THE BENEFITS OF FOAM ROLLING Posted on 14 July 202120 November 2021 by Michelle Jones If you keep up to date with the latest trends in fitness, the chances are you’re always hearing about new exercises, new pieces of equipment and new routines that will transform your life and tone your body. And though many of these fitness trends may turn out to be fads, one that seems to be here to stay is foam rolling. Easy, effective and fun, foam rolling will revolutionise your gym experience, helping you to feel healthier, fitter and more relaxed, even after the toughest of workout sessions. IMPROVE FLEXIBILITY AND REDUCE ACHES Also known as self-myofascial release, foam rolling has become incredibly popular in recent years, with everywhere from your local easyGym to luxury country clubs investing in a roller. Once used exclusively by elite athletes, coaches and therapists, foam rolling helps you to release muscle tightness and massage sore limbs after a workout. By applying pressure to the right places in the right way, foam rolling can prevent stiffness, pain and help you’re muscles return to their normal function. As long as you’re doing foam rolling exercises correctly, you should be able to increase your range of motion, improve flexibility and even reduce post-workout fatigue. FOAM ROLLING EXERCISES Foam rolling is most effective when it’s used to target specific parts of your body, so the best way to begin is to ask a member of staff at your gym to talk you through the basics. Incorrect use of foam rolling won’t be as effective and could even cause your aches and pains to become worse. In order to get to specific muscles, you’ll need to hold your body in certain poses while using the foam roller. These poses will change depending on which muscles you’re trying to massage and whether or not you have any knots or trigger points to work on. In general, you should spend around 20 minutes working on each tender spot, making sure you roll slowly and being careful not to put too much pressure on trigger points and sore muscles. Though it’s fine to use the roller on your upper back, avoid using the foam roller on your lower back as this can cause your muscles to contract, making your pain and stiffness worse. WHY SHOULD YOU INCLUDE FOAM ROLLING IN YOUR ROUTINE? Taking the time to cool down after a tough training session is incredibly important if you want your muscles to recover, heal and become stronger. Massaging your muscles through foam rolling helps to kick start this process, helping your muscles to heal quicker and helping you to improve your performance in the gym. If that wasn’t incentive enough, the idea that you can stroll out of the gym after an hour or two of weights, reps and stretches and feel almost as good as new should help to convince you that foam rolling really is the way forward. Why not give foam rolling a go next time you’re at the gym and find out what all the fuss is about for yourself?
HOW TO HANDLE POST-WORKOUT SORENESS Posted on 14 July 202124 November 2021 by Michelle Jones The aching pain that you feel 12-48 hours after a workout is known as DOMS, or Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness. It’s a result of microscopic tears within muscle tissues, which you create when you workout. The pain is the body’s way of signalling to you that repair work is going on and that you’d better rest. When the soreness disappears, your body is saying it’s ready to get back to it. Just like the phrase ‘no pain, no gain’, many people actually enjoy this feeling as it’s an indication that they have worked hard and that the muscle will repair itself to a stronger state than the one it was in before they trained it, which leads to greater stamina and strength as the muscles recover. In short, there is no way to avoid or eliminate DOMS, but you have to admit, there’s something supremely satisfying about knowing your efforts in the gym are working! Tips to help reduce the effects of DOMS Ensure you thoroughly warm up before and cool down after your workouts. When trying a new exercise, start slowly and build up the weight/speed. When muscles are in recovery mode they tend to tighten up. Slow and gentle stretching of the area will relieve that tight feeling and diffuse the pain. Foam rollers are good for this purpose. Massaging a sore muscle can help reduce tightness while promoting blood flow, which in turn helps speed recovery. A warm bath will loosen up tight muscles and improve circulation. Better circulation means more oxygen and nutrient-rich blood coming to the rescue of your aching muscles. Try a post-workout protein shake. According to the Whey Protein Institute, whey protein is a high-quality protein source that’s easily digested by the body. Because it contains large amounts of muscle-building branch chain amino acids, whey protein is ideal for muscle recovery after a workout. Use a split routine. By training different body parts on different days you will still be able to get back in the gym even when one area of your body is recovering.
WARMING UP AND COOLING DOWN: ARE THEY WORTH IT? Posted on 23 May 20215 November 2021 by GymEasy We all know we should warm up and cool down, but when we’re pressed for time, there’s a good chance we skip these workout basics. Need some motivation/ ideas to include these in your workout? Here is some key information about the how and why of warming up and cooling down. Benefits of a proper warm-up: Increased temperature – by warming your muscle tissue, you increase muscle elasticity and range of motion, reducing the risk of strains and pulls. In addition, oxygen in warm blood becomes more readily available to muscle tissue. Hormone production – as you warm-up, your body begins producing hormones like epinephrine, endorphins, growth hormone and testosterone, all of which increase the energy available for your workout. Blood vessels dilate – As your blood vessels get bigger, your heart doesn’t have to work so hard to deliver blood, and you have less risk of high blood pressure during exercise. Mental preparation – The warm-up is a good time clear the mind and increase focus. How to warm-up: Generally speaking, a warm up should take around 10 minutes. Hop on to your favourite cardio machine for 5 minutes, followed by some stretches – here are some tips for a good safe stretch; Never force a stretch. Never bounce on a stretch. Stretch a muscle until you feel tension, not pain. Hold each stretch for 15-30 seconds. Stretch each major muscle group. Don’t stretch long enough for your heart rate to return to a resting rate. Cool-down Cooling down is a great way to prevent injury and also let your muscles relax after an intense workout. This means that you’ll be able to come back and train sooner, so that you can hit your goals much quicker! Once you have finished any form of exercise, you should gradually allow your heart rate and breathing to lower to a comfortable level, where talking can be performed with ease. Benefits of a proper cool-down: Helps remove lactic acid – this is a waste product in the muscle which can make you feel stiff & sore. Reduces the chances of dizziness or fainting – as a result of blood pooling in one place. When you finish exercising and just stand around, blood pools in your legs – so less blood is able to return to your heart. This can lead to reduced blood pressure and dizziness. Cooling down by running slowly or walking will keep blood circulating back to your heart. Reduces the level of adrenaline in the blood – this will help to calm the body down, so that you feel more relaxed. How to cool-down: A cool down is essentially the opposite of warm-up, so again using your favourite piece of cardio equipment aim to complete around 5 minutes, followed by stretches of each major muscle group. Breathe comfortably, with deep breathes through your nose, and out via your mouth. If you need any more help on warming up and cooling down, please don’t hesitate to speak to a member of the easyGym team.
