The Back Squat- How do you perform it and is it a good exercise?

I have really started enjoying the blogging lately and I find that the best place to pick up inspiration is when I am in the gym training. Today this wasn’t the case as I actually got my inspiration to write about the Back Squat when I woke up this morning. My gluteus muscles were so sore after the squats I did yesterday that I could barely get out of bed, but it is a great feeling knowing you have worked hard!! So today I will talk a little bit about the Back Squat.

The Back Squat is a very common exercise in the world of Strength and Conditioning, in fitness centres and pretty much everywhere people do some form of strength training. It is an exercise that every S&C coach should have in their exercise “library”. The Back Squat works the key muscles groups in your legs as well as your core muscles. In almost every sport where you move your own body weight around is it important to have strong legs.These are the muscles that you work in a Back Squat if you do the exercise correct:

• Quadriceps, Gluteus Maximus and Medius, Hamstrings, Erector Spinae, Latissimus Dorsi, Abdominals and the Adductors

As with every exercise it is important to perform the exercise correctly and the Back Squat is definitely no exception. I will therefore describe how to perform the Back Squat (from a Squat Rack):

Equipment needed: Barbell, Squat Racks, Weight Discs and enough floor space

Starting position

• Grab the bar with a closed pronated grip (overhand)

• Step under the bar and position your feet parallel to each other

• Place the bar in a balance position on the upper back and shoulder in one of the two locations:

o Low bar position: across posterior deltoids at the middle of the trapezius (using a handgrip wider than shoulder width)

o High bar position: above the posterior deltoids at the base of the neck (using a handgrip only slightly wider than shoulder width)

• Hold your chest up and out and tilt the head slightly up

• When you are ready to lift the bar off the rack, extend your hips and knees to lift the bar off

• Take one or two steps backwards, position your feet shoulder width apart (or wider), with the toes pointed slightly outwards (Picture 1 and 2)
 

Picture 1- Starting position from the side

 

Picure 2- Starting position from the front

Downwards phase

• Maintain a position with the back flat and chest up and out

• Allow your hips and knees to slowly bend while keeping the torso-to-floor angle relatively constant

• Keep the heels on the floor and the knees in alignment over the feet

• Avoid rounding your back or lean your upper body forward

• Keep bending your hips and knee until your thighs are parallel to the floor, the trunk begins to round or bend forwards or your heels lift off the floor (Picture 3)
  

Picture 3 Bottom position




Picture 4- Bottom position

Upwards phase



• Maintain your back flat, elbows high and chest up and out



• Extend your hips and knees, whilst keeping your heel son the floor and your knees in alignment over your feet

• Avoid bending forward or round your back

• Continue extending until you reach the starting position, don’t lock your knees fully

• At the end of the set, step forward towards the rack

• Squat down until the bar rests in the rack

It is great if you can look at yourself in the mirror when performing a Back Squat as you can keep an eye of your own technique, at least from the front. I am not going to describe the most common mistakes people do when squatting in this post, but one thing you can look at if you have a mirror is whether your knees are moving inwards or the distance between your knees stays the same throughout the movement. Knees moving inwards is particular common in women and there can be several reasons why this happens, but sometimes it is possible to correct it by just focusing on it (if you are aware it is happening).



There are a lot of discussions on how deep you should go in the back squat. I personally think that you should aim to get your femur parallel to the floor (like described above). The reason for this is because the gluteus maximus (the big hip extension muscle) becomes more active when you get full range of movement (Picture 5) This is not only positive from an athlete’s point of view, but also for people wanting to get a strong and powerful bottom! From an injury prevention point of view the back squat is a very important strength exercise for the quadriceps muscles, which is important in relation to knee injuries and knee pain so it is definitely a good exercise in my eyes.



Picture 5- Gluteus Maximus

 I know a lot of girls are scared of getting “bulky”, “big” and “massive” which I think is a bit sad (I will come back to this on another blog post) but surely everyone wants to have a nice, strong bum??!

