foam roll at the gym to get my tight Hammies to release, especially after Body Pump or a run.
I would love one of these! I took a kickboxing class yesterday and could really benefit from some back rolling right about now!
I neeed to roll out my back more!!
I’m connected with you on OpenSky. I need to roll my back and legs. I’m currently sweating my way through P90X and it would be lovely to do some rolling.
I follow you on open sky. Lately my favorite way to sweat is alternating between bikram, and two beach body workouts: tony hortons ten minute workouts and Brazil butt lift! My glutes are killing me today so a foam roll sounds amazing right about now!
Hi Gina!
I already follow you on OpenSky! My fave way to sweat is either BodyPUMP classes at the gym or riding my road bike with my hubbie on the weekends 🙂 I have been eyeing foam rollers lately to work out some kinks in my upper back and hamstrings…when I ride my bike I tend to get knots there.
My favorite way to sweat is with my nephew. Playing with kids makes sweating seem fun! He’s 4 and is all about running no matter where we go – but before he takes off, he’ll come up, grab your hand and look up at you with a grin and say, “You like to run?”
How can I say no to that?
I follow you! I must confess that I don’t foam roll, but could really use some help with my quads!
My hamstrings! they are always so sore after a good leg work out.
My favorite way to sweat is by doing HIIT runs on the treadmill!
LOVE foam rolling my IT band. I just start running longer distances and the foam roller has been a saver for my legs!
What a great giveaway 😉 I have been following you on OpenSky! I love to workout with Shaun T doing insanity but I just started P90X2 and they actually call for a foam roller and since I don’t have one this would be perfect 🙂