My quads were preventing me from running properly (they really hurt). You see they are more like cat-gut or rope than muscles, lost their elasticity from years of heavy use.
The foam roller wasn’t cutting it so I grabbed our 1" weight bar ~60lbs on it, and used that to roll from hip to top of knee. Takes some willpower that did. It works even better when you contract the muscle and roll out. OMG… but after a few sessions, quads responded fantastically. And not as “hot” as before (if at all), which is expected when things improve.
So today I thought why not extend that to my also-overused lower legs? ie Lift one side of the bar with the calf muscle and let it roll. Another willpower moment.
Got me thinking there should be some sort of adjustable clamping /PT device, where you can circle a quad or calf (or bicep or forearm for that matter), adjust clamp force and then work the muscle under this external pressure. Does this exist?
I am aware of the compression flossing but didn’t know they had the high strength bands. I have done that - great for the ankle or wrist. However the problem with doing that on the meatier calf and quad, large muscle areas is:
Blocks circulation in an area it needs to flow (unlike the ankle) & this hurts but in the wrong way.
Is not targeted pressure, & pressure too broad, too low
Cannot seek out problem strands, or bundles
No way to adjust and manipulate on the fly
That roller jig is along those lines I’m thinking, but again way too conservative.
OK so I hit the hardware store and got two clamps - the Irwin quick clamp and a sliding jaw clamp. I actually used both. I modified the Irwin so it got some foam tips (took off the feet)
I clamped up my calf working the outside lines (like the IT side). Applied pressure, OK yeah, tolerable. Then I went for a couple of steps. Wow - now that is working it! Like night and day. Holy does the tissue ever start to load up. I spent about 45 minutes working the tissues with this type of process.
I started the day with some bad Achilles area/ankle pain. By the end of the day, of easy cycling and walking, it had virtually disappeared. Darn good recovery :).
Legs and arms etc. are a bit like a guitar neck. If I absolutely crank the bottom strings, it will be out of tune, then the neck will twist. Go further and the bridge might pull up (Achilles problem) keep going and the strings break (tendon/muscle tear).
PS: I got into a bit of a mess this week working a couple of 15 hour days at a stand-up desk and then still on the bike commuting some of those days. So 5-6 hours sleep, coffee, junk food. Went for a run yesterday with a slightly sore ankle/achilles - that wasn’t bad but walking afterwards is when problems flared up!
I am in awe and feeling like I need a little education. I, frankly, am scared to death of a simple foam roller. I cannot even bear to use body weight to roll out muscles. I think I would prefer waterboarding. I lightly set the stick or the foam roller on top of my muscles with light pressure to roll out and it is all I can stand. I have watch the Mobility WOD videos and read about people using lacrosse balls and rolling pins and the idea brings tears to my eyes. Now you are talking about weight bars with 60 lbs on them and carpentry clamps- this seems to help (not cripple) you?
How are these sorts of pressures helpful or beneficial? How do you learn to apply them in such a way that you are not doing damage to yourself? What does “responded fantastically” feel like?
It just takes time. Your muscles just need to get used to the feeling. If I take a month off without rolling and then try it, my muscles are far more sensitive and it is harder to apply pressure. After a few weeks or so of being back in it, I can go far deeper
Well the 1" weight bar 60lbs is across both quads. So you start at the top of the knee and let it roll - slow, like “painfully” slow :/. Then you do the sides of the quads but just with one end of the bar.
The bar doesn’t quit in terms of pressure. If I was foam rolling I would instinctively back off. Too much weight could be a bit precarious I suppose.
Rolling is one thing, but active pressure I think is where the real gains are at. That is pressure applied or compressive manipulation while the muscle is working through its range. It’s about restoring function and length, taking the tissue and increasing suppleness, elasticity and full functional motion.
Age is part of it, but not all. It’s overuse - I’ve seen teenage swimmers all bound up and having to quit for an extended period of rehab.
Doing more last night, I blew me away how hard the entire lower leg fires when you transfer weight to your toe. Until I had some compression applied I never felt that.
PS Achilles /calf issues kinda match up with wrist /forearm issues like carpel tunnel.
active pressure I think is where the real gains are at. That is pressure applied or compressive manipulation while the muscle is working through its range. It’s about restoring function and length, taking the tissue and increasing suppleness, elasticity and full functional motion.
So this sounds more to me like the Rogue Floss bands, or something similar? Putting the muscle under tremendous compression and then working them through their range of motion?
I am working on finding a massage sponsor for my team to make that more affordable so that it can become a regular part of the training routine (not just once or twice a year post “A” race, as I currently use it). Massage is how I have traditionally taken the control of the pressure applied out of my own hands, so that I don’t back off as the discomfort increases. But I am not sure that massage, even regular (weekly?) deep tissue massage, is accomplishing the same benefits you are talking about.
I added rubber grips to the hand clamp tool, so it looks a bit like laboratory tongs of Dr. Frankenstein
Bingo, the idea was a reality and the device completely usable. For a proper or perfect design the shape needs to be tweaked because the leg is not round or symmetrical. And two sizes even three sizes - small for arm/ankle, medium for lower legs, upper arm and large for the quads.
It’s not huge pressure. It is adjustable pressure - but you apply the pressure, lock in place, then move the clamp to massage or move the foot/leg to work the area while the massage clamp is in place.
Like I said works great.
You do need 220 volt supply though for the electrodes (just kidding)
i use a rogue 45lb bearing barbell at the gym to roll out my upper and lower legs, as well as under my biceps.
a good olympic bar with bearings allows the outer section of the barbell to spin independently from the bar itself allowing you to roll it back and forth. you just set one end on the ground and lie there with the other end on your leg. you can add plates as necessary. i find it does a more thorough job than the foam roller, and when you find that one spot you can just let it sit there and really apply pressure.
i also find setting the barbell up in the squat rack on the j-cups, at thigh height, and then running my hamstring over it allows you to put weight on the toes (activating muscles) which REALLY hammers things.
Also think about softballs and lacrosse balls. They are the most painful way to spend $4 you’ll ever find.
