One of the biggest reasons people don’t move well is because they have very poor tissue quality. Because people sit so much, whether it be at work, in the car, or watching television, our muscles become tight and as a result we move terrible.
In order to counteract this we need to perform a little tissue quality work everyday to keep up with all our sitting. Simply grabbing a foam roller and going through a full body roll will do wonders to improve your tissue quality.
Spending 10 minutes going through a foam roll hitting all of these areas is both simple and extremely helpful when it comes to moving and feeling a little better. Hit each area for 30 or so seconds. If a certain area is extra tender and painful, don’t hesitate to spend a little extra time on that area and work the gunk out. Furthermore, don’t be limited to the areas below as these are just general guidelines and areas that traditionally need a little TLC. Following is also a quick foam rolling video done by great strength coach Matt Skeffington.
- Glutes
- Hamstrings
- Calves
- Quads
- T-Spine
- Rear Deltoid
After finishing the foam roll I highly recommend going through a quick static stretching session. I am well aware of the fact that there seems to be some debate on the importance of static stretching – some say to do it, some say its a waste of time. Either way, anecdotal evidence suggests that people feel better after a quick static stretching so I would still recommend performing it.
Again, spend approximately 30 seconds in each position unless you feel extremely tight and need a little more time. The best part about this stretching routine is that you can incorporate your foam roller and just move right into the stretching series after you finish up rolling.
- Hip Flexors
- Hamstring
- External Rotators
- Groin
I should note that this is very similar to the rolling and stretching series that was performed at MBSC while I was an employee there. It is very simply, straight forward and to the point, yet very effective.
I would highly recommend running through this routine either before you train or on an off day to help recovery from previous days training. So many injuries and other muscular issues can be alleviated and avoided if we did a better job taking care of ourselves through improving our tissue quality.