Foam Roller Exercises and Stretches for Your Upper Arms - Biceps and TricepsThe focus of the foam roller exercises and stretches in this article is the upper arms; biceps and triceps. While upper arm foam rolling is not often done, I will focus on the body-mind connection that is stimulated when your energy is directed to this area. 'The human body is not a thing or substance, given, but a continuous creation. The human body is an energy system which is never a complete structure; never static; is in perpetual inner self-construction and self-destruction; we destroy in order to make it new.' ~ Norman O. Brown Foam rolling is a marvelous way to understand your body better. Foam roller exercises can be used to learn where you hold your tension. Those nasty, habitual patterns of stress that manifest themselves somewhere in your body, is your unique signature regarding where your body-mind-soul issues lie. It is the manifestation of your body-mind connection. There is no doubt that emotions affect our body. Each one of us is living proof of it every day! Just feel the top of your neck and shoulders on any given stressful day. If you would like a more thorough introduction to the body-mind-soul aspects of foam rolling, please see my anchor article on foam rolling by scrolling to the list at the bottom of this page. There I describe the effects of self-massage, or self myofascial release as foam rolling is known among professionals. If you need a foam roller, I recommend you purchase a Premium Textured EVA foam roller from Power Systems. The one I purchased is the best I have to date. It is nice and cushiony on the outside, but firm on the inside for effective foam rolling. It also has a textured surface to stick to my Premium Yoga sticky mat better. It is pricier than the cheap ones, but worth every penny. Or choose from a full array of their foam rollers. If you prefer to jump straight down to the foam roller exercises video and stretches for your biceps and triceps, scroll to the bottom of this page. The Function of the Upper ArmsMost of us are familiar with the two major muscle groups in the upper arms: The biceps and the triceps. The biceps are the muscles in the front of the upper arms, the ‘Popeye’ muscles. The biceps are actually made up of two muscles and this can be seen clearly at ExRX.net. The major function of the biceps in the front of the upper arms are to flex the arm at the elbow. The biceps pop out nicely when you ‘make a muscle’ with your arm. The triceps – you guessed it – are actually made up of three muscles in a group, at the back of the upper arms. See the triceps diagram by clicking here. The major function of the triceps in the upper arms is for extending the arm at the elbow. You can see both the action of the biceps and the triceps at ExRx Elbow Articulations. The Body Metaphor for the Upper Arms and ElbowsThe use of body metaphors is a very common occurrence in the cultures of the English language and is a reflection of our cultural knowledge of the body mind connection. To understand this concept in more depth I have written What is a Metaphor so you can understand this concept more fully. In the language of metaphors of the body, your arms hold and embrace things. Or they fail to hold and embrace, whichever is your personal truth. When you ‘wrap your arms around something,’ you want to understand it and keep it or hold it towards yourself. We wrap ourselves in the arms of love, for instance. If the opposite is true and you ‘keep me at arms length,’ you don’t trust me, do you? Nor do you want to get to know me better or bring me closer to yourself. If you are ‘up in arms,’ the extreme opposite, you are angry and preparing to fight. When you want to describe comfort and warmth you say, ‘I am safe in the arms of my Love,’ or ‘safe in the arms of God, or the arms of angels.’ The arms of the body denote the state of being safe. Additionally, the arms wrap and embrace you in the emotion of warmth, comfort and the feeling of being safe. Most likely, if you feel this warmth and safe feeling you will not have issues with your upper arms or elbows. When you feel warmth and protection you are better able to ‘embrace the day’ and ‘embrace new ideas.’ You all know what happens when you ‘hold on too tight.’ That very thing that you desire becomes illusive. If you ‘hold on loosely’ most likely you will not drive away your desires. Another part of the arm that is often used in body metaphors is the elbows. Elbows, like the knees represent flexibility. If you have tennis elbow or golfer’s elbow these are both conditions of overuse of the elbow. Consider whether your elbow pain is a manifestation of any lack of flexibility in your life. If you are looking at changing your direction in life or need to accept a new experience, the pain in your elbows may tell you something about your adaptability. The elbow pain that is tennis elbow is at the lateral epicondyle, or the elbow bone that is in line with the shoulder. This is more commonly known as the ‘funny bone,’ because if you hit it just right, and hit the nerve in this area, an electric pain shots down your arm. It is the ‘outside’ part of the elbow. The ‘inside’ part of the elbow, or the medial epicondyle is the seat of elbow pain known as golfer’s elbow or medial epicondylitis. Follow the links to learn more about these elbow problems at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons website. Other elbow metaphors are about not having enough ‘elbow room.’ It is a feeling of insufficient space or feeling crowded. A similar type of crowding is expressed when you say, ‘she elbowed her way through the crowd.’ The elbow denotes pushing others around, such as, ‘they tried to elbow me out of the company.’ Contrast this body metaphor, of closeness when you ‘rub elbows with someone.’ Then you don’t mind being crowded, do you? Meditate on the Meaning of Your Upper Arm and Elbow IssuesIf you have issues with sore or painful arms, bicep pain, triceps pain or elbow pain, meditate on the meaning this has for you in your life. Are you unable to hold onto life’s gifts of love, joy and happiness? Are you holding on too tight to something? Are you inflexible or pushing and elbowing your way around? Create positive affirmations for health surrounding your upper arms and elbows:
