Interestingly, the worst thing you can do when you develop osteoarthritis or osteoporosis is to become less active. An abundance of research has demonstrated that resistance training is effective for both delaying the effects of osteoporosis and osteoporosis, as well as alleviating and reducing the effects of current bone conditions.

According to the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the best way to exercise for bone health is to perform persistent resistance training exercises. Here are a few tips on how to keep your bones healthier later into your life:

1. Weight-Bearing Exercises Reign Supreme

Like muscles, bones adapt to increases in load and intensity of exercise. When an increased load is placed on the bone, it adapts by becoming stronger and denser so that it can handle future loads of that degree. To force the bone to adapt in the most efficient manner, exercises that bear the entire weight of the body are best. Choose to job instead of cycle, or to do pushups versus using the incline press.

2. Free Weights are Better Than Machines

As a rule, free weights are superior to exercise machines because they force the bones to bear more body weight. You can imagine that performing an overhead press with a bar places a much greater load on the axial skeleton than performing the same exercise on a machine. Free weights have the added effect of targeting the smaller, stabilizer muscles within a given exercise, which can prevent stress on the joints and osteoarthritic conditions later on. Of course, if you suffer from severe osteoarthritis, machines may help you perform certain exercises through controlled ranges of motions without stressing the joints too much. Talk with your physical therapist about what exercises you are capable of performing.

3. Progressively Overload Your Bones

Also similar to muscles, they become stagnant when they are not sufficiently stimulated. Your bones will stop adapting if you stop exercising. Progressively increase the load of your exercises by about 10 percent each week to keep your bones healthy and strong. You will also need to allow for sufficient rest between exercise sessions, and to take a week of exercise off from time to time to allow your body to recover.

4. Calcium and Vitamin D

You’ve probably heard that calcium and vitamin D are crucial for maintaining bone health. It remains true that these micronutrients play the most direct role in preventing bone pores later in life. Calcium helps form the structure of bones and the body uses vitamin D to metabolize and absorb calcium. The best sources of calcium are milk and dairy products, as well as green leafy vegetables. You can get nearly all the vitamin D you need from sun exposure, but vitamin D also exists in fish and eggs.

Circadian Rhythms

Circadian rhythms are the mental, physical, and behavioral changes that revolve around the 24-hour cycle of our daily lives. Similar to the concept of the “biological clock,” our circadian rhythms are primarily influenced by light cues. All living organisms have circadian rhythms, including people, primates, pets, and plants. Circadian rhythms can affect our body’s sleep cycles, hormone levels, body temperature, and a number of other physiological processes.

Effects on Exercise

In their review, Weipeng, Newton, and McGuigan (2011) found that circadian rhythms can influence your exercise results in a variety of ways. Perhaps the most significant finding was that enhanced exercise performance typically occurred in subjects during the early evening hours. These researchers also found that individual hormones, specifically testosterone and the stress hormone, cortisol, had their own natural circadian rhythms. Past research has shown a direct relationship between these hormones and exercise, with higher levels of testosterone boosting exercise performance, and cortisol hindering it.

Circadian rhythms were also significantly related to body temperature. Past research has demonstrated that prolonged warmups that allow the body to reach higher temperatures resulted in increased power output and decreased fatigue during exercise.

Finally, while Weipeng and colleagues did not discuss the issue of light, other research (e.g., Leproult et al., 1997) has demonstrated that increased lighting can enhance exercise performance, although this finding was significantly related to the amount of exposure time.

What This Means for You

Most people already know that warming up before exercising is wise, as it can prevent injuries. However, increasing body temperature appears to have a hormonal effect that can have you working out longer and harder than you ever thought possible. While each person has his or her own chronotype, or a specific, innate, time of day at which they function best, your hormonal profile is likely to be more conducive to optimal exercise performance during the twilight hours of the day, under bright lights, and after a sufficient warm-up.

