How to use a Foam Roller | Natalie Jill

Hi, guys. Natalie, Jill here back on Happy, healthy and fit. And today I'm talking about those big tubes. You see, the foam rollers? What are they, how to use them. I'm going to share all of that with you. So these tubes, these foam rollers, are the most amazing thing I have seen come out with workout because this is what allows you to take your workouts to another level, helps you recover. And they are so easy to use. You can use them anywhere, and they're very inexpensive. So I'm going to show you how I use these. But there are a million uses for these. The first thing is they do come in different colors. Typically, the black one is the hardest one, this color. So I like to use this after you get used to using a foam roller. And you could take a little bit more of that pressure. Typically, the white ones are a lot more soft. Soft. So you can start with those white ones if it's your first time using a foam roller. But what it's designed to do is to basically turn off the muscle and help you recover. So they're great to use typically at the end of a workout, when you're done. Not always pre workout. There are a few things I like to do with them pre workout because it does turn off a muscle. And let me explain that, especially with women, for instance, a lot of us have lower back pain, and that tends to, a lot of the time come from underactive glutes, the butt, and overactive quads. So when we go to workout, we tend to really use our quads more than our glutes. So by foam rolling those quads, first, we turn off that muscle, and then we go and activate those glutes. So then when we do our workout, we're really focusing more where we want to focus. So before I work out, the one thing I always make sure I do with a foam roller is, is I roll my quad, and I'm going to show you how to do this. You just take the foam roller, put it down on the ground, and you're going to literally lay on top of it just like this on your forearms. And it's just a slight roll back and forth. I don't go over my kneecaps, but it's just taking it up and down my thighs. And you should really feel it digging into your muscle. It feels good on some. I like it. Some people will find this a little bit uncomfortable. And that's why you'd want to start with a softer foam roller here. Now, to increase the pressure here, you can put A leg on top of the one you're rolling. And so you're focusing on one leg, and you'll start to feel it really release that muscle. So it's kind of like getting a massage, but you're doing it yourself. You're controlling the action, and it feels really good. And I typically do this for a few minutes every time before I work out. I love doing. In fact, I might just stay here and keep doing this while you're watching me, because it feels really good. That's one of them. The next exercises I like, and that's the only one, by the way, that I do before I work out with my foam roller. But when I'm done working out, what I like to do is typically roll my calves, my hamstrings, and my back, because that's when I'm trying to turn things off. So I'm going to start with showing you how I do my calves. It's just right under my calves. I put one foot on top of the other. I'm up on my hands, and I'm just rolling my calf just like this, front side, right through the middle, just rolling it just like that. And you should really feel this. You can also use. For this, you can use a can, you can use a tennis ball. It's just playing with what you think is going to really work for you to release that muscle. That's all I do for calf, for hamstrings. Same thing, just a little further up. Right here, Same thing. You can roll them here. You can cross the leg over just like that. Rolling it. You can come up to your hands, you can come down. It's wherever you're really going to get in there and feel it. For me, I feel being on my hands right here is where I'm going to feel it the most. Glutes, same thing. Rolling those glutes. For this, I like to typically put one foot over, take it on the side, laying it there. The final thing I do is for my back, and where I like to focus is right in the middle here. Just roll it here. I'll bring it in. Just really rolling it out right here feels like a back massage. It's great, and it's a great recovery tool after you work out. So the things you can do with a foam roller are endless. But for what I personally do and what I recommend in a lot of my programs is to deactivate that quad first. So I do the quad rolling before my workouts, and then after my workout, I take it down and do my glutes my hamstrings, my calves and my back. Hope you found that helpful. And to get more tips from me and see all of my full body weight workouts. You can find all of those@nataliejewelfitness.com DVDs. Bye Sam.