So people, let’s get our bottoms strong, explosive and powerful!

Have you ever tried the Back Squat? Do you like it?

MoTo

The RICE principle

Acute injuries are unfortunately a big part of the sporting world today. No matter how much we try to reduce injuries by making sure our joints and muscles are strong and stable enough, acute injuries have always occured and will keep occurring. If you are lucky to have a Sports Therapist present when you suffer an injury you don’t have to worry about what to do, but not every team or club are lucky to have access to a therapist’s assistance on every single training session. I think it is important that athletes and sports people understand what the RICE principleare, how it works and most importantly how you should use it. Following the simple steps underneath can help you reduce the injury time of acute injuries and therefore helping you return to your sport quicker. This is the reason why I wanted to talk about the very common RICE principle that I am sure a lot of athletes have heard about already.

So what does the letters RICE principle stand for and how can you use it?

REST, ICE, COMPRESSION AND ELEVATION

REST: I am sure most of you agree that it is self explanatory what rest means, but you may also agree that it is not always easy to rest even if you are in pain!? Does this sound familiar? I definitely know by experience that it is not always easy to go off the pitch when you get injured, if you are playing an important match or competing in an important competition. Everyone has got different pain threshold and can handle different amount of pain and discomfort. Therefore it is important to remember that if you suffer a painful injury and keep playing, all you do is probably increasing the healing and recovery time of the injury which means you might be out for several weeks/months, rather than days. I believe that players and athletes get to know their bodies’ limits better with experience and therefore are able to make the right decisions about when it is best to stop playing or competing.

ICE: Everyone has seen sports therapists and physiotherapists carrying several bags of ice packs or frozen ice when they are pitch side. This is because ice is one of the first things that you put on an acute injury, like a sprained ankle. But why do we actually do it and is there anything you have to be aware of when using ice? When an acute injury occurs, the body’s reaction is to increase the blood flow to the injured area (inflammatory response). This is why people’s ankles and knees get red and swollen after severe injuries (Picture 1). The injured area often feels warm as a result of this and the ice gets put on to try to reduce this. Ice decreases the size of the blood vessels (called vasoconstriction), which slows down the blood flow to the injured area and it also decrease pain by doing so. Ice also reduces the risk of cell death by decreasing the rate of metabolism. The important thing to bear in mind when applying ice is to never put it straight onto the skin. If you do this you can actually burn the skin and cause severe damage to the skin! To be safe, it is recommended to put 2-3 layers underneath the ice like  bandage or anything you have available to make sure you avoid any burns. Keep the ice on initially for 20 minutes.

Picture 1. Bit of swelling present here.

Picture 2. An example of ice packs (Made-in-China.com)

COMPRESSION: Compression simply means to wrap something tight around the injured area. This can be a bandage, but it can also be anything you have available like a t-shirts or scarf etc. Compression is also used to decrease the blood flow to the injury and therefore reducing recovery time, just like ice. The only thing you have to watch out for is if the compression is wrapped too tight. You can notice this is if the distal part of the limb (for example your toes or fingers) change colour and becomes blue/red. All it means is that the blood flows is being cut to the rest of the limb as well as to the injured area, so make sure you undo the compression a bit if this happens.

 ELEVATION: This simply means to elevate the injured area above your heart. So if for example you have injured an ankle, you can lie down and place your foot onto a chair or a bench. By doing this gravity helps to draw blood away from the inured area. It is advised to elevate the injured area for the first 48 hours after the injury occurred.