If you’re a morning exerciser and find yourself in a lull, try working out in the evening. If you never warm-up before you hit the weights, make sure to get that body temperature up first. Finally, get plenty of sleep. Your body’s master clock, known as the suprachiasmatic nucleus, controls the production of melatonin, the chemical that makes you feel sleepy. The SCN is located just above the optic nerve, which receives information about the amount of light coming in. When under dim lights, you are more likely to feel sleepy than when under the bright neon lights in the gym. The amount of sleep you receive has a significant effect on your hormone levels, which can be the difference between a good workout day and a bad one.

photo @ thisisbossi

Here are some tips to combat these debilitating nuisances:

• Get professionally fitted for shoes–This is the single most important thing you can do to prevent injuries of all types.  Stay away from big box sporting goods stores.  Most specialty running stores have professionals who are trained in analyzing your gait.  I highly recommend going to Roadrunner Sports, if you have one in your area.  They have a unique, computerized analysis tool called the Shoe Dog that will look at your stride, arches, mechanics, miles per week, etc. and will put you in an ideal pair of shoes.  Don’t settle for the online tool.  You need to physically go into the store and deal with one of their pros.
• Get custom insoles–While factory insoles may be okay for many, those with anything other than perfectly normal arches will be better suited with custom insoles.  If you needed a night guard to stop yourself from grinding your teeth, you wouldn’t just pluck one off the shelf.  You would have your dentist fit you for one.  Give your feet the same level of respect.  They are quite pricey ($60-$80), but they last about 500 miles and will keep you pounding the pavement.
  

  Photo @ 6MPasos

• Check your socks–Obviously, you don’t want to wear cotton socks.  You need a moisture-wicking material like thesefrom Thorlo.  Experiment with a variety of thicknesses until you find what works for you.
  

  photo @ lululemon athletica

• Use anti-chafing agents–I usually use Aquaphor because it’s readily available at my house.  But there are lots of running-specific options you can pick up at your local store.  I find these to be a little expensive.  Plain old petroleum jelly is probably the best bang for your buck.  Glob it on there liberally and carefully put your socks on so you don’t rub it off before you even get your shoes on.

photo @ G & A Sattler

Don’t let blisters keep you from achieving your goals.  They are preventable.  Try these methods to resolve your blister issues permanently.  If nothing seems to work, a trip to your trusted podiatrist might be in order.  Happy training!

Photo @ ActiveSteve

There have been two milestone moments in my running career–moments when I shook my head and said to myself, “I guess I’m really a runner now.”  The first one was when I walked out of a store with a pair of running tights.  I never thought I would get to that point.  The second was when I sat down in my first freezing cold ice bath after a long training run.

If you’re intimidated by the thought of immersing yourself in 55-60 degree (Fahrenheit) water, your feelings are justified.  I’m not going to lie to you.  It’s COLD!  However, executing an ice bath properly has significant benefits for distance runners:

• Expedites Recovery
• Reduces Inflammation
• Relieves Soreness

What to DO

You can take an ice bath any time, but I prefer to take mine within 30 minutes of completing an LSD run or difficult speed session.  Here’s the process:

1. Fill your tub with cold water. You want it high enough to cover your thighs when you’re sitting down, but not higher than that.
2. Drop in a medium sized bag of ice. You don’t need 50 lbs. of ice.  A 10-lb. bag is sufficient.
3. Put on a hooded sweatshirt and leave your shorts and/or underwear ON! You’ll thank me for this.
4. Get in the tub and sit down IMMEDIATELY. Don’t make the mistake of standing there with just your feet submerged.  The isolation of the cold on just your ankle bones will be painful and make you want to get out.  If you sit down quickly, it distributes the cold to parts of your lower body that have less bone and more muscle.  This makes it much more tolerable.
5. Survive the first 1-2 minutes. Sit still.  Moving around actually makes more heat leave your body.
6. Remain submerged for 10-15 minutes. Some people like to read.  I tried that one time and found it impossible to concentrate.  So now I just use the time to reflect on my run or think about what I have to do with the rest of my day.  This is also a good time to drink a protein shake, or whatever your preferred post-run recovery beverage happens to be.
7. Get out! Your legs may feel a little weird.  But you should feel refreshed and better than when you got in.
8. Take a shower. Don’t crank the heat up in the shower right away.  I like to keep mine lukewarm and slowly raise the temperature as my body warms up.

