Ever seen those long foam sticks at the gym? Figured out what they’re for yet? Before now, you may have thought that they were only for the use of physiotherapists. Well, it may surprise you to learn that the Foam Roller is one of the most valuable additions to the training arsenal of any bodybuilder, strength athlete or recreational exerciser.

Walk into any gym and you’ll see members hop on the treadmill or cross-trainer, warm up for 5 minutes and begin their workout. While this will increase heart rate and blood flow, it does nothing to prepare your muscles and joints for the intensity of the workout ahead. I use a warm up technique with my clients know as Self Myofacial Release, which is basically a form of self massage. It doesn’t take long to perform these movements and long term, your body will thank you for it! Spend 5-10 minutes pre-workout going through the protocol outlined below and your body will be well prepared for the session ahead.

It's a well-known fact that muscles need to be pliable for the body to maintain healthy tissue and remain injury free. The training loads that many of us put our muscles through in the

gym on a daily basis always result in the tightening of muscles, often causing adhesions and scar tissue. While stretching will improve the length of the muscle, Self Myofacial Release works to improve flexibility, function and performance, reduces risk of injury and helps correct muscle imbalances, improves joint range of motion, helps relieve muscle soreness and assists recovery, relieves joint stress and also improves neuromuscular efficiency. What more could you ask for and all for around £20!!

As you’ll see from the photographs below, you use your own body weight to roll on the foam roller, massaging (rolling up and down) the length of each area focusing on any tight or uncomfortable spots. It’s worth spending about a minute on each muscle group, rolling slowly in a fluid motion. When you find that tender spot you’ll need to stop and hold for up to 30 seconds until the discomfort subsides. If you need to increase tension on some of the lower body techniques, you can always bear down and apply more of your weight to the roller or even add the weight of the other leg (not shown below). Hey, I never said foam rolling would be fun, it’s actually quite uncomfortable but the benefits far out-weigh the pain!

So why not give it a try? You’ve got nothing to lose except bad posture and aching muscles! Don’t just use it once, stick with it and let the results speak for themselves.