Your Guide to Foam Rolling

People generally approach a Personal Trainer or a REHAB Expert when they are struck...

The first question I ask even to my regular class participants and specially endurance athletes...

"Are you Foam Rolling Daily?" 

Here is the Insight why is Foam Rolling Very Important in prevention of injuries and improve performance... 

If you think Performance is only for elites, you need to rethink... 

Picking up grandchildren and taking a flight of stairs is super performance for older adults..

Why it's necessary to do Foam Rolling? 

That's the first thing I recommend to any novice to elite who comes to me for training. It's a fundamental tool for anybody who wants to improve their health/ fitness / performance. 

It's basic motto is to soothe tight muscles and fascia ( it's a web under our skin and does crucial jobs like proprioception, hydration and removing toxins from the body and it's almost everywhere in your body ). It's like MASTER WEB we need to live and move better, that's why foam rolling is first and foremost technique that all need to practice on daily basis, it's like brushing your teeth. 

Do you feel Tight ? 

Foam rolling makes fascia supple and if you have any lesions / tight spots ( we call it knots ) under your skin that hampers range of motion. 

Using foam roller on tight spots for 2-3 minutes daily considerably reduce the tightness in soft tissue (opens the knot) and improves flexibility. 

Do's and Don't's while using the Foam Roller.

"Remember Brushing your teeth and Brushing your teeth RIGHT WAY!"

Do's:-

1) Hydrate yourself well, without ample H2O it may not be able to deliver optimal results.

2) Roll very slowly so that you don't miss tight spots.

3) Stop on tight spots and take deeper breaths.

4) Try to move / flex the associated joints while keeping pressure on tight spots. (E.g if I am rolling my thigh, I will flex and extend my knee or rotate my hip. )

5) Practice it daily / alternate days initially if you are super tight and have lot of painful spots. Light rollers are available if you are super tender. 

Don't:- 

1) Go too fast back n forth.

2) Spend more than 3 minutes on any tight spots.

3) Roll on / over the joints. 

4) Roll over bony projections.

5) Hold your breath. 

Who must use and who must not use this technique and why?

 It's a safe ground base technique and almost anyone can learn and practice it unless have any serious health issues including but not limited to High BP, Heart Disease, Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis, Acute Musculoskeletal Injuries etc. 

When should one Foam Roll?

 It can be used as warmup tool for any workout / game and also during cool down to remove lactate / toxins and enhance recovery. 

 I recommend is to getup and do this first thing in the morning. As we all are tight and dehydrated at that time. Drink 500ml - 1000ml water and spend 10minutes with the roller. You will feel the fluidity within a week. 

 It's a perfect tool to own and practice, also cost to result ratio is more than any other fitness equipment that one can think of buying for home. 

I really advocate foam rolling on daily basis to stay pain free and active. 

I have seen magical results in 1 session of foam rolling in acute knee pain / heel pain / plantar fasciitis. 

Here is the Video Link for practicing Foam Rolling. 

This is my GO FOR IT, NO BRAINS REQUIRED TOOL. 

Gagan Arora ( Celebrity Fitness Expert ) ACSM Certified Personal Trainer 🔸MASTER TRAINER REEBOK RUNNING SQUAD Founder 🔸Managing Director Kosmic Fitness with 20 years of experience in Fitness Industry.

Speciality :Personal Training, Marathon Training, Outdoor Boot Camps, Orthopaedic Rehab Training (Sports Injury Centre Safdarjung Hospital 3years exp.) ,Corporate Fitness Training, Animal Flow Instructor and Lifestyle Coach. 

Resistance Training

Last evening when I finished my Workout a guy who is working out from past couple of months without any Personal Trainer asked me "Sir what is Resistance Training?"

Although I have displayed enough information on the walls of my Health Club for members. It's was a matter of seconds I thought what the hell people are doing in gyms and don't know basics even after months.

 I held back my Fitness Expertise Brain and gently pushed his one shoulder as he was in good shape he RESISTED ME 😅. 

 I told him :- "This is Resistance Training"

Exerting FORCE against any resistance is called Resistance Training. ( It can be your Partner / Weights / Machines / Bands / Medicine Balls / Sand Bags / Kettlebells and what I love the Most YOUR OWN BODYWEIGHT IN RELATION TO GRAVITY and many more...) 

We generally do it for Short Bout of Time or in form of Sets and Repetitions For E.g. Pushups 3-4 sets of 10 Reps ( 30sec of rest Between Sets ) 

Squats, Deadlifts, Pushups, Pull-ups etc. fall in this Category. 

"A resistance training program can affect almost every system in the body and is used in a wide variety of populations, from young children preparing for sports to offsetting the effects of aging" ( ACSM Reaources for the Personal Trainer) 

General Principles of a resistance training program:- 

1) Specifity of training :- Only those muscles which are used in training get adapted and change in response to the program. There is some overall affect on the other body systems but it's better to be specific to the muscle group in order to get maximum benefits out of program. 