I do the majority of my training during the middle of the day, which means I usually have to get back to work.  Thus, an ice bath usually isn’t in the cards for me except on weekends.  As an alternative, I like to spend the first 3-5 minutes in the shower with ice cold water hitting my legs.  It’s not the same as cold water submersion, but it simulates the effects with the resources and time I have at my disposal.

What are some of your post-run recovery methods?

The SI or Sacroiliac Joint is one of two joints in the pelvis that connects the sacrum, or lowest part of the spine, to the large pelvic bone, the ilium. The two sacroiliac joints, on either side of the pelvis, connect the spine to the pelvis. The coccyx, or tailbone, is connected to the sacrum, but has no connection to the pelvis, and can be easily injured or bruised from a fall.
The SI Joint moves with a slight gliding action as we flex and walk. Sometimes walking, sitting, standing, or lying can cause pain in this joint and refer into the back, buttocks, and thigh. This radiating pain is sometimes confused with sciatica or low back pain.

Pain in This Area

Courtesy of natural-sciatic-relief.com

Generally, pain in the sacroiliac area can be distinguished from pain in the low back or sciatica based on the location of symptoms and whether or not the symptoms felt are localized or radiate into the buttock or leg. Classic symptoms for sciatica inlcude: pain in the lower back, buttock, and/or various parts of the leg and foot that can sometimes be severe. Numbness, muscular weakness, tingling and difficulty in moving or controlling the leg can also occur. Typically, the symptoms are only felt on one side of the body.

Sacroiliac joint dysfunction, can be described as pain in the SI, low back, hip or groin. The pain is typically worse with standing and walking and improved when lying down. Inflammation and arthritis in the SI joint can also cause stiffness and a burning sensation in the pelvis. It can be difficult to identify the exact cause of pain, therefore, you may need to see a physician or physical therapist to help idendify the source.

Cause of SI Dysfunction

Courtesy of wellsphere.com

Although SI joint dysfunction has similar symptoms and does affect the sciatic nerve, it is not caused by a pinched nerve root. SI joint pain is normally caused either by overuse, wear and tear on the cartilage in the joint, or from underuse were it becomes tighter and less mobile causing pain when we do need to mobilize it for activity.

Pregnancy is also a big risk factor for sacroiliac joint dysfunction caused by instability. Due to the increased amount of circulating hormones that cause ligamentous laxity in the body, pregnant and postpartum women often experience pain in their hips, low back and SI joint.

The goal then of SI joint exercise is to perform range of motion and stretching exercises helping to mobilize and stabilize the joint ligaments.

Exercises to Help Decrease SI Pain

Stretching Exercises for the Pelvis These stretching exercises will help a stiff pelvis, or those who have decreased mobility and motion through the hips and pelvic girdle. For those that are hypermobile, continue on to strengthening and stabilizing exericses.

Knee to chest stretch: Exhale as you engage the abdominal muscles gently drawing one knee at a time to the chest, hold for a 2 count, then release. Do this 8-10 times with each leg.

Knee Sways: Lying on your back with your knees bent and together with your feet flat on the floor, gently sway the knees side to side. The lower back should remain fairly still on the mat. As you improve you will be able to let the knees sway further to the floor feeling the lower back and hips peel off the mat. Do this for 4-8 times each side.

Piriformis Stretch: Lying on your back with your knees bent, and spine in neutral, cross your leg with your ankle resting on the opposite thigh. Grasp the “under” leg and pull it towards you. Hold this stretch for 20-30 seconds, then switch legs.

