Every athlete who cares about their ability to recover for tomorrow’s workout should have already of tried the foam roller numerous times. The world of rolling is so much bigger than just the foam roller.
The foam roller has it uses; it is great for rolling out larger muscles like the quads; when you are just trying to work on the whole myofascial network. But what about those knots that are a little bit deeper? Never fear because there are plenty other options out there, you just have not rolled over it yet.
No Limits to Rolling
There are no limits to what you can roll on, because everything you choose has a different size, a different hardness, or a different shape which all changes how the roll turns out and what is does for you. I have become a fan of hard rollers on muscles as I feel they hurt more but they do a better job of covering the whole muscle while still getting in deep.
Got Balls?
What if your groin is hurting and the average foam roller is not cutting it? Find practically any ball that can be laid on that you have in your house and try it. We have rubber balls, Indian rubber balls, tennis balls, golf balls, a medium sized ball filled with sand, marbles, and this weird ball with a spiky shape to it that feels good to roll on. Play around with it, I am a big fan of the golf ball, and the Indian rubber ball but everyone has a ball that works well for them. Go find yours!
{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
I felt a bit of tightness in my foot arch last week, so I rolled it with a golf ball 2x in 2 days, and now it hurts a bit. (the most when getting up after long periods of sitting). Is this a good or bad thing? I’m assuming that the golf ball ripped up all the scar tissue and now the foot is healing again?
Ya thats not necessarily a bad thing…its breaking up the scar tissue which is why you feel the pain. It might have been just really bound up. But if it continues after a couple days and doesn’t get better, then something else is wrong? Could be a mild case of plantar fasciitis…let me know if it gets better (or not) : )