Self-Myofascial-Release-Purpose-Methods-and-Techniques_(1)

© 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com Copyright © 2008 by Mike Robertson and Robertson Training Systems All rights reserved. No portion of this manual may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including fax, photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This manual may not be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of Mike Robertson, except in the case of a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages for the sake of a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or journal—and these cases require written approval from Mike Robertson prior to publication. For more information, please contact: E-mail: Info@RobertsonTrainingSystems.com Websites: www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.blogspot.com The information in this book is offered for educational purposes only; the reader should be cautioned that there is an inherent risk assumed by the participant with any form of physical activity. With that in mind, those participating in any exercise program should check with their physician prior to initiating such activities. Anyone participating in these activities should understand that such training initiatives may be dangerous if performed incorrectly. The author assumes no liability for injury; this is purely an educational manual to guide those already proficient with the demands of such programming. © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com CONTENTS CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION........................................................................ 5 Science........................................................................................................................................................5 Rationale ....................................................................................................................................................5 Indications..................................................................................................................................................6 Contraindications ....................................................................................................................................6 CHAPTER 2: MODALITIES ............................................................................. 7 General Thoughts ....................................................................................................................................7 Density and Pressure ..............................................................................................................................7 Foam Roller...............................................................................................................................................8 Medicine Ball .............................................................................................................................................8 Tennis Ball /Lacrosse Ball .......................................................................................................................9 The Stick ....................................................................................................................................................9 CHAPTER 3: TECHNIQUES .......................................................................... 10 Positioning .............................................................................................................................................. 10 Duration.................................................................................................................................................. 10 CHAPTER 4: LOWER BODY......................................................................... 11 Plantar Fascia ......................................................................................................................................... 11 Gastrocnemius ...................................................................................................................................... 12 Gastrocnemius/Soleus ......................................................................................................................... 13 Soleus ...................................................................................................................................................... 14 Achilles Tendon .................................................................................................................................... 15 Peroneals (Foam Roller)...................................................................................................................... 16 Peroneals (Tennis Ball) ........................................................................................................................ 17 Peroneals (The Stick)........................................................................................................................... 18 Tibialis Anterior .................................................................................................................................... 19 Tibialis Anterior .................................................................................................................................... 20 Tensor Fascia Latae, Anterior Gluteus Medius, and Gluteus Minimus..................................... 21 IT Band.................................................................................................................................................... 22 Vastus Lateralis...................................................................................................................................... 23 Rectus Femoris (2 Positions) ............................................................................................................. 24 Vastus Medialis ...................................................................................................................................... 25 Quadriceps ............................................................................................................................................. 