Strengthening and Stabilizing Exercises for the SI and Pelvic Girdle.Pelvic stabilization exercises should be performed to strengthen muscles that support a joint that may be too loose. This is important because the extra motion can cause wear and tear on the joint cartilage leading to degeneration and arthritis.

Knee Stirs: Start lying on your back with your spine in neutral (tailbone and lower ribs in contact with the mat, natural curve in the lumbar spine), and hands on your hip bones.

Exhale as you fold one knee up to a 90 degree angle from the hip so the shin is parallel to the floor. Feel the head of the thigh bone sink into the hip socket. Keeping the pelvis stable and hips level circle the knee feeling the head of the femur rotate in the hip socket. Circle clockwise and counterclockwise 4-8 times each direction for each leg.

Clam Shells: Start lying on your back with knees bent and squeezed together feet flat, place your hands on your hip bones and keep them still or level with the ceiling. Use your fingers to feel for a muscle contraction of your lower abdominal muscles just below your hip bones.

Keeping your spine neutral with tailbone down and middle ribs pressed into the mat let your knees fall apart until you feel a gentle stretch in the groin, as you exhale draw them back together feeling the deeper pelvic floor and lower abdominal muscles working. Keep the buttocks relaxed. Do this for 6-10 repetions.

**Variation: Drop just one leg at a time toward the floor making sure the opposite buttock stays in contact with the mat and the hips stay level. This should be done very slowly and controlled. Make sure to feel for a good contraction on your lower abdominal muscles.

Jane Fonda’s: Start side-lying, with your hips and shoulders stacked, spine in neutral. You can bend the bottom knee to increase your stability.

Exhale as you lift the top leg, making sure to keep the knee straight. Leading with your heel towards the ceiling will help you activate your gluts and hip abductors. Slowly lower the leg back down. Repeat this 8-12 times for each leg.

For more information on pelvic floor exercises that can save your back, click here.

Knee Structures & Ligaments

As you can see in this image, knee pain can be associated with many different causes. When choosing a knee brace, it is important to factor in the cause of your pain. For example, people who have had a significant knee injury in the past and are trying to protect their joint from further injury, and those who have never injured their knees, but are looking to keep them feeling good will require different equipment.

What Does Preventative Bracing Do?

Knee braces worn over the joint to protect against ligamentous injury can have a great effect. Braces are worn to provide medial-lateral support, prevent abnormal rotation, hyperextension, translation and to provide general knee stability. Check out this site to find great recommendations specific to your injury or athletic need: JointHealing.com

Specific braces have been shown to decrease tibial rotation in activities where increased translational and rotational forces occur. People who have undergone recent ACL-reconstructive surgery or those who have opted to cope and are ACL-deficient, may require these braces to prevent such problems.

Many studies in the American Journal of Sports Medicine have been done on the effect of knee braces and football performance and correlation to injury of the MCL and ACL. This has been a very controversial topic, with many negative findings as well as several positive outcomes. A recent study recommended a style of knee brace where there is a hinged “H” buttress for support of the knee brace, and specifically showed the Drytex Economy Hinged Knee Brace produced the best results on the performance parameters. They concluded that prophylactic knee braces can be used for both healthy subjects and athletes to enhance proprioception, coordination, maximal force, and balance, but it is important to choose the best proper brace to the individuals according to their fitness level.

Neoprene Knee Braces or Sleeves

One of the most popular knee braces that I see out in the general population is the neoprene knee sleeve. These braces are supposed to be used to provide support and warmth to a joint that is strained or sprained. The advantage here is a brace that is flexible and supportive without being too constricting. The disadvantage of a neoprene knee brace is that it gives the wearer a false sense of security. An injured limb should not be pushed to the limit even if a brace is used. You may cause serious damage to your knee structures. Just because you are wearing something on your knee does not mean that it is completely protected from injury.

