JOE’s post-workout tips: the foam roller

One of the pieces of equipment that most gyms have but that might scare you because you're not sure what it does is the foam roller

In fact, a few of you probably have one in your house and are using it as some form of uncomfortable foot rest. Well it's time to dust it off and make some proper use of it, because it's a fantastic piece of kit for your warm ups and cool downs, whether you've got tight spots or you feel like you have a knot in your muscle, the foam roller can help you out no end. This is great not only to get your full range of mobility back, but it also repvents injury. If you have tightness or pain in an area that you could roll out with the foam roller (the fancy name for this technique being self-myofascial release) and you leave it to get cumulatively worse, your motion will alter, thus putting strain on other joints or simply doing an exercise incorrectly, which can lead to very serious injuries. One of the key places that people tend to get soreness is along the IT band, which is on the outside of your upper leg. Commonly, this can be from running, cycling, hiking or any other forms of physical activity along those lines, and the foam roller can release and ease those pains, which can be anything from knee pain to hip flexor problems. To hit the IT band, you should lay the foam roller on the ground horizontally, and lie down on it on one leg, placing your quad along it. Cross your other leg over to keep you stabilised, as in the image below. From there, you want to roll, in small motions, up and down along the roller until you find a particularly sensitive spot. Now here's the unpleasant bit, you need to stay there for 30 seconds, as this is the area that needs to be released with the pressure you can apply with your own body weight. Once the 30 seconds are up, roll off the area and release the pressure. If you want to hit any other areas, Scott Herman runs you through pretty much the whole body in this video, which contains plenty more information. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYS_Yme2_M0 We're not going to lie to you, it does hurt and if you bruise like a peach (JOE does) it can leave you with a little mark, but you get a full range of pain free movement back, which is definitely worth it. Just like physio, it's not a pleasant massage, it's about kneading out a sore spot, but the feeling afterwards is worth the small pinch of pain. Nutrition is always key to any workout, and for something great with a high protein content  that’s also delicious, try Mooju chocolate milk. With over 10g of protein in a 250ml container, as well as carbohydrate. Mooju is ideal for your workout.

Enjoy Mooju as part of a healthy balanced diet and active lifestyle.