2) SAID ( Specific Adaptaions to Imposed Demands ) - Muscles will adapt to the training in a very systematic way. For e.g. in order to build endurance you need to train a muscle group with higher number of repetitions e.g. 15-20reps / set. For Strength Building this goes down to 6-8reps / set with considerably heavier loads. 

3) Progressive Overload :- Once your muscles adapt a specific training stimulus or load one need to increase that training stimulus in a progressive manner to further increase strength / power / endurance of the muscle group. If this is not done one can get stuck on a plateau and progress will be limited. 

4) Variation in training :- No program can deliver results for a prolonged period of time without modification or periodizing it with variations or on season / off season plans or recovery programming. 

5) Prioritization of training :- It is difficult to train all aspects of muscular fitness at the same time. One need to prioritize training plan according to desired adaptations like I ( as a Runner ) try to lift heavier loads slowly in off season and lighter loads quickly during on season or close to race day. 

Your love Cardio for weight loss? :-  Yes it's true you burn more fat during your cardio sessions but please be informed MUSCLES are the guys who burn that fat, you need to train them at least twice a week with resistance training protocol to enhance your quality of life and increase your Basal Metabolic Rate which transforms your body into a "FAT BURNING FURNACE 24x7 "

Every Individual is different so one needs to follow strength training protocols designed by a Certified Fitness Professional according to their needs and priorities. Setting small measurable goals will take you a long way than just goofing around in weights room with no knowledge what to do next... 

 

Gagan Arora ( Celebrity Fitness Expert ) ACSM Certified Personal Trainer 🔸MASTER TRAINER REEBOK RUNNING SQUAD Founder 🔸Managing Director Kosmic Fitness with 20 years of experience in Fitness Industry.

Speciality :Personal Training, Marathon Training, Outdoor Boot Camps, Orthopaedic Rehab Training (Sports Injury Centre Safdarjung Hospital 3years exp.) ,Corporate Fitness Training, Animal Flow Instructor and Lifestyle Coach. 

Get your Bum Cheeks Activated

Physically active people are are much less tired even after a long physically demanding day than those who SIT ON THEIR BUMS for more than 8 Hours a day! 

Researches have shown that Sitting on chair / Car seat for most of the time of your day has a bad effect on your bodies as smoking cigarettes. 

In order to get yourself moving the right way you need to train and tone the muscles at the back of your hip which are probably hibernating from past couple of hours / month / years or decades... 

Generally for physical wellbeing and health Doctors advice to walk for 30mins which is a good to start for general population. 

I advice foam rolling as the first thing to do as to mobilise your skin / fascia and muscles. It makes them supple and ready to take the LOAD of walking. Myofascial Rolling Video Link https://youtu.be/G_KEgKK-9bQ

This particular blog is about one simple yet very powerful exercise to activate your BUM CHEEKS. 

Weakness or imbalances in these muscles can lead to misalignment while walking and can do bad to your knee / low back / shoulder. 

Also overuse injuries are so common in runners, cyclist & swimmers due to prolonged and continuous use of their bodies so much that key muscles become weak and lazy. This can be a great part of your warmup after your myofascial rolling to perform better in day to day life or improve performance. 

Exercise Name :- Prone Hip Abduction. 

Exercise Description :- 

Option 1 On Ground :- Multi fold a mat so that it's 1-2 inch thick. Lie down with your navel on the mat Place the hands slightly wide just to stabalize your upper body. Try to lift your legs up from the hip with knees bent at 90 degrees. Your thighs should not touch the ground in the entire set. Split your legs wide about a feet then bring them together while pressing your heel together in each repetition. 

Option 2 On Bosu Balance Trainer :- Perform same exercise with navel in the center of BOSU BALANCE TRAINER. 

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS on BOSU :- Integrate other CORE muscles. Gives more Range of Motion. 

PLEASE NOTE :- Try not to curve and stress your lumbar spine while lifting the legs. Keep your spine in Neutral Position throughout the set. Perform all reps in a slow controlled manner. 

Sets & Reps :- 1-2 sets 5-20reps, 3 times / week. 

Video Link 

https://youtu.be/LpsPpkOCGAc

 

Gagan Arora ( Celebrity Fitness Expert ) ACSM Certified Personal Trainer 🔸MASTER TRAINER REEBOK RUNNING SQUAD Founder 🔸Managing Director Kosmic Fitness with 20 years of experience in Fitness Industry.

Speciality :Personal Training, Marathon Training, Outdoor Boot Camps, Orthopaedic Rehab Training (Sports Injury Centre Safdarjung Hospital 3years exp.) ,Corporate Fitness Training, Animal Flow Instructor and Lifestyle Coach.