Foam Rolling

I try to sleep five to six hours a day, it might not seem like a lot but it works for me. My preferred recovery methods are: hot baths, stretching, mobility work, foam rolling and cryotherapy. I am also a big user and fan of CBD, which is 100% legal so do not worry.

If I have a small injury I want to recover from, I usually use a foam roller and if it doesn’t help that is when I go see my chiropractor. My chiropractor is always the last resort because then I have tried all I can do.

For recovery at home, I have a Rollga foam roller and a melt method foam roller, I have a Tim Tam massager, and a travel electric TENS unit.

I try my best to get a good eight hours of sleep but a six to eight will do. I do take yoga regularly and on stretch more on my active rest days just to recover and still get that training in. I have a foam roller and a ball ready just in case I do need some form of release on the muscle tensions.

I love using a foam roller & ball for recovery and stretching in-between sets.

It’s the best method of recovery for all of us. Most people don’t need to foam roll, stretch or train less intensely. They just need to sleep more. Which is always a relief to hear because it’s a lot cheaper than a $100 foam roller or a $500 massage gun.

In my opinion, the best way to recover is a combination of stretching, epsom salt hot baths, foam roller or deep tissue massage, hydration and sleep.

My most recent injury was my shoulder / subscapular cause by tense muscles. (neglect in stretching/foam rolling) I went almost 2 months without training shoulders and going for massages weekly.

I use Switch Nutrition products to aid in my nutrition recovery, I use a foam roller and a cricket ball to self massage in between seeing my massage therapist.

For recovery, that would be stretching, which I am a little slack at doing, foam rolling and a good remedial masseuse are essential as is a rest day, good nutrition and supplementation and structuring my training correctly.

After that I alternate between head/hand/forearm stands and lower body focused stretches (lunge sequences, strap assisted middle split sequences, foam rolling into a split).

My recovery days usually consist of stretching, foam rolling, hypervolting (massage gun) and getting a massage and cupping done.

Prepare your body for movement. A warm-up isn’t an excuse to BS your way through arbitrary foam rolling, it’s an opportunity to make your training more efficient and effective.

After, my focus is refueling and recovering before my second session for the day. I do this by getting a quality meal and doing myofascial release (think foam rolling) or taking a nap.

The most important thing to do to avoid injury is to PRIORITIZE RECOVERY WORK. Foam rolling, yoga, Bowen, massage, and saunas/steam rooms are all very effective at releasing the body of necessary toxins and stretching the muscles.

On my Instagram, I offer free/donation classes like dance, yoga or foam rolling techniques to release the body and stretching. Check it out!

A walk, stretching, and foam rolling are good also making sure you pay attention to your breath and focus on nasal breathing! That will help you alleviate the tension that is accumulated in the body from hard training, and keeping you going harder longer, before having to take a break.

Before training, I prepare myself by foam rolling techniques, stretching and 30 minutes or 1 hour before my pre-workout meal. And after training, I do foam rolling, stretching, sometimes flow cardio and post-workout meal.

Another tool that I love to use is a trigger point foam roller. Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release that can help relieve muscle tightness, soreness, inflammation, and increase your joint range of motion.

The quality of your seeping is key too, for this you should go to bed and wake up everyday at the same hour, and being relaxed before going to bed. Melatonin can help you so much. Foam roller massage always works well when you have overloaded a part of your body.

I’m a big believer in the importance of mobility and flexibility so I usually spend 15/20 minute stretching and foam rolling before I start my day. 

Warming up is just as important as the workout itself especially if focusing on heavy strength training. I spend 20 minutes using bands, a foam roller, and other equipment to help get the body warmed up and moving before even touching the bar.

In the mornings, I start with fasted cardio, stretching and foam rolling. The amount and type of cardio varies, but currently I do 15-20 minutes of incline treadmill interval walking/sprinting.

During this part of my fitness journey, I also became very dedicated to foam rolling to recover. In addition, I learned a lesson, that you can’t give people what you simply do not have.

I use a foam roller and soak in Epsom salt baths as a part of the process. Additionally, I strive to get no less than 7 hours of sleep every night to make sure I am rested for the next day.

I do have a fitness bag, I carry my foam roller, my ab rollout set-up, tripod, deodorant, cologne, lock, spare headphones, and gym shakes (protein shake + water container).

I take BCAA Aminos by BPI Sports to improve my recovery. I use a foam roller for massaging my body.

Like I said before, I wish I knew what I know now a bit earlier because things could be well polished by now but it’s ok because I am still open to learning new things. I normally rest two to three days by literally doing nothing and on my recovery day(s), I’d do yoga class, stretching, foam roller and mobility work.

