How To Do A Foam Roller Hamstring Roll
A Foam Roller Hamstring Roll is a great exercise for releasing tension and tightness in your hamstrings. Similar to a deep tissue massage, the Foam Roller Hamstring Roll allows the hamstring muscle to be kneaded and pressed into the roller, helping to release small knots and tight areas. if your hamstring are tight, it can easily cause discomfort and pain in many surrounding areas, even down to your feet! Keeping your hamstrings healthy is key to preventing leg pain of all kinds.
If you learn how to do Foam Roller Hamstring Roll, you will essentially learn how to do your own massage. How? The foam roller moves mimic s0mething called Myofascial Release. Myofascial release is a technical term that describes what happens to your muscles when deep tissue massage is performed. Basically, by applying pressure to specific points on your body you are able to aid in the recovery of your muscles. Stretching is great, but sometimes it is not enough. And stretching after you use the foam roller can ensure you’re getting the deepest stretch possible, because your muscles will be properly loosened up.
The Foam Roller is light and portable, but it is made of a stiff foam that does the trick when it comes to releasing muscles. The foam roller looks innocent enough, but you will feel discomfort and perhaps a little pain as you go through the motion of this move. Be patient. Move slowly and make sure to keep breathing. Stopping at the trigger points on your muscle is uncomfortable, but holding that place and breathing so that you can relax through the discomfort is exactly what is needed to heal your muscles.
Try the Foam Roller Hamstring Roll any time, before or after a workout. Use it as a stand alone, or go through our program 6 Foam Roller Moves to Loosen Tight Muscles.
Here are the steps to performing Foam Roller Hamstring Roll:
1) Begin seated with hands behind you, hips off the floor and foam roller under right hamstring.
2) Keep right leg relaxed and long with the left knee bent over the roller and left foot on the ground.
2) Begin to press into the left foot on the ground, slowly moving the body back as the foam roller rolls down the right hamstring. Keep right leg relaxed as you roll.
3) Glide up and down the muscle for 30-60 seconds concentrating on any tighter areas.
4) Switch sides.