Hopefully those of you that weren’t too sure of how the RICE principle works know now. I tried to make it as simple as possible so that everyone is able to use and apply it when needed. It is simple and it can save you a lot of time in recovering from the injury.
 As I will be moving to Cardiff this weekend I may not have proper internet connection the first week or so, but I will keep you all posted as soon as I can:)

MoTo

Knee Prehab/Rehab

Knee injuries are a common complaint in several sports. As the knee joint is one of our weightbearing joints and takes a lot of out load when walking, running etc, it may not be difficult to understand why it is so vulnerable to injuries. I know a lot of people who have suffered severe knee injuries such as ACL rupture, PCL rupture and I know the rehab from these injuries can be tough and last for months. I will therefore explain some simple exercises that can help strengthen the knee and therefore reduce the chances of experience long lasting knee injuries. Before I go on and describe some basic knee exercises I will describe in an easy way the build up of the knee.

The knee joint is the articulation of the femur and tibia (tibial femoral joint) and the femur and patella (patella femoral joint). The kneejoint consist of several ligaments that are there to stabilise the knee: the Medial and the Lateral Collateral Ligament are on the inside and outside of the knee and they are there to prevent sideways movement of the knee. Inside the knee there are two cruciate ligament: the Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) and the Posterior Cruciate Ligament (PCL). The ACL is there to prevent hyperextension of the knee and the PCL is there to prevent hyperflexion of the knee. In the middle of the joint there are meniscus that acts as a shock absorber within the joint, these help to absorb some of the impact on the knee. The knee is a hinge joint which means it mainly allows for flexion and extension (bending and stretching), with limited sideways movement. As you can tell the knee joint is a complex joint with several structures that could get injured, which is why I wanted to explain some simple balance and strength exercises that can help you improve your knee stability and strength.

Please be aware that if you have sustained a knee injury you should get it checked and identified by a qualified therapist or doctor prior to starting these exercises.

Purpose: To improve knee stability and strength

Suitable for: Everyone who wants to improve their knee stability and strength
Equipment needed: A foam roller, balance pad, a box/chair, a gym ball, balance mat and a wall

Repetitions and sets:

3 sets per exercise

10 - 15 repetitions per exercise

120-180 seconds recovery between sets



Picture 1- Start

  The workout

1. Foam rolling for your quadriceps (front of thighs)

• Place the foam roller under your thighs, start just above your knees



• Place your hands in front of you to hold yourself off the floor (Picture 1)

• Now roll the front of your thighs on the foam roller, start above your knees to the top of your hips (Picture 2)

• If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot

Picture 2- End

• To increase the pressure further, cross one leg on top of the other, which means you only have one thigh on the foam roller at the time

• Roll for 45 - 60 seconds on each thigh



2. Wall squats with gym ball

• Start by placing the gym ball between your back and the wall

• Place your feet about hip width apart with your toes pointing forward

• Place your arms onto your hips for support

• Squat down with the ball rolling down against your back by bending your knees till you reach 90° with your knees

• Make sure you keep your abdominals pulled in, your chin parallel to the floor and your back firmly against the gym ball

• Stand up to the starting position by squeezing you gluteus and extending your knees

• Focus on keeping the same distance between your knees all the way throughout the movement

• Repeat this 10-15 repetitions

 3. Hop and hold

• Imagine you have a square with 4 smaller squares in front of you on the floor (each square around ½ metre long)

 • Lift one leg of the floor so you are standing on one leg (have a slight bend in your knee) 

Picture 1- From the side



• Jump on one leg into the first square in front of you, you should bend in your knee to secure a smooth landing (Picture 1)

• Make sure your knees are pointing forward in line with your toes

• Hold this landing position for 2-3 seconds, then jump forwards into the square in front of you, and then sideways into the square next to you


Picture 2 - From the front

• Then jump backwards into the square behind you, then sideways into the square you started in

• Make sure you keep your chest out to avoid your upper body dropping too far forwards

• You can hold your hands in front of your body to counterbalance

• Go through this 3 rounds with each leg (this is one set). Repeat this 3 sets


4. Lunge on balance mat 



Picture 1- From the front

Picture 2- From the side

 

• Start by standing with your feet about hip width apart on the floor

• Pull your abdominals in and keep your chest out prior to starting

• Place your hands on your hips for support


• Step forward onto the mat in a lunge position by bending both knees. Your front knee should not cross the line of your toes and your back knee should just touch the floor gently (Picture 1)



• Push your legs back up and step back to the starting position, repeat with the other leg

• Repeat 10-15 steps on each leg

   

Picture 1- Starting position

 5. Single leg squat off a box

• Step onto a box/bench or a solid chair (that do not move!)

