You know how great you feel after one of your Pilates classes or private sessions. Unfortunately, we can’t all be at the Pilates studio every day, so it helps your overall health and flexibility to do incorporate some muscle recovery work on your own—on a daily basis if possible. An easy way to do this is with the little device called the foam roller.
Foam rollers offer an excellent way to massage out the knots and tightness that our muscles experience after our workouts. Even if you stretch before and after exercising, you can still build up the facscia that creates knots and often times don’t go away on their own. Foam rollers can help provide relief to these conditions, and have therefore become extremely popular among trainers, chiropractors, physiotherapists and professional athletes.
The more regularly you stretch with a foam roller, the less pain you’ll experience overall. Why not try rolling after all of your workouts? Foam rollers are the perfect complement to yoga, Pilates classes, reformer Pilates workouts, strength training and cardio exercise—below are three reasons why.
Boost flexibility. Flexibility is essential for safe workouts and all of your daily physical activities. Stretches that use a foam roller can help release your quads, glutes and IT bands, elongate hip flexors and combat the tightness we experience after sitting at a desk or driving for long periods of time.
Help prevent injuries. Since it’s difficult for most people to be under the careful supervision of a Pilates studio on a daily basis, you may push yourself too much one day or injure yourself trying a new exercise. A consistent foam rolling regimen can help prevent some of the injuries that commonly occur due to our workouts. It also helps runners who have IT band syndrome or quads that are too tight. In addition, foam rolling boosts circulation to promote healing.
Reduce stress. Foam rolling releases tension in the connective tissue and helps alleviate stored stress and tension in the muscular system. It also rejuvenates our bodies by oxygenating the blood and releases the pressure caused by tensed or compressed muscles.
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