Restorative Foam Roller

Hi, I'm Tracey Mallett and today I wanted to give you a small little workout that I think is perfect in conjunction, you've just done your reformer workout, or maybe you've just gone out and gone for a nice run or a hike outside, and you just wanna have a nice little bit of abdominal work and then finish off with some stretching, and we're gonna roll out those muscles. And we all need to do this on a regular basis including myself. Often I forget to roll out and once I start rolling out, I realize, oh my gosh, I need to be doing this much more. So, if I start crying today, you'll understand why you need to be doing it more and so do I, okay? So, you're gonna sit on the end of the roller and we're gonna try and roll ourselves down so you're lining your spine with the roller.

Make sure your spine is aligned with the roller, find a nice, comfortable spot there. Now, from here, I want you to focus on dropping that tailbone down in to the roller and feel the spine aligned with the roller. Now, we're gonna gently float the right leg up and then bring it back down again. And let's take the same leg back up again, and then taking it back down again. And again, just float that leg up trying to keep the roller as still as you can.

And let's switch to the other side, lifting the other roller, the other leg. Keeping the roller still and you'll find that one side is gonna be much easier than the other. My left side I have to work a little bit harder so as I'm lifting my left leg up focus a little bit more on the right oblique. Let's just do a couple more. And back.

Reach the right arm up and then open it out to the side and then come back down again. It's kinda like a circle. Reach the arm up, circle it out to the side, and then down and around so it's kinda going up, to the side, down and around. Up, to the side, down around. Last time, up, to the side, and place it down on the floor.

Just try the other side. Up, to the side, and down. Up, out to the side, and down, good. Try and keep the roller as still as you can, and back. And lift, and open, and down, just do a few more.

Breathe nice and easy. Last time. And then take both arms down. From here, I want you to see if you can hover and lift both hands off the floor, reaching back in a nice big circle arms go back and then circle round and then back up again. Reach the arms back, feel the openness in your chest.

It feels good, enjoy that stretch, circle around, and then back up again. Reach back, back, back, back and then around. Let's switch to the other side. Palms facing upwards and then the palms facing downwards. Palms facing upwards.

Palms facing downwards. Breathe, enjoy that stretch. Get your shoulders moving. And then from here come back into a V position and rest your arms down if you can. Some of you will be easier, some will be harder so bend your elbows if it feels a little bit too much tension in your shoulders.

Just bend your elbows a little bit and enjoy that stretch. All of us need to stretch out your pecs, get tight which puts a lot of pressure on the shoulder joint. Open your arms back, come back in front of your body and then press your hands down. From here we're gonna slowly, gently roll off the roller without falling off. And then we're gonna move the roller and we're gonna place your knees, and you're gonna put your hips on top of the roller.

So make sure your hips are on top of the roller. You're gonna extend the right leg, hold on to the roller so it's nice and tight, nice and secure, and then lift the opposite leg towards your chest. So already here I can feel that huge stretch through your hip flexor, your psoas, and into your quad. Hold on to your roller and now try and keep the hips reaching outwards and try and get the knee a little bit closer towards your chest. Now see if you can take your opposite hand to your knee, cross your mid-line of your body, and pull but keep this hand on the roller.

There's your stretch. Pull a little bit more. Use your upper body strength to pull. Now if you can we're gonna try and draw the knee over your mid-line of your body keeping your knee bent. So now you're gonna feel stretch, a little bit of a stretch into the glut.

Keep your hand on the roller, though. From here come back to your center. Now we're gonna externally rotate and try and grab your foot in that external rotation. If that's too hard to grab your foot, grab the outside of your calf and pull in. But most of you should be able to grab your foot if you can, your ankle, and pull so you're in that external rotation.

Now from here we're gonna get back straight, extend that leg up, drop the leg down, bring the opposite knee in. Now already you should feel that stretch 'cause you're in hip extension. Now, let's see if we can grab the outside hand so the opposite hand to your knee in, and then pull in towards your chest. The other hand here is firmly on the roller to hold the roller in place so it doesn't roll away. And pull in to your chest.

Imagine that opposite leg is reaching that way so you're lengthening the psoas and your quad. Now, pull across the mid-line of your body. You'll feel a stretch through the glut and you're also gonna feel a stretch in your inner thigh a little bit, too. But you're stretching over. Breathe into that stretch.

Don't rush to get out of stretching. You need to be holding stretches for longer than what you think to do any kind of benefit. Now, externally rotate and see if you can grab your ankle joint and then pull. Remember this kind of workout is best to do after you've done your primary workout and not before. This is for after.

All right, come back to center. Pull in. Now, hands on your foam roller. Lift up, bend your knee, bring the other knee up. Now extend the legs up to the sky.

Adjust your hips. Hold on to the roller. Now let's see if we can come as far back as we can. The foam roller is there to support the spine. Flex the feet if you can.

Reach out through the heels so the energy you're reaching out through the heels. Now I just want you to bend your knees, push out a little bit further. Bend your knees, keep holding on to the roller, and push out a little bit further. Inhale, close your eyes, exhale. Two more, inhale, exhale.

Last time, inhale, exhale, reach. Point the toes. Lift. Bend your knees, drop the feet down. Lift your hips up.

And now, you're gonna put the roller actually, just at the top of your hamstrings and you're gonna gently reach the hams out. We're gonna put the hands behind your body, like this, and we're gonna try and roll, we're gonna roll this direction and then this direction. This direction and that direction. If you've got a ponytail you might have to put your high ponytail on. There and then back.