• Place one other leg over the edge of the side of the box whilst keeping the other leg planted solid on the box (Picture 1)

• Squat down with one leg to about 90° in your knee, keeping the leg outside the box straight

• It would be ideal to do this in front of a mirror to check that you knee is not moving inwards, but in a straight line

Picture 2- During the movement

• You can hold arms in front of you to counterbalance if necessarily

• Make sure you keep your abdominals pulled in and your chest out

• Do 8-10 repetitions on each leg









Picture 1

6. Balance on bosu ball/balance mat

• Start by standing on a bosu ball or and exercise mat with your feet hip width apart (ideally this should be done in socks or barefoot)

• Lift one leg of the floor so you are now standing on just one leg (Picture 1)

• Place your hands out to the side to balance if needed
• Have a bend in the knee on the leg you are standing on and keep your chest up

•  Hold your balance for 45- 60 seconds

• When you are done with one leg, change over to the other leg and repeat

Picture 1- Start

7. Hip clam

• Start in side laying on the mat, with your legs on top of each other

• Bend your legs to 45° with your heels in line with your bottom (Picture 1)

• Place your elbow on the floor and rest your head onto your hand for support



Picture 2- Hold Position



• Rotate the top leg backwards until you can feel the outside of your top glut working, hold this position for 5-10 seconds and lower back down

• Make sure your toes and heels are in contact throughout the exercise

• Do 8-10 repetitions and turn over to the other side and repeat with the other leg



---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Always warm up with 5- 10 minutes of easy mobility movements such as body weight squats, walking lunges, side lunges, spidermans, hamstring walkout etc (Look at previous blogpost on mobility exercises if you are unsure how to do these) Always cool down after the workout with 5-10 minutes of stretching for the main muscles used in the work out. In particular quadriceps, hamstrings, hip flexors and gluteus. Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and do 2-3 sets of each stretch (Look at previous blogpost for explanation of stretches if you are unsure how to perform the stretches)

Lets keep our knees strong and injuryfree as we need them for a long time!:)

Have a good weekend everyone!

MoTo

Bristol Rovers Internship

I recently applied for an internship with Bristol Rovers Football Club as S&C coach for their 9-16 year olds players. I was selected to have a phone interview last Friday which I thought was a bit of a challenge. I got asked questions from two experienced men and it wasn't just easy to think and try to give good answers under pressure. So after the interview on Friday I was a bit disappointed as I didn't think I gave a very good impression over the phone.I thought to myself  that I wouldn't hear anything back from them and was a bit annoyed with myself for not being able to give better answers...

However I guess my instict was wrong as I suddenly got a nice phonecall from Lee Southernwood (Fitness Coach for Bristol Rovers) who offered me the position and said he was really impressed with my interview. Great news! Maybe it is true that girls are a bit too critical sometimes:) They have also given the position to another guy, which means we will work as a team to try and develop their 9-16 year olds players. I think it is a great opportunity as I have always been really interested and passionate about football, and I am hoping to be able to transfer some of the knowledge and experience I have with football to the younger players.

This is a great picture from one of our yearly training camps to Spain with the team I used to play for in Norway (Klepp). We used to have a lot of fun between sessions!! Lets hope I will be able to spread some positive attributes to the young players at Bristol Rovers:)

MoTo:)

INTERVAL TRAINING: A great way to get fit without long lasting treadmill sessions!

