Adductor Foam Rolling (SMR)

Execution

1. Turn the outstretched leg so the inner thigh presses flat onto the roller, with a slight bend in the knee for balance.
2. Shift your upper-body weight gradually onto the rolling leg, to a level you can tolerate.
3. Roll slowly from near the groin down to just above the knee, about 3 seconds each way.
4. When you find a tender spot, stop rolling, hold there and breathe steadily for 15-30 seconds until it eases.
5. Roll for 60-90 seconds on one side, then switch legs and keep the same time on each side.
6. Numbness or a deep pinch in the hip joint means stopping right away and moving the roller further from the groin.

Quick cues

• Roll slow, three seconds each way.
• Park on the sore spot and breathe.
• Load through your forearms, not your leg.
• A sharp pinch in the groin, too close.
• Switch legs, keep the same count.

Common faults

• Fault: Dumping all the bodyweight onto the thigh from the very first second

  Fix: Take more weight on the forearms and the other leg, and add load only as the muscle starts to release.

• Fault: Rolling fast back and forth like a massage

  Fix: Slow down to about 3 seconds each way and come to a full stop on tender spots instead of gliding past them.

• Fault: Rolling right at the hip joint or too close to the knee

  Fix: Keep the rolling zone between the groin and the knee, a hand's width from each joint.

• Fault: Holding the breath at a painful spot

  Fix: Lower the pressure to a level where the breathing stays even, which is the level that actually works.