Athletic performance may continue at a mild to moderate level with this general type of brace, as it gives compression to the joint and provides proprioceptive feedback to your system, reminding you to take it a bit easier by slightly limiting your range of motion.

In conclusion, preventative knee braces can be a great thing for your knee. Make sure to find the correct brace for your specific injury, and remember that if your knee is already injured and inflamed, slapping on a knee brace and playing through pain may lead to significant damage.

Photo © luiginter

Since I’m kind of an exercise nut, I’ve gone through my fair share of injuries and pain. In my experience, one of the most cumbersome injuries to deal with are sore feet. Why? Because you literally can’t do anything without feeling the pain. I didn’t do any research or anything, but my gut feeling says that 95% of cardio exercises out there involves using your feet (only because I had to deal with plantar fasciitis – my type of feet sore – for about a year and a half myself).

I know you are thinking, “A year and a half? Are you serious?” Yes, that’s a really freakin’ long time to have to deal with feet pain. Half of the reason why my pain took so long go away was me being too arrogant to accept that I had feet issues. I would just keep on exercising hard and never took the time to rehabilitate. Sure enough, I ended up hurting myself pretty bad and that stopped me from exercising for a whole month.

What Are the Causes Sore Feet?

There are plenty of conditions that contribute to sore feet, but most conditions can all be boiled down to a few core issues that may contribute to sore feet:

• Overused (e.g. inflamed fascia, ligaments, tendons)
• Circulation problems (e.g. low foot circulation, swollen feet)
• Unnatural foot structures (e.g. hammertoe, bunions, fractures)

Sore Feet Remedies for Overused Feet

My version of feet sores were due to plantar fasciitis, which is triggered from my feet being overused. I rehabilitated my feet doing the following things depending on how worn out my feet are.

• Always do: Stretch calves and soleus muscles (the area between your calves and your ankles) immediately after every workout that involves the calves or feet.
  
• Always do: Roll out calves and soleus muscles using a foam roller and a lacrosse ball about an hour after every workout that involves the calves or feet. I spend at least 5 minutes per leg. Most times, I spend about 10 minutes per leg (good time to watch TV!).
  
• Sometimes do: Ice feet after every workout that involves a lot of major foot work (plyometrics, Insanity, basketball). Also, icing helps if you start to notice feet soreness/stiffness after your workout (this means some of your fascia, ligaments, and tendons are inflamed). I use two 11″x14″ ColPaC reusable ice packs for this – they work great!
• Sometimes do: On non-workout days (24 hours after icing), soak feet in warm water with epsom salt for 15-20 minutes. This helps with blood circulation and detoxing, which helps with healing scar tissues.
• As needed: If you have plantar fasciitis like I do, you can try using a night splint to help keep your muscles from improperly healing while you are sleeping.

What’s the Deal With Calves and Soleus Muscles?

You’ll notice that some of these remedies focus on curing the calve and the soleus. That’s because more often than not, stiff calves/soleus muscles causes feet problems. Everything is connected, which means that stiff calves/soleus muscles pull onto the fascia, ligaments, and tendons in your feet causing them to be tense too. When those things become tense they have less give, so they can easily get microscopic tears and become inflamed.

Sore Feet Remedies for Foot Circulation Issues

Minor foot circulation issues can be dealt with by just soaking your feet in warm water with epsom salt. Any major foot circulation issues warrant a visit to the foot doctor.

Sore Feet Remedies for Unnatural Foot Structure Issues

If you have unnatural foot structure issues, I recommend seeing a foot doctor as you most likely will not be able to fix those issues yourself in your own home. Treatment can be as non-invasive as the doctor prescribing special shoes or as invasive as surgery.

Keep the Hope Alive!

It took me one and a half years to remedy my feet issues and now I am able to enjoy playing basketball again. Don’t give up and stay disciplined at taking care of your body!

