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 love foam rolling my hip flexors. They are always sore after a leg workout.
I follow you on Open Sky. Running is my favorite way to sweat, always a great workout!
How ironic that you just made this post! I just bought a foam roller and I was going to take a look through your blog to find any information that you have on it and stretches I can do. Thanks so much! I love your blog <3
Right now, my favorite way to sweat is by running up the hills in my neighborhood! It’s so good for my half marathon training. I’ll be running my 1st half in August and I’m so excited! Needless to say, just about every leg muscle of mine could use some foam rollin’…
already follow you on opensky, and I would love this! I seem to run into a stretching/not stretching- related injury from running every. single. year. I bet this would help so much!
Oh, my sore spots are definitely in my upper back and neck area. My poor boyfriend is always massaging my muscles for me. 🙁
I’m not following you! I’d like to foam roll my IT band!
I have just switched to a new job where I am sitting at a desk all day – it has taken a toll on my back and I would love to foam roll out the stiffness!
I follow you on OpenSky! And I love me some foam rolling. I swear, every time I roll I say to myself “it hurts so good” while cringing from the pain.
I’m a stair machine junky! I could really use a foam roller for those thighs!
LOVE foam rolling my legs after a long run.
My back would LOVE this right now!
This post just spoke to me! My back, legs, and glutes are in desperate need for some foam rolling as I have been kicking some serious booty in my workouts so far this week and working long shifts on my feet. I love working up a good sweat simply by hiking outside followed by a jump in the nearest lake 🙂
My fiance and I were both talking about foam rollers and that we would like to get one. We were looking online to decide what kind. In the mean time, our calves were both hurting after a run we did, so my fiance decided to use the remote control on my legs, as I was laying on the couch. Now we always joke to get the remote when one of us wants a massage….. I bet the foam roller would feel better
My favorite way to sweat is Zumba! Not that I can get to classes all the time, so usually I hit the treadmill…which makes me need the foam roller even more 🙂
I just started following you on OpenSky 🙂
I love to run, but my hamstrings and hips get really tight. I would love to have my own foam roller so that I don’t have to wait to use one at the gym.
I followed you on open sky, id love to win I have been so sore from biking lately and have been dying to get one of these!!
I just love to sweat in general, but my favorite way is through a satisfying run. I probably need to invest in a foam roller as I do experience tightness and don’t do nearly as much stretching as I should.
Love interval training. Need that roller for my piroformas.
Hi gina! I just followed you on open sky but thought I would comment here. I’m training for an annual mother/daughter triathlon right now and love swimming. I also follow your workouts for strength and cardio. I love you blog and your positive personality! I can’t believe how much you get done.
I’d love the foam roller because of some experience with them in physical therapy for my back. I also love a good thigh/glute massage haha : ) Thank you for the giveaway.
My favorite way to sweat is through a run! Unfortunately I’m very prone to shin splints so the foam roller would hopefully work out all my shin-kinks!
I just started training for a triathalon so that is my new favorite way to get my sweat on!
my favorite way to sweat is interval runs on the treadmill! this giveaway is great – i have been meaning to foam roll and wanted to look more into how to do it, this post came at a great time thanks!!
my favorite way to sweat is spinning. I have a cheap foam roller that I used so much it smooshed flat. I can definitely use an upgrade!
I loooove foam rolling my quads! It feels so good (kind of haha) my favorite way to sweat is definitely running!
I’d love to try one for tight hamstrings!!
I just started following you on opensky. I need to spend more time rolling my IT bands! They are feeling a little stressed!
I’m following you on Opensky 🙂 I’ve been in need of a foam roller for so long now so I can roll of the stiffness in my calves from running – I’m ashamed to admit it but I’ve tried to use a kitchen rolling pin and it just doesn’t do the job!
I’m pretty sure I’m following you on open sky now; I’ve never used the site before! Seems pretty cool! .. My favorite way to sweat is the stair-master because its a slow burn, but I always come off of it dripping! I would love to foam roll my hamstrings right about now; they are so sore!
