The Best Kept Secret is Out - The Foam Roller

What is the best kept secret in strength and conditioning? My vote is for the foam roller. A foam roller is a very cheap piece of exercise equipment that should certianly be worth gold. And anyone who has spent any time on a foam roller would definitely agree with me.

Rolling your muscles with a foam roll is a type of self-myofascial release. Myofascial release is a form of manual soft tissue therapy intended to manipulate the fibrous fascia (a web-like wrapping surrounding the muscles, organs, and skeleton), encouraging them to realign into a more functional and flexible fashion. When you get those nasty "knots", it's usually in the fascia. When this myofascia system (the muscle and fascia) is bound up tight, it can lead to soreness as well as imbalances. The body will be pulled in different ways according the patterns of tightness.

Myofascial release not only reorganizes the soft tissue fibers, but it has other helpful benefits as well. It has significant psychological benefits (picture getting a massage), and when performed following a workout it helps to return the body to resting levels and encourage muscle recovery and rejuvenation. "Myofascial release massage favors the recovery of heart rate variability and diastolic blood pressure after high-intensity exercise to preexercise levels" (1). Furthermore, "post-exercise massage has been shown to reduce the severity of muscle soreness" (2), possibly due to the increased blood flow that helps to speed up muscel recovery.

What does it feel like? A wonderful deep tissue massage - but only if you're not particularly tight and sore. Most often, it is actually quite painful. If it hurts, that means you need it. Below are links to videos that show you how to foam roll each muscle area. I recommend foam rolling each area 10-15 times or up to 2 minutes if it is particularly tight and sore. If you find a knot, roll over the knot several times to try to loosen it up. Foam roll after every workout and before stretching or when you are sore.

Foam Roll Techniques - The Calves
Foam Roll Techniques - The Hamstrings
Foam Roll Techniques - The IT Band
Foam Roll Techniques - The Glutes
Foam Roll Techniqeus - The Back
Foam Roll Techniques - The Lats
Foam Roll Techniques - The Quadriceps
Foam Roll Techniques - The Shins

(1) Effects of Myofascial Release After High Intensity Exercise. (2008). Arroyo-Morales, M. et al. J. Manipulative Physiol. Ther. 31(3): 217-23.
(2) The Mechanisms of Massage and Effects on Performance, Muscle Recovery and Injury Prevention. (2005). Weerapong, P. et al. Sports. Med. 35(3).

The Dreaded Runner's Knee

For you runners and future runners, you may have had to endure the dreaded "runner's knee". What is the runner's knee? Runner's knee is technically Iliotibial Band Syndrome (ITBS) and is the primary cause of lateral knee pain in runners. It actually accounts for nearly 12% of all running-related injuries. It feels like severe pain or soreness, when standing or landing and taking off while running, on the outside of the knee.

The IT Band is a thick band of tissue running down the side of your thigh made up of the tensor fascia latae muscle, which partially connects with the gluteus maximus. You may be able to actually feel the lower portion of the IT Band by pressing your fingers into the side of your thigh right above your knee and moving them side to side. If it's really tight it will probably feel like a flat rope. The IT Band's job is to abduct (pull out to the side) the leg and stabilize the pelvis and hip.

What causes ITBS? ITBS is generally a severe inflammation of the IT Band caused by numberous factors such as an increase in running mileage, training on uneven surfaces, hip abductor weakness (the muscles of the hip that pull the leg out to the side), and excessive pronation (feet that rotate down excessively upon impact or flat feet). The weakness of certain muscles is probably the primary cause. Because running is generally a very repetitive forward to back motion of the legs, the side to side muscles are not strengthened, leading to a severe muscle imbalance. The IT Band also has to slide over the knee bones every time you flex and extend the knee. If the IT Band is tight, it won't slide over these bones very easily and will cause inflammation.

What can you do if you are experiencing this knee pain?

First of all, watch your running mechanics. Make sure your legs are not rotating inward or moving knock-kneed with each step. If your feet pronate excessively or are flat, your legs will be more prone to move this way.

Second, it is important that you strengthen the weakened muscles--the muscles on the side of your hip (i.e. gluteus medius & some gluteus maximus). There are several exercises that are great for this: Hip Abduction-Quadruped, Mini Band Lateral Walk, Mini Band External Rotation.

Finally, be sure to stretch and lengthen the IT Band. The foam roll is a great tool for working out the IT Band and for encouraging length. Here is how to do it. Also perform an IT Band stretch.

Consistent implementation of these techniques will elimate your ITBS and hopefully prevent it in the future.

Get (and stay) Pumped Up!

A HUGE part of training and working out is psychological. I think everyone would agree with this statement. It would be great if we were all machines that could workout without our minds getting in the way. The fact of the matter is we're not machines, and our minds are there to either motivate us or de-motivate us. A lot of times it's the latter. How often have you told yourself "I just don't feel like it today", "I'll do it later or tomorrow", "It just doesn't seem to be working", "Everyone seems to be able to lose weight and get fit but me", or "I just don't seem to have the right genes for this"?? Sound familiar?

Some of us are gifted with a love for training and working out. We love to challenge our bodies, feel strong, push our limits, and feel burnt. Others of us view exercise as just a means to an end. Training is just a means to performing our sport better, losing weight, and getting healthier. However, no matter which category you fall in, your mind may still get in the way, convincing you to skip a workout or take a training hiatus. So what can you do to stay pumped up?!?

Saturate yourself in the world of training. When you are being continually stimulated with information, tips, plans, news, and success stories you are more likely to become a success story yourself.

I am writing about this topic for a number of reasons. The first reason is that nearly every training client of mine has lost heart at one time or another. The second reason is that I just spent a good hour simply reading other experts' blogs, websites, and newsletters. These are my go-to experts in the industry, ranging from nutritionists to conditioning specialists. Without fail, every time I do this I get extremely pumped up and motivated to eat better, train harder, be more creative with my training and stay on track. Try it and you'll see what I mean. You will also become more educated in the process, giving you more tools to do things correctly.

Now, there is so much information available in the fitness industry and it is imperative that you saturate yourself in the right stuff. I would hate for you to fill your noggin and start using information that came from a bad source. To the right on my blog are some links of websites and other blogs that I frequent (these are the ones I'm talking about that seriously pump me up) that I can, without hesitation, send you to. These guys are certified strength & conditioning specialists, registered dieticians, and serious professionals in the industry. They're not just guys making a buck with some fluffy certifications that sound impressive.

So read up, visit these sites often, and stay motivated!!