User Guide - Lower Body
Recommendations and best practices:
- Identify trigger points, pause, and allow them to relax. Apply pressure for a period long enough for the tension to release.
- Relax the muscle you are targeting and breathe deeply while rolling.
- Own your rolling experience with as much or as little pressure as you are comfortable with, but discontinue any movement that intensifies pain.
- A barbell collar may be used to prevent the roller from sliding off of the barbell.
- When using the roller on a barbell in a rack, place a weight plate on the opposite end of the barbell heavy enough to keep the barbell secured within the rack.
- Supporting your joints will help you to relax and achieve deeper targeting when using the barbell as a handle; such as placing a yoga block under your knee while rolling your quadriceps.
Quadriceps
1. Sit on the floor and place an object such as a yoga block between your knee and the floor to stabilize and support the knee joint. With the roller on the sleeve of an Olympic barbell, move the roller slowly up and down the length of your thigh from above your knee to to the crease of your hip, using the barbell as a handle. Focus on any spots where you feel excess muscle tension.
2. Supporting yourself with your forearms, lie face down with your thigh resting on top of the roller. Roll slowly up and down the length of your thigh from above your knee to to the crease of your hip, using your body weight to apply pressure.
Glute / Piriformis
With one leg crossed over the other, sit on top of one of the contours of the roller with your body slightly tilted toward the crossed-over leg. Use your arms to help balance and stabilize yourself. Roll back and forth from top bottom of the glute. Pause at any problem areas long enough to allow the muscle to relax.
Hip Adductors and VMO
Having the roller on a barbell makes it especially useful for accessing hard to reach areas such as the inner thigh.
Sit on the floor with your knee slightly bent. Place an object such as a yoga block between your knee and the floor to stabilize and support the knee joint. With the roller on the sleeve of an Olympic barbell angled inward so that the barbell is in front of your body, roll slowly from your upper thigh to above your knee, using the barbell as a handle.
Muscles Surrounding the IT Band
1. Lie on the floor on your side. With the roller on the sleeve of an Olympic barbell, use the barbell as a handle to move the roller up and down the length of your outer thigh from above your knee you your hip crease.
2. Lie on your side with the roller between your outer thigh and the floor. Using your hands for support, roll up and down the length of your outer thigh from your hip to just above your knee.
Hamstrings
1. *When using this method, be sure to place a counterweight such as a weight plate on the opposite end of the barbell. With the roller on the sleeve of an Olympic barbell, and the barbell mounted in a rack, set one leg on top of the roller. Roll your hamstrings from above your knees to your pelvis. Extend your leg back and forth at the knee to actively release the hamstrings.
2. Sit with the back of your thigh on top of the roller. Use your hands to stabilize your body while rolling. Roll your hamstrings from above your knees to your pelvis. To increase the intensity, you can cross your opposite over the leg you are rolling.
Calves
1. An Olympic barbell loaded with plates can be used to elevate the roller for rolling the calves. Mount the roller on a barbell as shown in fig. 1 and 2. Sit on the floor with one of your calves on top of the roller. While keeping your calf stationary and relaxed, hold the plate with your hand and roll the plate back and forth so that the roller travels along the length of your calf.
2. Sit on the floor with the back of one of your calves on top of the roller. While keeping your calf muscle relaxed, roll up and down the length of your calf. Rotating your leg left and right will allow you hit the muscles along the sides of your calf. To increase the intensity, you can cross your opposite ankle over the ankle of leg you are rolling.
