Simple foam rolling exercises to get you moving well! By Chris Bowles

Foam rolling has been around for a long time. It seems to be a household item. Great for the kids to play on, ornamental in the living room and often collecting dust. You see them in gyms, they are used for warms ups and cool downs and often recommended by health care professionals. I want to help you claim back your foam roller and give you 3 simple tips to get rolling again and help you feel great.

1) Thoracic Spine Extension
The thoracic spine is one of the five segments of the spinal column, encompassing the shoulder and chest area.
It's essential that you maintain thoracic mobility to avoid poor posture, and unsightly rounded shoulders which can eventually lead to back pain or acute injury. 
Thankfully, thoracic mobility can be easily maintained and improved using a foam roller and the thoracic spine extension exercise, as described below. 
This exercise will help stretch out the chest and back muscles, relieve muscular tension and maintain thoracic mobility. 
                                 

1. Put the foam roller under your upper back / thoracic spine. Keep your knees bent and feet flat on the ground. 
2. Place your hands behind your head and pull your elbows as close together as they'll go. 
3. Let your head fall to the floor and try to wrap yourself around the foam roller, extending the thoracic spine over the roller. 
4. Roll, slowly up and down the vertebrae, pausing on any painful parts (do not roll the neck or lower back, focusing solely on the thoracic spine).

​2) Foam rolling the quadriceps
The quadriceps are responsible for leg and hip extension and are an easy muscle group to keep in good shape using a foam roller.
Foam roller exercises for the quads will alleviate muscular tension, limber the muscle, and work out any knots or trigger points for improved soft-tissue quality. 

1. ​Begin by supporting your bodyweight in a press-up position with a foam roller positioned lengthways between your quads and the floor. 
2. Roll the quads muscles from the hip down to the knee. 
3. Pause and hold on any tight or painful areas to workout the tension and repeat for all the muscle. 

Note: 

• Train one leg at a time (one leg on top of another) to increase the amount of pressure applied to the muscle, maximising the effect of your bodyweight. 
• Tilting to one side can target certain areas of the muscle and ensure complete coverage. 

3) Foam rolling the calves
Tight calves can be the result of many things, not the least of which is a lack of flexibility training. Foam rolling can help break up tight fascia — the connective tissue surrounding your calf muscles — and work out the kinks and knots.

​1. Place the foam roller underneath your calf muscles.
2. Place your hands on either side of your hips and if you can lift your bodyweight up off the floor.
3. Using your arms as a fulcrum, roll your calf slowly from top to bottom and back again, turning you leg inward and outward to hit all areas of the muscle.

Chris Bowles
Chiropractor
Functional Movement Specialist
Injury expert

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