Two Theories of EAMC

• Dehydration-Electrolyte Imbalance Theory: The dehydration-electrolyte imbalance theory states that EAMC is the result of fluid and electrolyte depletion, which results in the sensitization of nerve terminals.  Exercise in hot/humid environments exacerbates EAMC due to increased fluid loss.
• Neuromuscular Theory: The neuromuscular theory states that EAMC occurs in a contracting muscle due to an imbalance between excitatory muscle spindle impulses and inhibitory Golgi Tendon Organ (GTO) impulses. Muscle spindles are specialized receptors in muscle that monitor velocity and length changes. They respond to a quick stretch by reflexively contracting. GTOs respond to tension, and inhibit muscle contraction by inhibiting the action of the muscle spindle. An imbalance between the two can lead to EAMC.
• There is evidence supporting both of these theories.

Prevention of EAMC

• Stay hydrated: The amount of fluid you consume should allow for less than a 2% reduction in body weight during exercise. Weighing yourself before and after exercise is a simple way of monitoring for adequate fluid intake. For athlete’s susceptible to EAMC, it is recommended to add 0.3 to 0.7 g/L of salt to fluids, to replace lost electrolytes. Many sports drinks do not contain sufficient levels of electrolytes to replace that which is lost. Keep in mind that it takes at least 15 minutes for ingested fluid to be absorbed into the blood stream. Ingesting about 1 liter of water or a sports drink one hour before exercising is typically sufficient to ensure adequate availability of fluid, electrolytes, and nutrients. Eating a balanced diet is also very important.
• Train appropriately: Both plyometric training and endurance training can help to delay neuromuscular fatigue and prevent an imbalance between muscle spindle and GTO activity. Plyometric training utilizes stored elastic energy in muscle to produce increased force during contraction. It incorporates dynamic activities, and consists of an eccentric (lengthening) muscle contraction immediately followed by a concentric (shortening) muscle contraction. Plyometric training can increase the speed of contraction, as well as the force output. For more information on plyometric training, click here! Endurance training can increase time to fatigue, and potentially eliminate EAMC by increasing the efficiency of the muscle spindles and GTOs.

The recommended treatment for acute EAMC is moderate stretching of the affected muscle. Contracting the antagonist (opposite muscle) can help by reflexively inhibiting the affected muscle. For example, flexing the quadriceps will cause a reflexive relaxation of the hamstrings. Fluid replacement is important as well. In some cases, intravenous fluid replacement and medications have been used. If EAMC persist it is important to rule out other potential causes, such as diabetes or thyroid disease.

My old foam roller recently gave out (got too soft), so I went shopping. After a lot of research, I narrowed down my choices to either the PB Elite Molded Foam Roller or Trigger Point Performance Therapy’s The Grid Foam Roller. I did a search on the internet for an honest review of the differences between the two and could not find one comparison, so I ended up purchasing both rollers so I can talk about the differences between the two here (yeah, I went a little overboard).

Quick Side Side-by-Side Comparison

	PB Elite Molded Foam Roller	The Grid Foam Roller
Form Factor	3 ft. long, 6 in. diameter cylinder with smooth (flat) surface.	13 in. long, 5 in. diameter hollow cylinder with patterned surface.
Firmness Rating	5 of 5	5 of 5
Penetration Rating	4 of 5	5 of 5
Surface	Smooth/flat like a traditional foam roller.	Patterned to mimic massage pressure from: Forearm/palm Fingers/Thumb Finger tips
Durability	Lasts 3 times as long as a regular celled foam roller.	The manufacturer claims that it will last forever.
Price	$29.95	$39.95

My Impressions of PB Elite Molded Foam Roller

What I like about it:

The roller is firm, long, wide, and light.

I’m comfortable rolling on something that is at this length. I feel like the length of the roller contributes to how stable I feel when I’m rolling.

The length also allows me perform more moves than a shorter roller. One particular move that I like to do is to roll from my glutes to the side of my hip, then to my hip flexors (front of my hips), a move that would be impossible to do with a roller that is smaller than 2 ft long.

