When I first started going to gyms and working out more vigorously, I had no knowledge of sports health and human physiology or whatsoever. It was only through gym instructors and trainers who shared with me some of their knowledge on how different groups of muscles worked together and how to carry out each exercise in the correct body form. Say for instance if you are a lifting weights while doing a squat, your knees shouldn’t stretch out beyond your toes otherwise your knees would get hurt. Through my fitness journey, I’ve also learned the importance of stretching to reduce tightness in the muscle, hamstrings, and IT bands. Since I wasn’t an athlete, I thought I wouldn’t suffer from any sports injuries but I did. At one point, I was doing so much high-impact aerobics that my knees became painful.
I went to see the sports physiotherapists and they recommended me to use foam rollers to release the tightness in my IT bands which perhaps is causing some strain on my knees. That’s how I begin this discover the use of this simple tool which somehow works wonders.
It’s a very simple tool that is versatile and it allows you to perform the self-myofascial release. It’s almost like doing Tui Na on the tights spots of your body. Besides that, it is inexpensive and easy to use.
https://flic.kr/p/PBy1Rj
There are several types of foam rollers out there. But the most affordable and basic foam rollers which suit most people is the PaperClip foam rollers that are made out of solid high-density EVA or Ethylene-Vinyl Acetate. The one I am using is MyoTrigger’s PaperClip which I got from Primero Fitness.
https://flic.kr/p/NNKAdo
Other foam rollers have spikes on it which allows for a deep tissue massage and it can be quite painful with the spikes kneading your tight muscles. Those rollers with spikes are more suited for athletes or those who trained regularly. If you just want a foam roller to just stretch your muscles, this MyoTrigger Paperclip (60 cm x 15 cm x 15 cm) is good enough. It is not too painful as well and I like the size of it which allows you to use it for some stretching poses in yoga. Instead of using yoga blocks, you can use this foam roller and place it under your spine while doing the fish pose.
https://flic.kr/p/NXx1jk
The size of the foam roller is pretty much similar to my yoga mat and it is light weight too. You can find them in most gyms but I always find that it is better to get a personal foam roller at home since you wouldn’t want to be using the same foam roller which probably has been used before by many other sweaty gym-goers.
https://flic.kr/p/Pwc9uN
This foam roller is made available at Primero Fitness. They are also having a huge Christmas Preorder discount for their dumbbells, exercise mats and barbells. Their dumbbells and barbells are made with virgin rubber and stainless steel which is a better quality than most dumbbells sold elsewhere which are made out of recycled rubber coating and galvanized metal core. For more information, do check out their website: www.primerofitness.com.sg.
Also, you can enjoy 5% discount off all products when you use the special promo code ‘ primerofitness’ today! It’s a lifetime discount code!
