Does Your Fitness Plan Include Myofascial Release?

Q&A on Myofascial release 

Q: What is myofascial release?

A: It’s a technique that consists of applying pressure to the myofascial tissue in the muscle, which results in suppressing or even eliminating muscular pains. The application of pressure over time forces the tight Myofasia to release causing an increased range of motion and pain reduction. Both are very important when you’re working out or even recovering.

Q: Why should I do myofascial release? 

A: You should do myofascial release when you feel muscle pain or tightness, usually after a workout or when recovering from a workout. In addition, if you sit for long periods of time you might have tighter shoulders as well as some lower back may have some pain as well. Myofascial release is great to alleviate these things.

Q: When should I do myofascial release? 

A: Whenever you feel muscular tightness, limited range of motion(due to tight muscles), or even to just warm-up for your workout. It is always recommended to do myofascial release when your body is warmed up for the best results but isn’t 100% necessary. 

Q: What do you use for myofascial release? 

A:

1. A foam roller. Almost every gym has one(it looks kind of like a foam cylinder, usually anywhere from 12-36 inches long). I find the best use of the foam roller is to use it on your larger muscle groups (lats, quads, hamstrings, and calves).
2. A smaller ball like a racquetball, tennis ball, or lacrosse ball. The racquetball is the easiest to use at first because it’s the least firm, so it’s not going to cause as much direct pressure. The tennis ball is a good middle ground as it has more give than the racquetball, but isn’t as firm as the lacrosse ball so the direct pressure is a good median to go with.

I’d be happy to explain to you how to do myofascial release. Please contact me if you’re interested.