Inspiration/Perspiration Fridays
Are You Foam Rolling Wrong?
LaFitterina: I’ve been reading Internet advice on how best to use foam rollers for post-workout stretching, hoping to pick up some good tips to pass on to our readers. In the course of my research, I ran across a classic example of Internet confusingness — blatantly contradictory advice, citing “experts”.
From blog.myfitnesspal.com: 5 ways to use a foam roller to prevent injury
Areas to Roll. . .
. . . Lower Back. This is a great exercise for anyone suffering from lower-back soreness, especially cyclists. “Lie down, place the foam roller just above your sacrum, and slowly work the roller up the back, trying to get the muscles on each side of the spine,” instructs Hitz. “This will mean going up and down each side a couple of times.”
From blog.myfitnesspal.com: Are you foam rolling all wrong?
Mistake #5: You use the foam roller on your lower back.
“The thing that makes me cringe is when people foam roll their lower back. You should never ever do that,” says Vazquez. Hitzmann agrees. “Your spine will freak out and all the spinal muscles will contract and protect the spine.”
Amazingly, these articles came from the same blog (not MoveGirlGO, of course), although different writers. It’s also weird that even the cited experts had confusingly similar names — Hitz and Hitzmann, but turns out they really are different people.
I’m pretty sure it’s inadvisable to use foam rollers on your lower back, and the 2nd article is correct telling us not to do so. But the primary lesson here is: Reader Beware!
Making the World a Better Place
Ms. Bockle:
Running in the Dark??
Mizzfit: After sitting in a classroom for way too many hours on Thursday I needed to clear out the head-fog, so once home–laced up the takkies and headed out the door. It felt so good to stretch the legs and get the blood pumping. Alas, this girl is not used to running at dusk and then in the dark, and without proper reflectors I didn’t feel so safe with all the cars on the road. Gotta take the downs with the ups. Cheers to a well-illuminated weekend!
