HOW TO MASTER SELF-MASSAGE

 

DIY massage is your DOMS deterrent. Use our guide to master the post-workout selfie

By Edward Lane Posted on September 10, 2014 

 

Roll out

If you're serious about training you can't afford to be couch-bound by DOMSthe day after a hard workout. That means making the most of your post-workout routine by swapping a 15-second touch of your toes for 15-minutes with a foam roller. We asked myofascial release expert Amanda Oswald for the best foam roller exercises and to explain how to get the most out of each move. Spend a minimum of 3mins on each exercise for maximum benefit.

Quadriceps

Knackered after leg day? Clear a space on the living room floor and collapse. Lie on your stomach with the roller under your thighs. Hold your body straight and roll yourself back and forth from hip to mid-thigh. Bend at the knees to increase the pressure in problem areas.

Hamstrings

Sit on a foam roller with your legs outstretched and support your weight with hands behind you. Position the roller directly under your hamstrings and slowly rock back and forth from the base of your glutes to the bend in your knee. Not the comfy sit-down you were hoping for post-run, but worth it.

Ball control

Specific soreness requires special treatment. When your post-workout pain is more sinister than leaden legs, it's time to get some balls. We asked sports therapist Katie Scott to talk us through three massage ball moves that make saying no to niggles easy. And there's no time limit, so don't sell yourself short. Keep going until you feel the tissues physically loosen and thank us later.

Calves

Sit down with your legs out straight. Put the ball under your calf and roll it on any tight spots. This flushes out the lactic acid that makes walking downstairs the morning after so bloody sweary.

Glutes

Stop being such a tight-ass. Put your right ankle on your left knee and push out at the hip. Roll your glute onto the ball and change the point of attack to loosen as much of this large muscle as neccessary.

Feet

Standing up, put a massage ball under one foot and roll it along the arch. This slackens connective tissue and prevents plantar fasciitis, a runner’s sworn enemy. That’s a kind of happy ending, we suppose.

By: Edward Lane; Photography: Illustrations: Jason Pickersgill at Acute Graphics and Peter james at Agency Rush