Rolling at Night
People tell me all the time they need to stretch more, or foam roll more often, or that they don’t do enough mobility work. While the gym is a great place to learn these techniques, there’s just too many other things to do. You need to lift heavy things to get stronger, do accessories to work on balance, stability and core, never mind conditioning, warming up and cooling down - there’s a lot of fit into an hour. While foam rolling is effective, I’ve found out that it is most effective as something you do before bed.
In true blogging fashion, here is a list to make my case.
Laying down on the floor is a great way for your physiology to down regulate. Maybe not the best way to awaken your body and get ready for physical activity. I spent 10 years foam rolling before workouts, and I turned many of those attempted workouts into naps on the floor using a foam roller as a pillow. Which as an aside is a terrible idea, but if you’re a coach you’ve done it.
Foam rolling at night gives you insight as to how your body is feeling. It serves as a nightly check in, like running a maintenance scan. You can ask questions like, how’s my breathing tonight? Is this spot more sensitive than normal? All these little insights can help guide your routine and give you insights to your training.
Accumulation. The problem with only rolling at the gym is that you’ll never get enough of a dose to make lasting change. But doing it daily is where the real magic happens and the little changes stack up.
You have the time. You probably get a chance to watch TV most nights. Instead of sitting on the couch, use this time as an opportunity to get on the floor. Little habits like this are where healthy lifestyles come from. We have a basket in the living room filled with all sorts of mobility tools, they’ve got to be kept close!
If I’m running or lifting heavy the next day, I use my nightly routine to prep for the workout. Running? I’ll roll my calves, feet and stretch my hip flexors. Heavy snatch day? I’ll open up my thoracic spine and give my shoulders some love.
Get to work!
Justin Miner
@justinminergain
