Based in the New York City area, Carisa Gaylardo has a position as fitness trainer and stretch therapist at Lifetime Athletic Fitness. Presenting at a workshop on self-care and recovery in 2018 and 2019, Carisa Gaylardo emphasized the importance of taking care of the lower-body muscles, beyond just dieting and exercising. 

One area covered was foam rolling technique for the quads, glutes, and calves. Serving as a myofascial-release trigger, foam rolling helps to ease muscle tension centered on the fascia, or that layer of tissue that acts like a sheath, just below the skin, in encapsulating the muscles. Injury, stress, overuse, and inactivity can all contribute to fascia tightening and stiffness, which decreases flexibility and mobility surrounding the joint. 

Working the muscles using a foam roller is a safe and effective way of identifying areas of tightness. Those areas that feel “hot” should be focused on through an incremental application of pressure to the area, staying in one spot for a couple of breaths before moving an inch or so in another direction. There are several standard positions for this, including sitting on top of the roller and angling the position to target the muscle between the hipbone and the sit bone.