26 Gluteus Maximus .................................................................................................................................. 27 Gluteus Medius (Posterior Fibers).................................................................................................... 28 Piriformis (Foam Roller)...................................................................................................................... 29 Piriformis (Tennis Ball) ........................................................................................................................ 30 Adductors (2 Positions) ...................................................................................................................... 31 Hamstrings ............................................................................................................................................. 32 © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com CHAPTER 5: UPPER BODY .......................................................................... 33 Pecs .......................................................................................................................................................... 33 Latissimus Dorsi (Foam Roller) ......................................................................................................... 34 Latissimus Dorsi (Tennis Ball)............................................................................................................ 35 Triceps..................................................................................................................................................... 36 Posterior Shoulder Capsule ............................................................................................................... 37 Thoracic Spine....................................................................................................................................... 38 Infraspinatus and Teres Minor ........................................................................................................... 39 Wrist Flexors......................................................................................................................................... 40 Wrist Extensors.................................................................................................................................... 41 Rhomboids ............................................................................................................................................. 42 CHAPTER 6: FAQ’S AND CONCLUSION ..................................................... 43 Frequently Asked Questions.............................................................................................................. 43 Conclusion ............................................................................................................................................. 44 ABOUT MIKE ROBERTSON.......................................................................... 45 OTHER PRODUCTS FROM MIKE ROBERTSON.............................................. 46 CREDITS ..................................................................................................... 47 © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION Foam rolling is quickly becoming a staple in training programs worldwide. From elite athletes to weekend warriors, you can walk into many training facilities and see people using a foam roller as part of their regimen. As with any new modality, there are many questions regarding foam rolling. Here are just a few that I’ve seen posed: ƒ What benefits are derived from foam rolling? ƒ Is it safe and effective? ƒ When is the best/most optimal time to foam roll? ƒ Can foam rolling replace other soft-tissue therapies? While I don’t claim to have all the answers, I do hope to teach you the basics of self-myofascial release, along with ways you can integrate it into your current training regimen to elicit improved results. SCIENCE Unfortunately, science on the subject of foam rolling is seriously lacking. A search of the PubMed archives gives us the following results: ƒ “Foam Rolling” delivered seven results, none of which applied to using foam rollers as an SMR technique. ƒ “Foam Roller” delivered six results, none of which applied to using foam rollers as an SMR technique. ƒ “Self Myofascial Release” delivered three results, none of which applied to using foam rollers as an SMR technique. Lack of good research is quite the conundrum, as it forces us to theorize and speculate on the perceived effects of any medium. RATIONALE The first question I get when showing someone how to foam roll is, “Why am I doing this?” If you’ve ever performed SMR on yourself, you know the first couple of times are generally quite uncomfortable! Self-myofascial release (SMR) using a foam roller or other implement is possible thanks to the principle known as autogenic inhibition. While you’ve probably never heard of your golgi tendon organ (GTO) before, it’s the key ingredient that makes foam rolling effective. The GTO is a mechanoreceptor found at the muscle-tendon junction; for lack of a better description, it tells us the level of tension within the muscle/tendon group. © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com When tension increases to the point of high risk of injury (e.g., tendon rupture), the GTO stimulates muscle spindles to relax the muscle in question. This reflex relaxation is autogenic inhibition. The muscle contraction that precedes the passive stretch stimulates the GTO, which in turn causes relaxation that facilitates this passive stretch and allows for greater range of motion. With foam rolling, you can simulate this muscle tension, thus causing the GTO to relax the muscle. Essentially, you get many of the benefits of stretching and then some. It's also fairly well accepted that muscles need to not only be strong, but pliable as well. Regardless of whether you're a bodybuilder, strength athlete, or ordinary weekend warrior, it's important to have strength and optimal function through a full range of motion. While stretching will improve the length of the muscle, SMR and massage work to adjust the tone of the muscle. Traditional