Today I wanted to give you my opinion on one of the most effective ways of getting fit without spending hours and hours in the gym pounding the treadmill. The method I will explain is nothing new or anything extraordinary it is just an effective way of getting your heart rate up, burn a good amount of calories without having to spend half of your day training. The protocol is called Tabata and was originally invented by Dr. Izumi Tabata from Japan in 1996. The actual workout consists of the following:

• 20 seconds hard work followed by 10 seconds rest/recovery X 8 times = 4 minutes

I would recommend doing this sequence 4 times with 1 minutes rest between. In total that is 19 minutes. You can of course perform these intervals on the standard bike, treadmill, rower, cross trainer or whatever you prefer in the gym, but I will list up some more exciting variations:

Picture 1- Push up (Starting position)

• Burpes

• Pushups (Picture 1)

• Spidermans

• Frogjumps

• Mountain climbers (hold on a bench)


• Explosive squats

Picture 2- Medicine ball slams

• Dumbbell swings (kettlebells)

• Medicine ball slams (Picture 2)

• “Hopping” walking lunges

• High knees

• Star jumps etc etc etc.


 Basically any movement that gets your heart rate going can be used. You can for example do burpes for the first 4 minutes, then change it to explosive squats for 4 minutes, then do pushups for the next 4 minutes before finishing with 4 minutes of medicine ball slams. You can choose the exercises so they are specific to the sport or you can choose them depending on what you want on the day, your imagination is the only limit. For example when I coached some MMA fighters earlier this year (with Brendan Chaplin) they did tyre flips, tyre slams and clinching as part of their intervals. Don’t forget to do a good warm up for at least 10 minutes before you start to get your heart rate and blood flow going.

I really think people should move away from spending long lasting boring sessions in the gym, when you get so much more out of working harder for shorter periods. I will be honest and say that a few years ago I believed that in order to get fit and lose weight you had to train with low intensity for a long time in order to increase your fitness. I have thankfully become a little bit wiser (maybe not much) since starting University and realised that the harder you work the fitter you get and the more energy you burn, not rocket since, is it? At the same time it is a fact that the body relies on carbohydrates as the main source of energy if the intensity is moderate/high, but as a result of getting fitter our body becomes more effective at utilising fat as energy source. This should be a big motivation to train a bit harder for people who want to lose weight as well as getting fit!

I am aware that this may sound like I don’t think low intensity sessions are important, because I certainly think it has got its place for example as recovery sessions or in easier periods of training. Anyway I will let you get on with your training now, and I can assure you that I have tried the Tabatas intervals and they definitely got my heart pumping! Give it a go and try it yourself:)

What types of interval training do you like the most?

Cheers,

MoTo

Pre/Rehab Exercises for Elbow and Wrist

Today I will describe some basic exercises for elbows and wrists. Racket players like tennis and badminton will definetely be able to use some of these exercises as part of their prehab program to strenghten their elbows and wrist. A selection of these simple exercises can be included in players' program to improve wrist, elbow and grip strength. Have a go and see what you think:)

Type: Exercises to improve elbow, wrist and grip strength

Purpose: To improve elbow and wrist strength

Suitable for: All tennis players

Equipment needed: 2 dumbbells (app. 4 – 8 kg), resistance band, 1 dumbbell free weight (2-5 kg), tennis ball and a chair/bench

Repetitions and sets:

3 sets per exercise

10 - 15 repetitions per exercise

120-180 seconds recovery between sets


1. Curl and press with dumbbells (This one also works your shoulders)

Picture 1

  

Picture 2



• Start by standing with your feet hip width apart

Picture 3

• Grab a pair of dumbbells (4-8 kg) with an underhand neutral grip (Picture 1)

• Keep your abdominals pulled in and back straight prior to starting this exercise

• Curl your for arms to your shoulder by bending at your elbows (Picture 2)

• When the elbow come up to shoulder height, straighten your elbows and push the dumbbells above each side of your head (Picture 3)