I’ve used these rollers at my local 24 hour fitness gym (where rollers take a lot of pounding) and they were still firm when I used them. So it sounds like there is truth in the claim that they will last at least 3 times longer than a regular celled foam roller.

What I’m not too fond of:

If I was comparing this foam roller against a regular foam roller, this section would be empty.

Compared to The Grid Foam Roller, the PB Elite foam roller doesn’t penetrate my muscles enough. This is probably due to the lack of patterns on the outside of the roller.

My Impressions of The Grid Foam Roller

What I like about it:

The roller can get really deep into my muscles. The PVC pipe core probably contributes to a lot of the firmness. The various patterns on the roller also allow me to target my muscles in various ways (it’s also kind of fun!).

Considering that it’s only about a foot long, it’s surprisingly stable.

The roller is quite portable. I took it on a trip with me over the weekend and I was able to save some space in my travel bag by sticking some lacrosse balls and other SMR gear inside the hollow core of the roller.

The company (Trigger Point Performance Therapy) claims that it will last you forever.

What I’m not too fond of:

Since I am a big person, the short length really limits the number of foam rolling options. I pretty much can’t use this for upper body rolling at all. I don’t mind paying more money for a longer roller!

The patterns on the grid is a gift and a curse. When I used it to roll out my upper back, it left bruise marks. I guess my skin in that area is more tender than the skin on my quads and calves.

I haven’t seen any complaints on it breaking down, but I still wonder what is the average liftspan of the grid foam roller.

I also wish the roller came with some end-caps so that I can seal off all of my SMR gear inside the roller. Right now, I can leverage the hallow space, but things just roll in and out of it so I have to stick it in a bag.

Time to Choose

Here are some tips on choosing which roller is right for you.

Consider how much pain you can handle. If you are new to foam rolling and can’t handle that much foam rolling pain, then go for the PB Elite. If you are a rolling pro, you should opt for The Grid Foam Roller.

Consider your body size. If you are a big person (like me), you’ll probably feel more comfortable/stable rolling on the PB Elite foam roller.

Consider how much you travel. If you travel a lot, you’ll benefit more from the portable Grid Foam Roller.

Consider your foam rolling routine. If you typically roll out your upper body too, you will need to opt for the PB Elite foam roller because The Grid is simply too short (size does matter when it comes to rolling).

There you have it. I hope this honest comparison between the two can help you guys choose the right foam roller for you. A final tip for choosing between similar products (in general): don’t get caught up in the marketing hype of why a particular product is better than another. Use a little bit of common sense to figure out which product is right for you (assess your routine, body composition, and lastly your lifestyle).

Photo of Kelly Starrett of MobilityWOD

If you’ve been building muscle for a while, you have probably had your share of injuries by now. We all know how much injuries suck. They hurt like heck and prevent you from doing all the things you love to do. The great news is that a lot of exercise related injuries stem from mobility issues. Digging deeper into this, mobility issues are often caused by scar tissue and muscle adhesion. Any guesses on where these things come from? That’s right, physical [and sometimes mental] stress.

If you just go on exercising everyday without taking care of your muscles and fascia, sooner or later, you’re going to injure yourself. If you’re not already doing so, I highly recommended that you add soft tissue work, active stretching, and some static stretching into your fitness routine.

Every human being should be able to perform basic maintenance on themselves.

I recently found a really awesome body maintenance site called MobilityWOD. Kelly Starrett, DPT, (the blog founder) created the blog to help athletes (yes, you are an athlete too!) with their mobility problems in order to prevent injuries. The blog is nicely done with every post being a video demonstration of ways you can fix specific mobility issues. I highly recommend doing a search on his blog for any painful areas of your body and following his video tutorials to see if it can help you alleviate your issue. Make sure you use the techniques at your own risk and, “stop if you think it’s gonna hurt you, your spine is going to come out your throat, or your face goes numb.”

Enjoy and as always report back in the comments section with your results!