Rollin' with the Foamies, told by Max!

I got my massage today! It wasn't the typical spa-like massage. It was the gritty, massage kind found within sports medicine. And it was amazing! Actually I wanted to cry many times but every "trigger" point and tight band was released. Apparently I need to foam roll for longer amounts of time. I had hills not just knots that needed kneading. womp,womp.

Foam rolling is a self massaging technique that helps release and relax tight muscles. A few weeks ago Max gave me few tips on how to "roll" it's been so helpful. I feel like everyone should be foam rolling! Lucky us, she's here showing off her hardworked self and foam rolling tips!

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Hi!! I'm Maxine but since we're friends you can scratch the ine and just call me Max. Sometimes the baristas at starbucks get carried away with their cursive and yell, "May... May.... here's your coffee."

May I take my $6 coffee? thanks.

Now that we got that out of the way, I blog over at MAXOUT where I write about anything and everything. I originally started blogging to share my CrossFit beginner experiences, but after the third hand rip, I made the smart decision to switch gears for a little bit realizing talking about CrossFit all day is annoying.

I'm now several months in, and I've come a long way since I first started. Double Unders? no problem. Strict pull-ups? You can get one out of me, and most importantly, Olympic lifts? well, let's just say, they're no longer awkward or uncomfortable.
Along with learning a lot about strength and conditioning, I've also come to terms with how I treat my body outside of CrossFit. Eating clean is one of them and so is foam rolling.

rollin' with the foamies...

If you're ever wondering how my mind works, this should explain it. When my boyfriend first introduced me to foam rolling I immediately thought of Clueless. As if. Whatever. Cool closet that rotates. In other words, I had no idea what he was talking about (him being in the Air Force, my mind typically tends to wonder when he talks pilot to me) and this was no exception.

What do you mean FOAM rolling? Where are we rolling to? I mean I can put my hair in hot rollers and it looks like my 4th grade dance recital, but that's besides the point. I refused to let my already sore muscles be tortured by this "foam" roller.

helping soreness since 2013

Well, after months of complaining of soreness, he decided to layout his foam rollers and said "pick one." I went with the softest, most appealing roller and he helped me find my trigger points. I haven't looked back since.

Enough with the writing, and let me show you some proper/helpful foam roller movements that you can do at home or at the gym.

Sidenote: I'm not camera savvy (as seen below) so excuse the blurriness and awkward faces.

calves 

middle back

I just ran a half marathon on Sunday.
You can obviously tell by this picture that I hit a trigger point.

thighs

I just realized that I haven't exactly explained what foam rolling is. In simple terms, it's a form of stretching to relax your muscles (like a massage) It helps you find your trigger points and once you do, keep the roller on the point for 30-60 seconds. It helps minimize tenderness and soreness.

At first foam rolling is painful and uncomfortable, but it's worth it if you're working out several days a week! I promise! Get to rollin'

-Max-

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She's right, at first it is a bit painful but you control the movement, you control the pressure applied.
If you're not a fan of deep tissue massage at the spa then support your body and use less weight/pressure while foam rolling and if you dig the deep tissue stuff then rest right into the roller. I've read that foam rolling prior to exercise/racing is as beneficial as the after. Because foam rolling increases circulation it can have a warm up effect or a cool down effect. Give it a try!

And definitely go say HI to Max!
Start here with her sweet and funny all you need to know section or dig in with a lil' crossfit story, move on to  a half marathon recap, smile and cry over her sweet homecoming story and go back to laughing with some adorable Emily, puppy love.





Linking with Just Because, Anything & Everything, Take Time Tuesday, Healthy Hop


...happy to have Max with me this month...