There, so it's just at the top of your hips. And then sink your booty all the way down to the floor, put your hands, we're gonna slowly roll all the way up. Take your hands to here, put your hamstrings and you want the middle of your hamstrings on there. Now, we're gonna try and lift your body up. Alrighty.

Now, roll towards the back of your knees so it's where they insert and then we're gonna try and go all the way back. You're gonna play footsie. There you go and just rock and roll. You're gonna find areas where it's a little bit more tighter. It's usually around the mid part of your hamstrings so I'm gonna find the mid-part right now and hold it there.

Balance. Feel that? I did this yesterday and when I was doing this yesterday all I did was cry 'cause it killed me. And today I can do it and I really don't feel that much today. Isn't that crazy?

So we really do need to roll out more. (laughing) How's that feel guys, good? Now find to a part where you feel a little bit tender and then hold it there. For me it's about there and I'm gonna hold it there. Let the weight of your body sink into the roller.

Move your hands so you're comfortable. There. Hold it there. And then release and come back down. Now we're gonna try and come on to your tummy now.

Now we're gonna actually roll out your quads. So, you ready? So, get your forearms and we're gonna come forwards. There's no graceful way of doing this but we're gonna start at the lowest point of your thigh and I'm gonna roll up to the top. Imagine you're making some dough and you're rolling the dough.

Good. How does that feel for you guys? Tender or? And you wanna be rolling up and down slowly. Let's just do a few more times and then we're gonna find our tender spots.

All right. So next time I want you to find a place where it's pretty tender and I just want to hold it there. Just hold and let your body the weight of your body sink into the roller. The more you sink into it, you'll feel the pain start to dissipate. Now we're gonna come up a little bit higher.

You're gonna come to another point. And then back up a little bit higher. And now we're just gonna roll up and down again. Ah, breathe, oh. We'll be sore tomorrow.

It's very important that you drink a lot of water after this 'cause your body is releasing a lot of lactic acid in your muscles. Or wine (laughing). One more time. Beautiful. And let's come back.

Let's go back into child's pose. Let's reach forwards. Now we're gonna stretch out, not my favorite, the iliotibial bands, which is definitely a must. Hamstrings, quads, and your iliotibial bands, specially if you do a lot of running, a lot of walking. So, we're gonna turn over to the side, you're gonna put the top leg in font like this, be on your sideline.

And let's start right at the hip. Now what we're gonna do is roll down the iliotibial band. Now for me this is extremely painful and we're just gonna rock and roll down, rock and roll down. I've gone for my hands as you can see Amy's on her forearms, wherever you feel most comfortable. Now, let's go all the way down, all the way down, down, down, keep rolling down, keep rolling down, keep rolling down.

It's gonna get more painful to where it hits at the knee and then come back again. Ah. (laughing) And again. Let's try that again. Hello.

Now, all the way, all the way and then back. This time you're gonna go into the middle belly, middle belly, middle belly. Hold it there. Breathe. Take a deep breath, inhale, exhale.

And let's go down a little bit more towards the knee. Use your upper body to help you dissipate the weight a little bit if it's a little painful. I'm using my upper body so all the weight is not on my leg. And hold it. And go a little bit further.

Ooh. And then come back, all the way back. And relax. Okay, ready for the other side? All right, so cross that top leg in front, hips up.

I'm gonna get right onto the hip bone there. Put your hands in front and now you can guide. Use your upper body to help, 'cause to help you not get all your weight onto the foam roller and just go up and down. Oh. And just rock and roll down the iliotibial band.

You're doing good, Amy. You're doing good. You must do this often, right? And you? It's just me, I'm the bad girl then, right?

Now come to the top. All right, let's go into the mid-belly. And then hold it here. So let the force of gravity take your body into the foam roller. And let's guide ourselves down a little bit lower.

A little bit more. And let's go back up and then back down. A few more. Good. And then hold it there one last time.

Breathe. And then come off. Turn onto your tummy once again, child's pose. And then roll all the way up. Take your foam roller just to the side.

Put your hands, shoulder width apart, curl your toes underneath, into your downward dog or your pyramid. Reach your right leg up, bend your knee in through cat in the middle of your feet, lift up. Open your heart center lift, bring it back down again. Extend that leg back up again into your stretch. Open your pelvis, look underneath your armpits and round the leg as you bend the knee.

Extend that leg, bring the legs down, hips parallel. Extend the other leg, parallel. Round like a cat. Hand in front. Reach the arms up, open your heart center and lift.

Back to center. Take the leg back up, open your hips, look underneath your armpit, bend your knee in that stretch. Extend that leg back up, pelvis shifts to its square. Bring your leg down. Come into your plank position.

Back up into your pyramid. Bend your knees down, child's pose. Stretch, take your hands to the right side. Take your hands to the left side. Come back to the center and then articulate, roll yourself all the way up.

Good job, you guys. So remember it's a great little stretch sequence but this is really for after you've done your workout so you've gone for a hike, you've gone for a jog, you've gone into a Pilates workout. This would be a perfect way to finish off your day. It really would. Not before, afterwards.

Enjoy. Hopefully, share your experience with me on PilatesAnytime in the forum. This is my New Year's resolution even though it's halfway through the year, to really start rolling a little bit more so you start the journey with me. We're on this journey together, to roll more and really flush out those toxins in our body. Drink lots of water.

And let me know how you get it on. Feel good? Bye, guys.