Move With Us Through Lower Body Foam Rolling
Welcome back to our Move With Us series! We’re grabbing those foam rollers again but this time focusing on our lower bodies.
Our leg muscles are often quite neglected when it comes to stretching and cool downs after exercise, despite doing a lot of the heavy lifting when we work out. We target the major muscle groups in this video to achieve a global release through the lower body. This series is great for anyone after exercise or even to relieve tension from sitting down at your desk all day.
Foam rollers are a great tool to help with stretching, mobility and muscle release but we know so many foam rollers just sit in the corner unused! We’re using a 45cm foam roller, but a 30cm roller will work perfectly too. So grab your rollers and Move With Us!
Quads Release
Our quads run down the front of our leg from our hips to our knees
Lie on your front and place the roller underneath one thigh, with the other bent to the side for support
Using your forearms to help, roll up and down the roller feeling the release through the thigh/front of the leg
Repeat 6-10 times each leg or more if needed
ITB Release
Our ITB (iliotibial band) runs down the side of the leg, from the hip to the outside of the knee
Roll onto your side, so that the roller is positioned on the outside of your leg
Place your other leg in front to help stabilise
Roll up and down the roller, feeling the release down the side of the leg
Repeat 6-10 times each leg or more if needed
Glutes Release
Our glutes are over our buttocks but attach into the side of the hip which is where we will be rolling them out today
Staying on your side, lift your supporting leg up and over your rolling leg so that you are now slightly facing the ceiling more
Roll up and down the roller, feeling the release through the glutes
Repeat 6-10 times each leg or more if needed
Hamstring Release
Our hamstring run down the back of the leg, running from the bottom of your pelvis to the knee
Place the roller under your leg, between your hip and knee
Position the other leg to the side to help balance
Roll up and down the roller, feeling the release down the back of the leg
Repeat 6-10 times each leg or more if needed
Calf Release
Our calves are made up of two muscles, the gastrocnemius and soleus, and run from the knee to the ankle down the back of the leg
Cross one foot over the other and place both legs on the roller
Slowly turn your feet from one side to the other so that the roller massages through the calves
You can move the roller up and down to target different parts of your calf muscles
Repeat 6-10 times each leg or more if needed
We hope you found this helpful! Feel free to repeat this series multiple times through out the week and keep Moving With Us. If you have any questions or need any advice on any of these exercises, please don't hesitate to reach out and chat to us.
Remember that you shouldn’t feel pain during any of these exercises. If they are painful for you, consider avoiding that exercise or decreasing the intensity. We are always here to help if needed.
If you’re after some more advice or are in need of some hands on help, we’d love to see you at Collective Motion! Collective Motion offers Osteopathy and Pilates and is conveniently located to service our Bentleigh community as well as its surrounding suburbs including Bentleigh East, McKinnon, Ormond, Glenhuntly, Murrumbeena, Carnegie, Oakleigh, Gardenvale, Brighton East and Hampton East. Click below to book an appointment and let us help you get moving again.
