Most
everyone needs some soft tissue work. A massage therapist is going to getting
in deeper than what can be done in the gym. However, the frequency might be
lacking. Few people are going to get a massage every week. What can be done in
place of, or better yet, between massages?
In the
gym when we talk about soft tissue work it refers to pushing on knots with a
variety of tools. The most common used at Cascade Peak Performance are foam
rollers and lacrosse balls. Massage sticks, vudu bands and softballs are often
thrown in the mix.
Soft tissue work fits well to start a workout. It will help
to relax tight muscles. Increase internal temperature and blood flow to those
muscles. This also allows the muscle to go through a better range of motion
with reduced chance of strain. Many chronic issues can be managed/lessened with
the right soft tissue program.
There are two general ways to apply pressure to muscles and
the knots in them; moving across the area repeatedly, or holding on a
moderately painful area for 10-20 seconds. Overall soft tissue work should be
the first 3-5 minutes in the gym. Going beyond this can take away for the
actual workout.
Staying too long on any one area has the potential of
effectively bruising the muscle. If the soft tissue work is being used to help
a chronic issue frequency is more important than intensity, i.e. a little every
day is better than one big session once or twice per week.
Post workout can be beneficial for large muscle groups. Moving back and forth over the muscle will produce the desired effect of improved recovery. However, this should be done sparingly because
the total amount of time foam rolling a particular area increases the chance of
bruising it. Non-training day soft tissue work is great for problem areas and
recovery. It only takes a few minutes to get the desired effect.
The firmness of the roller or ball matters. Start with a low
density large surface area tool and overtime work into a firmer/low surface
area for detail work. Causing pain is not the goal. Moderate pain is a good
guide of where to work, but sometimes a low pain area can still be highly
productive for blood flow and range of motion purposes.
There are common spots most people need to work, upper back
and hips. There are also techniques which are only needed for specific issues and mobility limitations. At Cascade Peak Performance we can develop and teach a program
specific to your needs and goals.
