SMR Blog Posts – Page 28 – Alexander Method of SMR

Arch Roll

Use this SMR exercise to address the muscles in the bottom of your foot, AFTER you've done the Foot Roll.

If you have trouble with heel pain, fallen arches, claw/hammer toes, or just about any other discomfort or dysfunction in your foot, then this exercise is for you!

You should do this movement daily or as frequently as needed.

For written instructions, click here.

For video instructions (2:49), click here. (Updated video coming soon!)

Click here to see the rest of the Extended Movements.

Be sure to post your questions and comments below. We want to provide the best instruction to help you recover from your workouts.

**All information is provided for educational purposes only. You should consult your doctor before attempting any exercises you read on this page or any page on this website.**

Foot Roll

Use this SMR exercise to address the muscles in the bottom of your foot. If you have trouble with heel pain, fallen arches, claw/hammer toes, or just about any other discomfort or dysfunction in your foot, then this exercise is for you!

There are 11 muscles in the foot with 8 muscles on the bottom separated into 4 different layers. Start with light, slow movements. Address one foot at a time if necessary.

Gradually increase the pressure, but try not to roll quickly through the muscles in the bottom of your foot if you are interested in addressing the deeper layers (you'll be wasting your time).

Let your pain threshold guide you to back off when you apply too much pressure.

The best time to do this SMR exercise is just after a hot bath or shower, when your muscles are all warmed up.

You should do this movement at least once every 2 weeks. (more often is better)

For written instructions, click here to download a printable PDF of the Foot Roll

For our downloadable video instruction, click here (video from 2010--updated video is in the works!)

Be sure to post your questions and comments below. We want to provide the best instruction to help you recover from your workouts.

Click here to return to all of the Fundamental SMR Techniques

**All information is provided for educational purposes only. You should consult your doctor before attempting any exercises you read on this page or any page on this website.**

Pop Press

Use this SMR exercise AFTER the Quads Roll and either the Single Quads Press or the Double Quads Press.

This SMR exercise is to address the popliteus, a muscle deep in the back of your knee.

If you release the knots close to your knee in your quads, you might not even need to do this SMR exercise to release the tightness you feel in the back of your knee.

Use the ball to get into the space high on the back of your knee to work on the deeper knots that nag at you and never seem to release with stretching and other SMR techniques.

If you have tightness and discomfort in the back of your knee, then this exercise is likely to help. (But don't forget to loosen your quads! Tightness there probably caused tightness in the back of your knee.)

For written instructions, click here

For video instructions (5:07), click here (Updated video coming soon!)

Click here to see the rest of the Extended Movements.

Post Tib Press

Use this SMR exercise AFTER the Calves Roll to address the soleus, flexor muscles, and posterior tibialis muscles of the back of the lower leg.

If you have discomfort in your calves or arches during running or jumping activities, then this exercise is for you!

This SMR exercise is especially helpful at addressing some of the muscles that cause plantar fasciitis.

For written instructions, click here.

For video instructions (4:30), click here. (Updated video coming soon!)

Click here to see the rest of the Extended Movements.

Calves Roll

Use this SMR exercise to address the muscles in the back of your calf.

If you have trouble with shin splints, heel pain or achilles tendon pain, or just about any other discomfort in your calves, then this exercise is for you!

The soleus muscle is involved in everything you do that involves the foot.

When it locks up, all foot movements (and even some knee & hip movements) are compromised.

You should do this movement at least once every 2 weeks. (more often is better)

For written instructions, click here to download a printable PDF of the Calves Roll

For our downloadable video instruction, click here (video from 2010--updated video is in the works!)

Gastroc Roll

Use this SMR exercise to address the gastrocnemius, soleus and other muscles of the back of the lower leg.

If you have trouble flexing your knee or discomfort in your calves during running or jumping activities, then this exercise is for you!

For written instructions, click here.

