SMR for your hamstrings is a simple effective way to release tight bands and sore spots in the those muscles with no massage therapist visit.
SMR, or to give it it's full name, Self Myofascial Release, is nothing new. Instead, it's a very effective and much used technique for solving minor tightness and pain in a range of skeletal muscles. This isn't the first article I've written or video I've filmed about SMR. Here is one about calf muscles and another about patellofemoral pain. The simple way to think of it is self-maintenance of your body.
Because of our modern lifestyle, which involve a lot of time spent in a triple flexion, sitting position, it's not unusual for our hamstrings to become tight and sore.
For elite and professional athletes, having a massage therapist, physio or similar professional on hand means they can resolve this soreness quickly and avoid the injury potential it presents. If you're anything like me, getting a timely physio appointment is nearly impossible.
Fortunately, this simple SMR treatment for your hamstrings, using simple tools (foam roller, modified rolling pin or lacrosse ball) does the job almost as well.
The principle relies on finding sore spots in the muscle and applying pressure to those spots until the over-active muscle fibres in the area relax. You can enhance the technique, pinning the muscle in place by applying pressure to the sore spot and then applying a gentle stretch to the muscle, effectively pulling it past the pinned spot.
As noted at the end of the video, if you feel a burning or tingling sensation, that's an indication you're probably applying pressure to a nerve and should move off that spot. As long as the discomfort you feel is muscular pain (a dull ache, not a sharp stabbing pain), you're in the right place.
Related Posts
Introduction This Italian-style Meatloaf recipe results in a meal that’s high in protein with the concentrated flavour you’d find in many Italian dishes. We’ve long made a very simple meatloaf with turkey mince, but I’ve always found it a little bland and dry. The fact that it’s quick and easy to make has kept it on
Read MoreIntroduction This Katsu Chicken recipe is my take on this dish, inspired by reading the horrid ingredients list on a store-bought ready-meal. This Katsu Chicken recipe came about when my wife brought home a Katsu ready-meal for herself one evening (I refuse to eat “processed food slop”, so I wouldn’t even be offered a mouthful
Read MoreIntroduction Doing a good warm-up can make a huge difference to your workout as well as competition results. It’s not just something to do halfheartedly. I’m a coach and an athlete. As much as I like to know WHY something works, the fact THAT IT DOES WORK is all I really care about. This sometimes puts
Read MoreIntroduction Every swimmer should swim all four strokes. It’s a bold claim and one which strikes fear into the hearts of most triathlete freestylers. If there is one word uttered on the pool deck that strikes fear into the hearts of triathletes the world over, it’s this…”BUTTERFLY” Of all the ways there are to imitate someone drowning,
Read MoreIntroduction Many people make the mistake of resorting to lifting straps long before they should need them. These grip training drills will help. At it’s most basic, training your grip means heavier lifts. But it goes a little deeper than that because there’s a correlation between grip strength and longevity, albeit it’s only a correlation
Read MoreIntroductionLadder workouts are a way to structure volume in your workouts to balance the load you’re moving with a degree of strength endurance. We’re all familiar with the standard way of structuring workouts that look a bit like this… 3 sets of 10 reps with 1 minute rest (3 x 10) OR 5 sets of 5 reps with 3
Read More