HeartButt Week 5 - Banana Roll
Banana Roll
We all want a smooth and shapely backside, right? Whether you like your booty larger or smaller, none of us wants the dreaded banana roll! What we call the ‘banana roll’ is just the fold or “roll” that can happen at the top of the hamstring, right under the glute. Through a combination of bad mechanics and inactivity of the muscle groups associated, we can lose connection with where the glutes and the hamstrings tie into each other. This is the area where the banana roll develops.
We’re going to work the that roll in two ways:
- FasciaBlaster tools to work on the fascia
- Exercises to activate and lift the glutes
One of the things that can lead to issues in the tissue is lack of blood flow. How many of us sit way too much?! We’ll use the FasciaBlaster tools to temporarily increase local blood circulation and wake that tissue up!
I always start with a Prep Tool to work the surface layer of fascia, and my personal favorite for this area is the MasterBlaster®! Use the tool in an up-and-down and side-to-side motion (check the tutorial here) for this entire area where the thigh meets the booty until you can feel warmth and heat moving into the area.
*Hot tip: This area is great to reach lying down! Lean back, relax, and Blast!
Then go back with a large-clawed Massage Tool to work into the deeper layers of fascia. Since you’ve warmed up the surface layer, you might feel what’s been hiding underneath with this deeper massage. So many of us have a pattern of issues here––poor posture, improper exercise, maybe even from sitting on the edge of a hard chair. The Original FasciaBlaster is perfect for this area, or you can even work both legs at the same time with the BigDaddy!
Then we need to pump up the volume (muscle mass) to lift the butt up off the hamstring and help fill in any loose skin. Remember that everyone’s body is different and the amount of muscle you may need to build could be very different than the amount that someone else may need. The Heart Butt exercises will isolate each of the main booty muscles that contribute to the shape, and there’s one, in particular, you don’t want to skip! Using the FasciaYoga Ball, we do a very specific glute bridge with the pelvis tucked under us to target this area–– hold at the top, squeeze, and visualize every muscle fiber in this area LIGHTING UP!
The glute/hammy tie-in can be really hard to isolate, so don’t worry if you need to practice to feel the action in the right place. The “meat” of the hamstring muscles like to take over, so just reset and try again. I’d rather you do a few good quality holds of this exercise than try to push through a bunch of reps using compensatory muscles. Take your time and do it right!
Remember to approach this ‘under-butt’ area on both fronts–– working the fascia above and the muscles below. We’ve seen great progress with banana rolls from users doing this double-action plan! If you’re participating in the Heart Butt Challenge, you’ll have this area covered!
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