Roll with it
When cycling gives you hot spots in your muscles, a foam roller can release you from the pain
If you think about becoming a better cyclist you might have a wish list that includes a featherweight bike, an aero helmet or a power meter. But the humble foam roller is one far less glamorous piece of kit that can help prevent injury and so help you ride further, faster and for longer.
Foam rolling is a massage technique that enables a process called myofascial release. ‘It’s a fancy name for improving the quality of movement of the muscles and their connective tissues,’ says coach Will Newton (limitlessfitness.com). ‘It’s not about flexibility – it’s about what you’d expect a massage therapist to do for you in releasing sore spots, or trigger points. Tissue shouldn’t hurt when you apply pressure to it, so if you find a painful spot that’s where you need to work, by resting on it until the pain eases. That’s the value of the foam roller.’
Glute release
Targets: Glutes, piriformis (the small muscle behind the gluteus maximus)
Form: Sit with one of your buttocks on the roller and your leg over the opposite knee. Move around on the roller until you find a hotspot and hold it for a few seconds, letting the roller work into that spot until the pain eases, and move on.
Why do it: ‘Tight glutes can be the result of lots of sitting, which we all do on and off the bike, and stretching your glutes is often not enough in itself,’ says Newton. ‘Move around from side to side as well so you cover the whole muscle.
‘Don’t overdo it,’ he adds. ‘Do two or three moves a day and target two or three hotspots per move – once you’ve found and sorted one hotspot you move on in search of another.
It’s that simple.’
Thoracic spine extension
Target: Back
Form: Your thoracic spine is the part of your back with the vertebrae that attach to the ribs. Lie back on the roller with your knees bent and feet firmly on the floor and take deep breaths, imagining you’re breathing into the segment of your back that’s on the roller and relaxing a little more with each breath out. You can then progress this move by raising your hands back over your head to increase the extension.
Why do it: ‘Thoracic spine mobility is another one of those areas of mobility that’s compromised by our modern lifestyles and the fact we sit hunched over a lot. It’s vital for pain-free shoulders when you’re on the bike for long periods,’ says Newton. ‘It’s also vital if you spend a lot of time sitting down or, worse, driving a car.’
Quad release
Target: Quadriceps
Form: Starting in a plank position, place a roller on the target leg just above the knee. Move your body so the roller moves slowly up your quad towards your hip. If you find a sore spot hold the roller there, applying as much pressure as you can, until the pain eases. It will help to contract the quad for a few seconds at a time, and then bend your leg up to stretch against that trigger point.
Why to do it: Your reliance on the quads for producing power can create hotspots, especially when you’re training hard.
‘This move applies pressure along the length of the quad from just below the hip crease to just above the knee,’ says Newton. ‘Rotate your leg slightly as you move because the quad is a big muscle and you want to make sure you cover all of it.’
Adductor release
Target: Adductors
Form: Starting in a plank position, bend your target leg out to the side on the roller, which should be roughly parallel to your body. Move your body so the roller moves slowly up and down the inside of your thigh from knee to groin. If you find a sore spot hold the roller there for a few seconds and then move on.
Why do it: ‘Your adductors are the muscles on the inside of your legs that help hold your knees in proper alignment,’ says Newton. ‘Tight adductors can make your knees cave inwards and a lot of people suffer from this so you may need to repeat it day after day for a week or two to see a significant change. Consistency is key but remember to look for different trigger points every time you do each move. Over-treating a sore spot will lead to more pain so don’t try to fix everything at once.’
Calf release
Target: Calves
Form: Sit on the floor supporting your weight on your hands behind you, with the leg you’re targeting resting on the roller. Move your body so the roller moves slowly up and down your calf. If you find a sore spot hold the roller there and bring your toes up towards your knee, hold for a few seconds and then point them out again. Repeat until the pain eases and move on.
Why do it: ‘This move does what a good physio would do to treat your calves: trigger points, friction across the muscle fibres and pressure along the length of the muscles,’ says Newton. ‘The calves don’t quite take the battering on a bike that they do when running, but it’s important that every link in your chain remains strong, and our unnatural posture on the bike can take its toll on every muscle group.’
Neck release
Target: Neck and upper back
Form: Lie on your back with the roller behind your neck, on the base of your skull. Relax, then tilt your head to one side, feeling for the base of your skull on the roller. Stop on any hotspots and relax for a few seconds. Return to the start and then tilt your head the other way to work the opposite side. You can also raise your hips off the floor and give your upper back a gentle massage.
Why do it: There’s a theme emerging here, but your neck takes a lot of punishment as the result of poor posture. ‘Also a lot of headaches are caused by tension in the muscles at the back of your neck that run all the way over the top of your head, and this simple move will help flush out those tight spots,’ says Newton.