Self Massage – Lax and Tennis Ball
MORE INFO: http://www.synergy-athletics.com/effective-strength-training/beyond-the-foam-roller-part-i/ RECOVERY MANUAL: http://www.powerfulmusclerecovery.com
Last week I explained the benefits of self massage through a popular tool – the foam roller ( Essential Guide To Foam Rolling ) and promised a few more techniques.
Here’s one that I honestly like even more than foam rolling.
I know, I know, that might sound like blasphemy to some lifters, but here me out.
The foam roller is a great massage tool for a general application. In the last article, the example of “smoothing out a road” to make it more efficient to travel on was likened to foam rolling to improve tissue quality and activation. What if you need something more specific?
What if you had only a small spot you needed to work out?
My preferred tools for this are the lax ball and tennis ball. This technique has been around for years and is very effective in reaching areas the foam roller will not.
Lax and Tennis Ball Self Massage
Muscles Targeted: While you can virtually any muscle group, here’s the areas I prefer to use the ball on: Triceps, Upper Back, Glutes, Calves Biceps, Forearms, and Traps.
I needed this chair yesterday!
How To Perform: Place your body weight on the ball just like you would a foam roller. Make small circles over the tender areas until you feel them release (typically 2-3 minutes). Repeat next session for a long term fix.
If you want to add slight tension to the muscle while rolling, stretch it slightly as seen done with the glutes in the video below (I first saw the glute stretch technique from Joe Defranco – very helpful move!)
What To Avoid: Do not roll bones or bruises.
Here’s some more tips and common areas to roll out.
Lax and Tennis Ball Massage Video
Combine this technique with the Foam Roller Guide (–check out this post for the benefits of SMR) and you are well on your way to feeling better, recovering faster, and lifting more!
– Joe Hashey, CSCS –
PS. Get your full recovery manual below!
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