This is an opinion piece.
As far as I know no one has studied this or even talked about it
before. I wish I could take credit for
the idea, but it was my partner who first thought of this variation.
Most people know about SMR (Self Myofascial Release), or
foam rolling. You can do it before
training, after training, or at other times.
I know there is still debate about what SMR actually does (it probably
doesn’t ‘release’ fascia, at least not the way we think of it right now). Let’s put that all to one side. Even if we do not know the exact mechanism,
we can agree that much of the research does point to it being beneficial. From there we can move on to the second part
of this.
Enter the bath
Many people find benefits for hot baths as a recovery
aid. Slipping into that steaming hot tub
can be a fantastic feeling and time spent in the bath actually does seem to
help. For the longest time I have
suggested employing self massage in a hot bath as a recovery aid. Things like calves, knees, shoulders, arms
and hips can all benefit for a bit of massage while you bathe. However things like glutes, lower back &
other areas are incredibly difficult to apply a decent pressure to yourself, so
until recently I was at a loss about how to include these into a ‘bath time
recovery programme’ (expect that new book soon – the bath-time recovery book -
ha haa! ).
Enter the lacrosse ball
I’m guessing that if you have tried SMR for any length of
time you have a lacrosse ball. I suspect
that the whole foam rolling boom probably saved the lacrosse ball
industry. I see them everywhere! Lacrosse
balls are firm, rubber balls. After you
have rolled on a tennis ball for a while, you will soon find that a tennis ball
feels too soft to really get into the knots and trigger points you are feeling
as you roll. A lacrosse ball is the next
level of firmness. It is rubber, so it
has a little give, but it works much deeper into the tissue.
Like many of you, I use SMR at the start of a workout
session (here’s a study that shows extended ROM, but no loss in power by foam
rolling[i]).
I actually foam roll, then do dynamic stretching, then begin the workout. I get better sessions that way.
A match made in heaven
So, let’s put these two ideas together and see how that
grabs you. If you want to include a
little extra recovery into a simple bath time activity. First include some self massage. This will mainly be feet legs, arms, hands
& parts of the shoulder and chest. After that, put a lacrosse ball into the
bath. Do not worry, it will sink! Roll
on the glutes & the lower back (avoid the spine itself). The weight you
apply to the ball will be less due to buoyancy; however the hot water will
increase the effectiveness of the rolling. An option could be that instead of
using fingers to self massage, you could use the lacrosse ball on the legs
& arm also. Just remember to keep both the ball and your own body under
control while you roll out as you could slide under water (safety first
people!). You can roll out as long as you like.
It could be anywhere from 5-15 minutes (or longer if you like). The time really depends on how beat up you feel. Give yourself more time if you feel
especially banged-up.
That’s it really. I
am obviously not going to show you pictures of me naked rolling out in a bath
(sorry folks). However if you have any
questions about how to either roll out or self massage I am a fully qualified
masseur, so I am happy to put together something for you, just let me know
below. A lot of this will be individual
as you may be tight, or have trigger points in specific areas so take the time
to experiment a little. Assuming you are
a normal, healthy individual, then you cannot really do anything too bad just
rolling on a lacrosse ball. It could be
very painful at first but that will ease as you adjust to the practice.
IMPORTANT NOTE: Be aware of the difference between trigger
point pain & injury. Never foam roll
over muscle tears, bruising or other tissue damage. If you have any doubts then
go and get checked out by a medical doctor.
If you are especially painful then you might want to seek out a qualified
masseur or masseuse & get a proper sports massage, SMR is good, but not
that good!
Hopefully this has given you few ideas and if you have
unique ways to aid recovery why not add those below and we can start a
conversation.
[i] MacDonald
GZ, et al. An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release Increases Range of Motion
Without a Subsequent Decrease in Muscle Activation or Force. Journal of Strength & Conditioning
Research: March 2013 - Volume 27 - Issue 3 - p 812–821. http://journals.lww.com/nsca-jscr/Abstract/2013/03000/An_Acute_Bout_of_Self_Myofascial_Release_Increases.34.aspx
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