This whole website is where I write about things I go wild about. Which at the moment -- aside from healthy doses of alliteration -- are definitely foam rollers.
But before we proceed, please read the following disclaimer:
I am not a health professional. But if we're the type of people who amble through unsubstiantiated tech blogs, why not be so kind and give this well-meaning blogger a listen? Well if not pubmed is right along this way.
The best thing about foam rollers is the total lack of dedication required to feel its effect, similar to how you don't need commitment to take AdvilTM when you have a headache. If you decide you've had enough of this stiff trapezius, you get up and just roll some foam -- or, depending on the mood, foam some rolls.
Foam rollers do operate as a part of some long, habitual curriculum for posture correction, but this piece is all about the ephemeral-but-satisfying, immediately-effective stiffness relief stretches on the foam.
Round shoulders and turtle necks are common among developers. Here are some foam roller stretches you can do to counteract the stiffness caused by such postures.
Extending your pecs
Round shoulders cause hunched up pecs.
- Lie with foam roller placed horizontally under your scapula.
- Interlock hands behind your back.
- Try to pull your head towards the ground.
- You should feel the outside of your pecs burn.
Relieving your trepezius
- Start in the same position as the previous stretch, with foam roller placed under your scapula.
- Raise your butt into the air. At this point your head to pelvis should form a plateau.
- Roll your back up and down on the foam roller.
- Be careful not to let the foam roller roll down to your lower back! Keep the roller around your scapula.
After these two stretches, your back will feel much less stiff.
Stay tuned for the next installment of this series, Rethinking Foam Rollers: You Only Roll Once.