I didn’t realize you were on OpenSky! Very cool, I’m now a follower. 🙂 This giveaway is so timely because I just started to research which type of foam roller to buy. They’re really life changing for the IT band!
I already follow you on OS! I love to spin and my neck holds all my stress.
OMG..that roller looks AWESOME. I have a sick obsession with my black one and I spend half my free time making up fun new Pilates sequences using the roller…but that thera thingy looks insane and amazing and I think I need one..the quad massage and IT band massage probably are holy amazing on that. I already follow you on OS 🙂
by the way you are so right on the “foam roller helps a broken heart” call…apparently while my BF and I were on a (stupid) break he bought himself one because he missed mine.
I would like to reduce the appearance of my cellulite! especially for my beach vaca in 2 weeks : ). plus, i love butt massages.
I love/hate the elliptical and stairs. Hamstrings and IT band for sure!
I just started following you on open sky! That website is so cool. I really need to start foam rolling and that one looks awesome!!! My favorite way to sweat is BodyPump and the elliptical.
Im an opensky follower from any earlier post 🙂
My favorite way to sweat is with CROSSFIT! I LOVE IT! It has become a serious addiction and thanks to my box I have started foam rolling regularly and using a lacrosse ball on those very hard to fix knots. I am in SERIOUS need of a good foam roller though, the ones with the little ribs are SERIOUS and really push around that lactic acid.
I thought my back was my issue – but, after a visit to Airossti, I found out its all hip tightness – they fixed me and I no longer have lower back pain… just very SORE hips! 🙂
You have the best giveaways!
I love foam rollers! I need to get my own! One time after a 10 mile race my legs were so sore I stopped by my gym just to use their roller! gotta get my own one of these days…
I love foam rolling my arm and armpit area after a workout in the gym. I know it sounds strange, but I do one arm and then reach forward with both arms. After foam rolling one side, it actually is longer than the other! crazy and amazing. I’d love to have one at home for when I cannot make it to the gym.
I already follow you on Open Sky and already bought some of your items :-).
I have problems with my upper back and if I foam roll after a workout it helps tremendously – if I don’t do it I might end up so painfully stiff that I can’t move for a few days. But the foam roller really helps, I mostly do the exercise in your first picture for upper and lower back – it does take some skill, the first time I rolled back to really get my upper back massaged I got my ponytail caught under the foam roller – not good!
When I made my husband use one at the gym he was like “this hurts” my response “yes, but it hurts good” :-).
I was actually planning to go to the gym tonight mainly so I can use the foam roller to see if I can massage out some pain I have on the outside of my left thigh (IT band?). I will definitely try your foam rolling techniques!
I love to run, so my IT bands could really use some foam rolling!
I’d love to foam roll my upper back right now!
My favorite way to sweat is going for long walks with my puppy 🙂 I work in a deli and get horrible tension between my shoulder blades from washing dishes all day, definitely would work that spot out!
I’m following you now on Opensky.
As of right now, my favorite way to sweat is to take my dogs for a walk. I’m 24 weeks pregnant and can’t work out hard like I used to. So walking will do at the moment. My non-pregnancy workouts consist of running and Beachbody workouts. 🙂
I already follow you 🙂
I’ve been loving bootcamp workouts- being in a group setting brings out my competitive side!
I am training right now to do a Tough Mudder run so I need to foam roll my entire body LOL…. and my new goal is to finally be able to do pull ups and man oh man are my back muscles aching and could use some foam roller loves 🙂
I love a hot vinyasa for a sweat session! And my quads get sore too easily :/
Ughhh my shoulders and neck after a long day in the cubicle!!
Right now I’m using my elliptical to get my sweat on but I’m considering investing in some Turbo Fire DVDs for more variety. Would love to try a foam roller!
My current favorite way to sweat is spin class! I could really use a foam roller on my hamstrings.