As a Personal Trainer in Las Vegas, I chat with all of my clients about recovery work, and though I throw in a bit at the end of each session, I strongly encourage everyone to practice recovery work between training.
Stretching and foam rolling are where I place my emphasis. Myofascial Release is a clinician-administered therapy that gained popularity in the 1980’s by a physical therapist named John Barns. Barns says, “It is a safe, effective way to apply gentle, sustained pressure to connective tissues to eliminate pain and restore motion.”
If you don’t have access to a professional, you can perform Myofascial Release (MR) yourself (SMR). Using a foam roller, lacrosse ball or massage sticks aid in SMR.
A couple of proven benefits of SMR:
Flexibility and Range of Motion
Most studies focused on how SMR enhance flexibility and increase range of motion. Which makes sense as flexibility is critical to functional daily living. Joint integrity, muscle length, age, and activity level all contribute to flexibility. Studies typically used a firm, dense foam roller, and applied significant pressure to stimulate the Golgi tendon, organs and ease muscular tension. It is recommended to use a dense tool with significant pressure prior to workout.
Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS)
Vigorous exercise often causes microscopic muscle tears that produce pain or discomfort 1 to 3 days later. Three studies (two with a foam roller and one with a massage stick) suggest that SMR reduces DOMS in both trained and untrained individuals. Using a softer, less aggressive tool such as a softer roller or ball may be more tolerable.
SMR is an affordable way to implement recovery whether you’re moving 6 days a week or 1. Even my clients that sit all day feel such relief and more limber after a SMR work. Any sporting goods store or Walmart should offer a variety of options. Try them out before purchasing and once you do, make a commitment to yourself to add recovery work in at least 1 to 2 days a week. Your body will thank you.