I don’t do any foam rolling or massage for recovery as my body is quite sensitive and I feel sometimes it makes the pain worse. I simply take time to rest, do light cardio or do some stretching.

To recover, I’ll use a foam roller rarely and stretch. Sports massages are something I will implement in 2020.

After training, I use the foam roller and two lacrosse balls in the sock that sit on my living room floor. I roll and watch TV and decompress after training. I take those lacrosse balls on airplanes and on long car rides with me to stay loose.

Often, my back gets really tight so I tend to have one of those massage mats from Kohl’s or Target. I also use a lacrosse ball and a rumble foam roller.

Recovery is a big aspect of bodybuilding and being older it does take longer for me. I have found with proper nutrition and rest it helps with my recovery. I always do warm up sets and stretch to prevent injuries. I have used deep tissue massage and foam rolling also.

My recovery routine is really important to being able to keep my streak alive. I started out just foam rolling and doing yoga but it’s evolved a lot over time. I got a roll recovery r8 and that was amazing for targeting more specific and harder to reach places than the foam roller could.

Doesn’t apply to me—thankfully I haven’t had a major injury! The beauty of Pilates. In the rare occasions, I have lower back soreness I will use a Myofascial foam roller. I definitely put a HIGH emphasis on using/teaching my clients how to properly use a foam roller! Everyone has one but never uses it because they don’t know how.

The first priceless tool I use is a soft foam roller and the Melt Method. Using a soft foam roller combined with the Melt Method work on gently releasing fascia spasms with little to no effort and only a little bit of time.

I’ll also add active recoveries such as stretching, foam rolling, and lots of long walks and hikes with my dog to keep active even when I’m not training hard.

For muscle soreness from training, I just rely on the basics: A rubber lacrosse and a ridged foam roller for deep tissue self-massaging, both pre and post-workout. Sometimes simple is best!

Stretching, or more specifically mobility work, light foam rolling or massage can also help in ‘flushing’ the muscles, removing waste products and encouraging blood flow to the muscles, which in turn brings in nutrients gained from good nutrition and improves recovery.

Imyofascial release is important for the human body (sometimes called soft tissue therapy) includes massage and foam rolling. Performed immediately before and after exercise, it helps decrease feelings of delayed onset muscle soreness while speeding muscle recovery, I do this every two weeks.

I train five to six days a week for 1.5-2 hours a day. I start with foam rolling and light stretching before I left. I save deeper stretching for after my workout.

Warm-up60s warm-up on the assault bike – medium pace 3-5 mins foam rolling to loosen off tight muscles 5 mins mobility and muscle activation workMain Workout1 x push exercise (bench press, military press, DB press) 1 x pull exercise (pull up, row variations, chin-ups, etc.) 1 x quad/glute exercise (squat variations, split squat variations) 1 x hamstring exercise (BB RDL or lying hamstring curl) 1 x core exercise (plank variations, Russian twists, etc.)I’ll typically do reps of anything from 3-15 reps for the main muscle groups and higher reps for core (30-100 reps)Cool Down5-10 minutes stretch – holding each stretch for 60s.Cardio Days (2-3 days per week)

Also, I do massages when I have pain but it’s not really something I do on regular basis. I usually do foam rolling about 3 times a week, when I feel like doing so.

Don’t push yourself out of stupidity when a muscle is clearly bothering you already or you have a prior injury. Don’t ego lift. Don’t try to lift anything you can’t do for five reps. Get your form down. I enjoy foam rolling, although I can’t guarantee it does anything. After a tough leg day, I usually need it.

As I have aged, I am now way more cautions of my body, so injury prevention is paramount of I wish to push myself through walls. I usually train once every 48 hours and in-between do what is called, a regen session, stretches, foam roller and prehab exercises.

To recover, I focus on resting and sleeping 7-8 hours daily. I also use a foam roller, deep tissue massage, and dry brush.

The app is an artificial intelligence technology which learns what PT your body needs after intense training and prescribes the amount + techniques of foam rolling, myofascial release, icing and more.

I used to use a foam roller on my legs but I’ve got really into the pressure point massage sticks, which hurt like crazy and tend to leave bruises (I may be a bit heavy handed). I’ll do that a couple of times a week while I’m stretching in front of the TV before bed. I also get deep tissue massages at least once a month.

After that, I made sure to implement proper warm-ups into my workout regimens, and allow time for foam rolling, stretching and not skipping rest days to allow my body to recover.

My recovery involves extra-sleep, nice meals, company of nice friends. I listen to my body, maybe get a massage, drink plenty of water. Foam rolling is my best friend in this moments!