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The Importance of Foam Rolling
Hi Everyone!
Today I am going to talk about the importance of foam rolling. I really like the benefits that I get from doing it and I hope to pass that along to you. So, what is foam rolling? According to healthline.com, foam rolling is a type of self-massage that allows you to alleviate tightness or trigger points by using a piece of equipment known as a foam roller. Who should foam roll? Literally anyone that experiences muscle pain can do it. This could be from a workout, sporting activities, sitting at a desk all day, poor posture, etc. I can fall into multiple categories and I’m sure you can too. You can do this before or after your workouts, or both if you are feeling really motivated.
What are the benefits?
Foam rolling can decrease late onset muscle soreness, increase range of motion, and aid in recovery. It increases blood flow to the areas in which you roll so that increases the amount of oxygen your tissues are getting. In turn, it aids in quicker recovery. I have found that when I do roll, when I return for my next workout, I am less sore and able to get a better workout in. An eight-person study in the Journal of Athletic Training suggests that foam rolling after a workout can help reduce delayed-onset muscle soreness, and therefore boost your performance in later workouts.
How do you use a foam roller? Healthline.com has some awesome gifs to show you great ways to use a foam roller on different muscles. I have included them here. Make sure that you are relaxing and not rushing through rolling. You need to relax your muscles in order to experience the largest benefit from rolling.
Quads
Calves
Hamstrings
Upper Back
Lats
Shoulders
Where can you get one? I personally got my foam roller from Target. I have also seen them on Amazon, at Walmart, and at sporting goods stores. If you workout at a gym they may even supply you with one you can use there. I know here in Utah at VASA Fitness, they do. They come in many different sizes and types. You will have to decide which type you would like to get for yourself. I like a smooth foam roller but you can also get a textured roller for a deeper massage. If you are just starting out, I would definitely suggest getting a smooth roller first and moving up to the textured roller when you are ready and more experienced.
I really feel the benefits of using my foam roller! I hope that you loved today’s post, let me know in the comments below. If you love my blog posts, please subscribe below. It would mean a lot to me.
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Elbow Relief
Hey Everybody!
Today I am writing about something that I use daily at the gym for my elbow pain and that is the Venom Compression Elbow Sleeve! After about 18 months of working out so frequently, I started to experience the pain associated with golfer’s elbow. I wasn’t keeping my wrists perfectly straight while I was lifting heavier and heavier weights, which caused this excruciating pain on the inside of my elbow. It got to the point where it was so bad that it would ache at night and even wake me up.
I did some research and found that with the right amount of rest, stretching, and strengthening exercises, I would be able to get back to where I was. I did these things for about two weeks, which was crazy for me as I work out every day and it actually did start to feel better.
After I went through this, I was pretty terrified to get back to lifting although I love to do it. I found an awesome company online called Venom Sports Fitness. They have a compression elbow sleeve in which I purchased to their claim that it helps with golfer’s elbow pain. I have used it ever since and I love the support it gives my elbow.
The features of this sleeve are: the design retains heat and warms the elbow joint, increases blood flow and reduces muscle swelling, comfort to eliminate irritation and bunching, lightweight and full range of motion, and they guarantee the fit! I absolutely love this brace. I would never promote anything I don’t fully believe in. I have used this for months. I have linked their website below and if you have any problems with your elbows, I strongly recommend it. I do not get anything from promoting this, I just hope you get the relief that I have been given.
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