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Total Foam Rolling Techniques Book Review

Back in high school, after a long volleyball practice, we’d do what we called “ball massages” (and now that I type it, it sounds a lot dirtier than it was) where we’d lay back on a volleyball on the floor and let it roll along sore or stiff muscles to help loosen them up. It was awesome and felt amazing and I couldn’t figure out why everyone didn’t do it.

Still, when I stopped playing volleyball, I stopped doing ball massages, and it wasn’t until maybe six or seven years ago that I picked up where I left off, this time using a foam roller, and ever since, I’ve been a devoted believer in foam rolling (even if I’m sometimes lax in my actual foam rolling practice). There’s no doubt in my mind that regular rolling sessions have enabled me to continue running and swimming and biking long distances, and I’m positive that it’s aided me enormously in recovering from serious workouts and hard races.

Now, thankfully I’ve worked with enough professionals (coaches, trainers, physical and massage therapists) to be really confident in how to use a foam roller for different muscles, but not everyone has that background. And for those folks, I’ve got a short and sweet solution: Total Foam Rolling Techniques by Steve Barrett.

foam rolling book

It’s not a huge book — just 144 pages total — but it provides an enormous wealth of helpful foam rolling information. It starts off explaining what foam rolling is able to do and how it helps (breaking up scar tissue and softening fascia, for starters), goes into the different types of rollers you might encounter and what each is best for, and provides a brief mobility assessment.

Then we get into the good stuff. There are 49 suggested exercises, all clearly shown in picture and explained in the copy (body positioning, pressure, and even tips and tricks to make it a little easier). Even with as much experience as I have (and girl, I have been around when it comes to foam rolling!), I learned a thing or two. These exercises are legit.

And it doesn’t stop there! The third section offers nine different workouts incorporating the moves from the previous pages. The workouts not only provide images and suggested reps, but are also specific about the order in which the moves should be done for maximum benefit.

Who here has a love/hate relationship with their foam roller? I mean, I love what it does for me, but man, it hurts so good. Kristen

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