• You should have a slight bend at your elbow as your elbows straighten above your head

• Bend your elbows down to shoulder height, before slowly straightening your elbows to the starting position and repeat

• Keep your elbows close to your body throughout the exercises



2. Wrist curl with dumbbell

Picture 1



Picture 2

• Start by positioning yourself on your knees behind a bench/chair

• Grab a light dumbbell (2-5 kg) with and underhand grip (palm facing up)

• Place the wrist with the dumbbell over the edge of the bench, make sure only your wrist is over the edge so the rest of your hand rest on the bench (Picture 1)

• Curl the dumbbell towards you by bending your wrist until you can feel a stretch at the back of your wrist (Picture 2)

• Lower the wrist back to the starting position and repeat

• It is important that all of the movement is done by the wrist only

• When you are done with one hand change the dumbbell over to the other hand and repeat



Picture 1

 3. Wrist extension with dumbbell



• Start by positioning yourself on your knees behind a bench/chair

• Grab a light dumbbell (2-4 kg) with an overhand grip (palm facing down)
Place the wrist with the dumbbell over the edge of the bench, make sure only your wrist is over the edge so the rest of your hand rest on the bench

(Picture 1)

• Curl the dumbbell towards you by bending your wrist until the dumbbell faces forward (Picture 2)

Picture 2

• Lower the wrist back to the starting position and repeat

• It is important that all of the movement is done by the wrist only

• When you are done with one hand change the dumbbell over to the other hand and repeat

 4. Wrist pronation with resistance band (and a tennis ball)


Picture 1

• Start by attaching the two ends of the resistance band onto a something firm (a door handle, a wall etc) around elbow height

• Stand sideways with the hand you are going to work closest to the band

 

• Grab over the middle of the resistance band with an underhand grip (this means the band lies in your hand between your fingers and thumb) Picture 1

• Step away from the wall about 1 metre (or until there is enough tension in the band)

• Now place a tennis ball at elbow height on the side of your body, so your elbow can squeeze against it and keep your elbow “locked” into your body


Picture 2

• Rotate your wrist in towards your body with the band until the palm of your hand is facing down (Picture 2)

• Rotate the wrist back out to the starting position and repeat

• Make sure all of the movement is done by your wrist only

Picture 1

5. Wrist supination with resistance band (and a tennis ball)

• Start by attaching the two ends of the resistance band onto a something firm (a door handle, a wall etc) around elbow height



• Stand with the band in front of you, facing sideways with the hand you are going to work furthest away from the band (Picture 1)

• Grab over the middle of the resistance band with an overhand grip (the palm of your hand facing down)

• Step away from the wall about 1 metre (or until there is enough tension in the band)



Picture 2

 • Now place a tennis ball at elbow height on the side of your body, so your elbow can squeeze against it and keep your elbow “locked” into your body

 • Rotate your wrist away from your body with the band until the palm of your hand is facing up  (Picture 2)

• Rotate the wrist back down out to the starting position and repeat

• Make sure all of the movement is done by your wrist only




 6. Tennis ball squeeze

• Start by sitting comfortably onto a chair 

Picture 1





• Grab a tennis ball with one hand with an overhand grip (Picture 1)

• Squeeze the tennis ball for 10 – 15 seconds and relax for the same amount of time

• Repeat this 8 times on each hand

 

7. Press up



Picture 1



 • Start in a press up position with your hands and toes on the floor

• Place your hands slightly wider than your shoulder (Picture 1)

• Prior to starting make sure your abdominals are pulled in and that you keep a straight line from head to toe

 • Start by bending your elbows and lower yourself until your elbows are 90° (or your chest nearly touch the floor) (Picture 2- I am almost a bit too low on this photo- it doesn't happend very often!)


Picture 2



• Push yourself back to the starting position by straightening your elbows and repeat

Always warm up with 5 minutes of easy mobility movements such wrist rotations, wrist/elbow extension and flexion, shoulder rotations etc.