stretching techniques simply cause transient increases in muscle length (assuming that we don't exceed the "point of no return" on the stress-strain curve, which will lead to unwanted deformities). SMR, on the other hand, offers these benefits and the breakdown of soft-tissue adhesions and scar tissue. One need not look any further than the overwhelmingly positive results numerous individuals have had with Active Release Techniques (ART) or other deep-tissue modalities to recognize the value of eliminating adhesions and scar tissue. Unfortunately, from both a financial and convenience standpoint, we can't all expect to get ART or massage done on a frequent basis. SMR on the foam roller offers an effective, inexpensive, and convenient way to both reduce adhesion and scar tissue accumulation, and eliminate what's already present on a daily basis. Just note that like stretching, foam rolling doesn't yield marked improvements overnight; you'll need to be diligent and stick with it (although you'll definitely notice acute benefits). INDICATIONS The following are some reasons you might want to include SMR techniques in your training: ƒ Improved mobility and range of motion ƒ Reduction of scar tissue and adhesions ƒ Decreased tone of overactive muscles ƒ Improved quality of movement ƒ Fill in the gaps between hands-on sessions of ART and/or deep tissue massage CONTRAINDICATIONS The following are several reasons you may not want to include SMR, or areas to avoid: ƒ Recently injured areas ƒ Circulatory problems ƒ Chronic pain conditions (e.g., fibromyalgia) © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com ƒ Bony prominences/joints CHAPTER 2: MODALITIES GENERAL THOUGHTS Like all things training related, we need to have a rationalized progression if we want to see continued progress. SMR techniques are no different—there are multiple ways we can change pressure, density, and other factors to get more bang for our training buck. DENSITY AND PRESSURE Before we discuss the specific modalities you can use, let’s briefly review the concepts of density and pressure from a physics sense. The formula for density is: Density = Mass/Volume Regarding density and SMR techniques, we have three options if we want to increase the density: ƒ Increase the mass ƒ Decrease the volume ƒ Increase mass and decrease volume Typically, the easiest option is to increase the mass. This is seen when we progress someone from a tennis ball to a lacrosse ball, or from a lighter foam roller to a heavier foam roller. We don’t necessarily increase the volume (size) of the object, but we most definitely increase the mass. The formula for pressure is: Pressure = Force/Area Much like density, if you want to increase pressure, you either need to ƒ Increase the force ƒ Decrease the area ƒ Increase force and decrease area As is the case with SMR techniques, force doesn’t necessarily change all that much. If you want to increase the force, here are a few options: ƒ If you have both legs on the roller, take one off. ƒ If possible, stack one leg on top of the other. © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com ƒ If you have a hand/foot on the ground for stability purposes, take it off (this will put more of the body’s weight on the area being rolled). Rather than trying to increase force, it’s generally easier to decrease the area. This is accomplished by using progressively smaller (or more focal) implements. We’ll discuss the different modalities below, starting with the largest surface area and working down to the smallest surface areas. FOAM ROLLER A foam roller is the largest implement we would use from a pressure perspective. The foam roller is very versatile, as you can work almost every muscle group using a foam roller alone. Rollers also come in varying densities, which allows for progression as well. White Roller – Less Dense Black Roller – More Dense Foam rollers are best used for the big muscle/fascial areas like the gluteals, quadriceps, and IT band. MEDICINE BALL While not as popular as the foam roller, the medicine ball may actually be a more versatile tool for SMR purposes. Not only is it more focal when compared to the roller (the surface area being worked is smaller, which increases pressure), but it also allows you to work in a more three-dimensional fashion. © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com Virtually any muscle group that can be addressed with a foam roller can also be addressed with a medicine ball. Once the foam roller becomes comfortable, I generally progress my trainees to a medicine ball. The medicine ball can be progressed as well; simply moving to a smaller ball (and further decreasing surface area being rolled) will increase the pressure and intensity of the exercise. TENNIS BALL/LACROSSE BALL A tennis ball is generally the smallest implement we would use for SMR purposes. It’s very convenient for muscle/fascial groups with smaller surface areas (such as the plantar fascia, calves, and peroneals) as well as upper body muscles where the ball must be placed against a wall (such as the pecs and posterior shoulder capsule). Once the tennis ball becomes easy, move on to a lacrosse ball. THE STICK The Stick is yet another convenient tool when it comes to soft-tissue work. While it’s not necessarily better or worse than the other modalities discussed, it’s narrow diameter allows you to work on some tendons (e.g., quadriceps, hamstrings) better than a medicine ball or foam roller would. As well, the Stick is a good option for the hamstrings, which generally don’t respond that well to foam rolling since your hands/arms are supporting the majority of your body weight to hold yourself up. The Stick © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com © 2008 Robertson Training Systems. All Rights Reserved. www.RobertsonTrainingSystems.com www.IndianapolisFitnessAndSportsTraining.com CHAPTER 3: TECHNIQUES POSITIONING Positioning while on the foam roller is critical for several reasons: ƒ Poor alignment may stress the supporting muscles and/or joints (e.g., if the elbow is too far away from the shoulder, instead of being placed underneath it, you could strain the muscle/joint). ƒ Improper placement can lead to excess