For video instructions (2:53), click here. (Updated video coming soon!)

Click here to see the rest of the Extended Movements.

Hot & cold massage stones are here!

Massage-Stones-Hot We've added to our inventory some of the more than 80 different basalt and marble stones used in hot or cold stone massage therapy. The stones we've selected we use on our own bodies and we have determined them to be the best fit for working on yourself. Some of the stones are best used by a licensed stone massage practitioner, and you will not see them available on our site. We will be adding a practitioners section to our site in the coming months, based on the feedback we get from individual's positive experiences working with exceptional therapists. If you have a great masseuse or masseur, let us know! We're looking for high-quality deep tissue, sports massage, ART, or sport-related stone massage therapists. There are a lot of "fru-fru" spas out there and the types of massages they offer are typically not the approach we're looking for. We want you to get the best recovery possible so you can get back to training HARD! Toward that end, you will need a therapist that understands the sometimes masochistic punishment that you sometimes put yourself through to reach new athletic goals. We'll guide you through how to work on yourself. You will need the assistance of a professional on certain occasions, and we want to help you find that professional.

When working on yourself, remember that your body will tend to go numb after exposure to the stones (especially the cold stones). You need to be VERY aware of your reaction to the temperature of the stones. The last thing you want to do is freezer burn or properly burn your skin! It is typically best to have a barrier between your skin and the stone such as a cloth, shirt, pants, towel, etc. Once you get familiar with the application of hot or cold, the same SMR techniques you've learned using the balls and rollers will apply to the stones. In many cases, all you need to do is lie on the stone and let the hot or cold do the work for you. Your SMR efforts can be cut from more than 30 minutes to less than 5 minutes when done correctly!

Click here to go to the stones section of our site. We will add more stones to our inventory as we determine the safe and practical application with each one.

When Health is Absent…

"When health is absent, wisdom cannot reveal itself, art cannot become manifest, strength cannot fight, wealth becomes useless, and intelligence cannot be applied."

~ Herophilus of Chalcedon, 335 - 280 BC, Physician to Alexander the Great

SMR for the CrossFit Named WODs

After years of requests from the CrossFit community, we now have a list of the SMR movements for each of the benchmark named workouts.

Feel free to download the Adobe PDF and print or email it to share with whomever you choose.

We want you to perform better so that you can raise the level of competition out there.

3-2-1...GO!

Click here to download the CrossFit Named WODs (as of 6-12-2011)

Click here to download the list of SMR for the Girls

Pre-WOD SMR should be done prior to your dyanamic warm up and practice movements. Remember, the purpose of SMR is to "turn off" stubborn, overly tight muscles. You want everything awake when you try to crush Fran or any other WOD.

Post-WOD SMR should be done following your cool down stretches, as your heart rate returns to normal. Do the rolling movements at the gym, and the ball exercises much later when you have completely cooled down. You don't want to significantly restrict blood flow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate blood flow while you are lying on top of it.

Take your time, breathe deeply, and focus on allowing your muscles to wrap around the ball or roller. Good luck!

Click here to download the list of SMR for the Heroes

Pre-WOD SMR should be done prior to your dynamic warm up and practice movements. Remember, the purpose of SMR is to "turn off" stubborn, overly tight muscles. You want everything awake when you try to crush Murph or any other WOD.

Post-WOD SMR should be done following your cool down stretches, as your heart rate returns to normal. Do the rolling movements at the gym, and the ball exercises much later when you have completely cooled down. You don't want to significantly restrict blood flow right after your WOD, and the localized pressure possible with the ball is likely to be too much to ensure adequate blood flow while you are lying your body on top of it.

Take your time, breathe deeply, and focus on allowing your muscles to wrap around the ball or roller. Good luck!

(The pictures below include the 20 pages in the printable Adobe PDF linked above.)

Soleus work for tight calves

Here is some raw footage from a SMR Coaches Clinic at CrossFit One World.