Always cool down after the workout with 5-10 minutes of stretching for the main muscles used in the work out. In particular your wrist flexors and extensors and elbow extensors (triceps). Hold each stretch for 20-30 seconds and do 2-3 sets of each stretch.

I have now written quite a few different program suggestions for various joints of the body. I think that on my next blog posts I will start talking more about the most commonly used exercises in the gym such as squats, deadlifts, Straight Leg Deadlifts, rollouts etc. Something to look forward to:)

As I have only got a bit more than a week left in Leeds before I move to the big city of Cardiff, I will take some time off tonight and go and have some nice food and enjoy a chickflick at the cinema with a friend:) Sounds like a good plan! I will of course be back coaching tomorrow morning and covering first aid for a local rugby union match in the afternoon so not too much time sosialising.

 Have a good weekend everyone, keep training smart, but hard!

MoTo

Recovery and Flexibility Program

Today I decided to describe a recovery session consisting of foam rolling and key stretches. This session can be useful the day after a hard day of training or competition or just as part of your weekly program if flexibility is an issue of concern. However this session could also be included towards the end of ligther sessions.  If you choose to do it as a separate session or after a session is up to you, but either way it is important to be warmed up to allow for the increase in body temperature needed for effective stretching. This can consist of 5-10 minutes of for example easy jogging, cycling, rowing etc and mobility movements such as walking lunges, body weight squats, side lunges, spiderman’s etc – see previous blog for a sample of mobility exercises.

Type: Recovery and flexibility program

Purpose: Improve muscle flexibility and aid recovery between sessions or after light sessions

Suitable for: Everyone

Equipment needed: Foam roller and a mat (or just use the floor)

Repetitions and sets:

Foam rolling: 45 - 60 seconds per muscle group

Stretches: 30 - 45 seconds hold (to a point of mild tension) for 2-3 sets per muscle group

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Picture 1

1. Foam rolling - Calves

• Start by placing your calves on top of the foam roller, start just above your Achilles tendon (Picture 1)

• Place your hands behind your back to hold yourself off the floor

• Now roll your calves on the foam roller, from above your Achilles tendon to the back of your knee (Picture 2)

• If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot


Picture 2

• To increase the pressure further, cross one leg on top of the other, only place one calf on the foam roller

• Roll for 45- 60 seconds on each calf

2. Foam rolling - hamstrings (back of thighs)

Picture 1

• Place your hamstrings on top of the foam roller, start just above your knee (Picture 1)

• Place your hands behind your back to hold yourself off the floor

• Now roll your hamstrings on the foam roller, from above your knees to the bottom of your gluteus (Picture 2)

Picture 2

 • If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot



• To increase the pressure further, cross one leg on top of the other, only place one hamstring on the foam roller at the time

• Roll for 45 – 60 seconds on each leg

3. Foam rolling - lower back

Picture 1

• Place the foam roller under your lower back (Picture 1)

• Place your hands behind your back to hold yourself off the floor

•  Roll your back on the foam roller, from above your hip bones to upper part of your back (Picture 2)

• If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot. Rest your arms onto your belly while rolli


Picture 2

• To increase the pressure further, lean over slightly to one side of your back at the time

• Roll for 45 - 60 seconds in the middle, and 45- 60 seconds on each side

4. Foam rolling – thoracic spine (Sorry, no picture for this one)


• Place the foam roller between your shoulder blades

• Place your hands behind your neck and squeeze your elbows together in front of you to make it easier to target the muscles between your shoulder blades

• Now roll your upper back on the foam roller, from the lowest part of your shoulder blades to your neck

• If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot

• Roll for 45 – 60 seconds



Picture 1 (I guess I am closing my eyes cause I am concentrating very hard)

 5. Foam rolling- Latissimus Dorsi (each side of your back)

• Place the foam roller under yourself on the side, in line with the lowest part of your shoulder blade

