muscles is to limit their range of motion. We perceive this as muscle soreness. By foam-rolling after training, we can override the pain we feel as soreness and “trick” the body into giving back some of the range of motion we lost while training. This phenomenon appears to be more pronounced post-activ- ity if we foam-roll and do static stretching. Again, the decrease in perceived soreness and increased range of mo- tion allows us to improve our movement quality. Movement quality is one of the pillars of injury prevention. Finally, foam-rolling after a workout in-
Shoulder exercises
Muagututia demonstrates three rolling exercises to treat a sore shoulder, including lying on your chest, rolling your mid-back and posterior shoulder.
creases blood flow to the muscles, so we see the same benefit as pre-activity foam-rolling. The only difference is that the pre-activity provides nutrients to the muscles and the post-activity clears away the byproducts of high-intensity training from the muscles so oxygen and other nutrients can begin the recovery process. The aspect that separates foam-rolling from
other common cool-down strategies – low-in- tensity biking, for instance – is that foam-roll- ing requires little to no additional energy from the muscles. Foam-rolling is a comparatively passive activity, which allows the recovery process to begin without further depleting the muscles of the necessary recovery nutrients.
Foam-rolling to treat injuries Not only does foam-rolling have potential
benefits pre- and post-activity, it can also be a treatment option for troublesome areas. If you’re injured, it’s important to get a diagnosis and treatment plan from a medical professional, but self-myofascial release can be an effective treatment option. Here are a few guidelines: • Focus on the areas of your body that are
most tender. Once a tender area is identified, spend 1-3 minutes addressing each area. • SMR can be completed
with either foam rolls, balls or an other SMR device. • Static stretching of the
same muscle group can be com- bined with SMR. For example, foam-rolling your calves for 1 minute and then immediately stretching the calves for one minute may improve results. • SMR can be performed
with long rolling strokes, short back and forth movements, or no movement at all (trigger- point holds). The most common volley-
ball ailments we see with the U.S. National Teams are overuse condi- tions to the shoulder, knee and low back. If you suffer from any of these, you may want to add an SMR component to your routine.
Shoulder A sore shoulder often involves more than just
your shoulder joint. Your chest and upper back may be complicating the situation. Consider roll- ing these areas: • Posterior shoulder: Lie on your back or side
and place a small ball (such as a tennis or lacrosse ball) into the soft area in the back of your shoulder. This is typically a very tight area in most volleyball players. • Chest: Don’t roll
directly on the front of the shoulder; lie on your stom- ach and place a small ball into the chest musculature. • Mid-back: Since most
of your rotation comes from your mid and upper back, it’s important to keep this area mobile. Lie on your back and roll up and down over
your mid-back region with a foam roller.
Knee Tendinitis in the knee is a common volley-
ball ailment. We like to treat the area above and below the affected area – in this case, the lower leg and the thigh.
Knee exercises
Knee tendinitis is common in volleyball players. Muagututia demonstrates three rolling exer- cises to treat a sore knee. Areas to roll are, from top, the IT band, your quads and your calf.
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