Massaging your hamstrings and illiotibial (IT) band on a foam roller is an excellent way to keep your hamstring muscles and IT band from getting too tight. It’s especially beneficial if you’ve been prone to tight hamstrings or IT band issues such as ITBS (illiotibial band syndrome) in the past.
Foam rolling has numerous injury prevention and recovery benefits for runners, including stretching muscles and tendons, decreasing muscle tension, soothing tight fascia, breaking up trigger points, and increasing blood flow to soft tissues.
You’re essentially doing a self-massage and working out knots (adhesions) along the hamstrings (back of thighs) and IT band, which runs along the outside of your thigh, from the top of your hip down to your knee.
If you’re new to foam rolling, keep in mind that it can be uncomfortable. If you don’t feel at least a little bit of discomfort, you’re probably doing it a bit too easy.
Here are step-by-step instructions on how to foam roll hamstrings and the IT band.
How to Foam Roll Hamstrings
1. Start with with hands behind you, your hips off the floor, and the foam roller underneath your right hamstring.
2. Keep your left knee bent over the roller and left foot on the ground.
3. Press into your left foot on the ground, slowly moving the body back as the foam roller rolls down the right hamstring. Keep your right leg relaxed as you’re rolling.
4. Using a slow, gradual motion, roll up and down the muscle for a few minutes. If you feel extremely tight spots, pause on them for 30-60 seconds and concentrate on that area.
5. Once you’ve finished with your right hamstring, do the same thing on the other side.
How to Foam Roll IT Band
1. Start by lying on your side. While supporting your body weight with your legs and arms, position the foam roller under the upper, outside portion of your thigh, near your hip.
2. Now, use your legs and arms to move your body and roll the length of your IT band, right down to just above your knee. You may feel more tenderness in certain areas, and you can adjust the amount of tension by using your arms and legs to ease pressure off. If you’re brand-new to foam rolling and you have a lot of knots, you may find that you need very little pressure to feel it.
3. Roll in a gradual, slow motion back towards the upper portion of your IT band, and continue back and forth like that for a few passes.
4. Don’t forget to maintain steady breathing as you’re rolling. If you come across a tight spot, pause and linger on the roller. Applying direct pressure like that will help break up the knot. But be careful not to overdo it. You should only hold it in one spot for no more than a minute. You can continue to do short rolls over that section to try to release the knot.
5. Once you’ve finished one leg, do the same thing on your other leg. Some runners make the mistakes of only rolling the leg where they’re feeling ITBS symptoms and then end up developing the problem in the other leg.
Foam Rolling Tips
- Although it’s normal to feel some discomfort and soreness, make sure don’t roll to the point of unbearable pain. If it’s too painful, just move on to a different section.
- You’re not going to get rid of every knot in a single session. You should limit your foam rolling to no more than 15 minutes. Pushing to the point of extreme discomfort or spending too much time rolling can actually do more harm than good. It’s better to work in short sessions of foam rolling after you exercise several times a week.
- Don’t expect to see results overnight when you first start rolling. But after few days of consistent rolling, you’ll begin to notice a difference and rolling your hamstrings and IT band won’t be as uncomfortable as when you first started.
Also see: How to Foam Roll Your Calves and Quads
Running coach, avid runner, and fitness writer Christine Luff is an RRCA-certified running coach and ACE-certified personal trainer. Founder of the website Run for Good and author of the book Run for Good: How to Create a Lifelong Running Habit, she coaches runners, from beginners to advanced, who are training for races, from 5Ks to marathons.