• Straighten your lowest arms above your head, let your feet rest on top of each other or just how you feel most comfortable

• Roll on the foam roller from your side from the lowest part of your shoulder blade till your armpit
(Picture 1)

• When you are done with one side turn over onto the other side and repeat

• Roll for 45 – 60 seconds on each side



Picture 1

6. Foam rolling - Quadriceps (front of thighs)

• Start by laying on your front on the floor

• Place the foam roller under your thighs, start just above your knees (Picture 1)

• Place your hands in front of you to hold yourself off the floor



Picture 2

• Now roll the front of your thighs on the foam roller, start above your knees to the top of your hips (Picture 2)

• If you find a tender spot, apply a bit more pressure and roll back and forwards over the tight spot

• To increase the pressure further, cross one leg on top of the other, only place one thigh on the foam roller at the time

• Roll for 45 - 60 seconds on each thigh

Picture 1

7. Foam rolling- Iliotibial Band (outside of thighs)

• Start by laying on the side on the floor

• Place the foam roller under the bottom leg just above the knee (Picture 1

Picture 2

• Keep the bottom leg straight, but bend the top leg and cross over the bottom leg

• Place your arms in front of you wherever to find it most comfortable

• Roll from the top of your knee till the top of your hip (Picture 2)

• When you are done with one leg turn over onto the other leg and repeat

• Roll for 45 – 60 seconds on each leg

You may find this one quite sore as I know a lot of peole find this one  ucomfortable, but I think you can do it :)

Picture 1

8. Calf stretch

• Start with your hands and feet on the floor

• Cross one leg behind the other, make sure the bottom heel can’t touch the floor (Picture 1)

• From this position step forward a bit further with both feet until you can feel a stretch in your calf in the bottom leg

• You should push the heel on the bottom leg down to increase the stretch further

• When you are done with one leg, cross the other leg over and repeat

Picture 1

9. Hamstring stretch

• Start by laying on your back on the floor

• Lift one leg up in the air and grab your hands behind the back of the knee (Picture 1)

• From this position, try to straighten your knee first, then pull your leg towards you whilst keeping the knee straight

• Relax your head and everything else when you do this

• For some people it will be enough to straighten the knee up, others will be able to straighten the knee and pull the knee closer. This is individual, don’t overstretch!

• When you are done with one leg, lower the leg down and repeat with the other leg



Picture 1

 10. Gluteus stretch

• Start by laying on your back on the floor

• Bend both knees, cross right leg on top of the left leg (the left foot should rest on top of the right knee) (Picture 1)

• Grab your left leg behind your thigh with both hands and pull it towards you until you can feel a stretch on the outside of your right bottom

• When you are done with one leg, cross the other leg over and repeat

Picture 1

11. Quadriceps stretch

• Start by laying on your side on the floor with the bottom hand supporting yourself

• Bend the top leg and grab hold of the ankle with the top hand

• Push your ankle towards your bottom, push your hip forwards and make sure your knees are close together   (Picture 1)

• When you are done with one leg, turn over onto the other side and repeat








Picture 1



12. Lower back stretch (“cat stretch”)



 • Start by sitting on top of your heels on the floor

• From this position, lean you body forwards and reach your hands forward as far as you can (Picture 1)

• Make sure your bottom stays in contact with the heels all the way through the stretch



Picture 2

• You can change the position of your hands to each side to feel the stretch more on the side of your lower back (Picture 2)



I hope you enjoyed this "nice" and relaxing program. I know this session may not be the most exciting in terms of tempo,pace and energy, but sometimes we need to relax and recover to make sure we get the training effects we want. I will say recovery is just as important as the rest of your strength, power, speed, endurance and agaility training, however recovery is so must more than stretching and foamrolling so we have to look at that another day...

How do you find foamrolling? Do you think it is a useful tool?

Thanks

MoTo