Foam Roller Exercises for Your Upper Arms ~ Biceps and TricepsWhen you foam roll your muscles, you perform self myofascial release. Focus on the hot spots and muscle knots, or the areas that are sore. As you foam roll and you feel a sore area, hold the pressure on that spot for 20-30 seconds until the muscle releases. You may find that if you perform your foam roller exercises in a meditative fashion and meditate on the meaning of your sore muscles in your life, that as the muscle tension releases, so may your stored body emotions release. My readers have reported weird feelings when doing foam roller exercises, and some cry as their emotions come out. Some feel great fear, as if they cannot bear to know what is stored inside. I feel a great total body-mind-soul release when I do foam roller exercises. I gather great insights into myself as I meditatively focus on the meaning of my sore areas. I tell my muscle tension to release as I foam roll and I tell my emotions to release. I then create the positive affirmation for that area. I replace the tension with the affirmation. It’s that simple. And it works for me every time! It’s as if the foam roller exercise gets rid of the congestion in my muscles, so I can create the space needed for the positive energy to flow in. The combination of foam rolling for releasing the muscle congestion and emotions and the exercise stretches like Yoga that creates the healing and the space needed for the change. I think of my body as fertile ground where all my creative energy begins and ends! Never am I more creative than when doing body awareness work. I hope the same will be true for you. Because I know that when you care for the body, you care for the soul! Foam roller exercises and stretches together are a lethal combination for healing the body-mind-soul. Add the positive affirmations and you have one big bang of healing and creative energy, flowing outward towards your heart’s desires! Personalize and Adjust the Foam Roller Exercises for Your Upper ArmsAs with all foam roller exercises you can adjust the amount of time you spend on each area. As you roll, stay as long as you like in one position, if your left side is tighter than your right side. Just make sure you do both sides equally to maintain your balance. Really notice your body and how it feels when you do the foam roller exercises for your upper arms. Open you heart to the message your biceps, triceps and elbows bring. B-r-e-a-t-h-e as you sink into the tight and sore spot. If it is too painful that you cannot breathe, ease up on the movement or the pressure. The deep breathing is the signal to your body that you are in the relaxed state and eventually the muscle will release as long as you are able to deep breathe. Feel the pull and the shoulder stretch as you sink and roll into it. Breathe more deeply as you sink farther into the stretch. Let go. Let the tension go, let the stress go and let the muscle release. When the muscle releases, so too may your emotions release. Release your need to control and hold it all in. Let go of this need. Open yourself and your arms to let love, hope and joy in. As with all Intuitive Movement, make my foam roller exercises and their descriptions a starting point only. Intuitive movement never pushes through pain that is more than moderate. Remember that pain is a message to you that something is wrong. If severe pain exists in your upper arms, biceps or triceps, seek medical attention. Foam Roller Exercises for Your Biceps and Triceps:I will give the foam roller exercises in two parts:First I will give you a brief description of the movement in writing for those of you who function best with your left, detail-oriented brain. Second is a short video of the movement. There is no voice-over on the video, so as you watch, I will force you to use your right brain, the sensing, feeling part of your brain. The right brain perceives images and spatial relationships. It is the part of the brain that you most often close down, in our left-brain, detail and language-oriented culture. (See Improving Your Body Balance is Improving Your Life Balance for more explanation of right brain vs. left-brain functions). No voice-over will also aid you in going inward when you do your foam roller exercises. Feel free to vary the exercise in any way as your intuition moves you! Do not perform these exercises if you have more than moderate pain in your back or shoulders!
May your path to self-discovery be enhanced by these foam roller exercises and stretches for your upper arms and may your journey towards body-mind-soul healing begin! Related Foam Rolling Articles that You May Enjoy!:
Foam Roller Exercises for the Lower Body and Lower Back:
Foam Roller Exercises for the Upper Body and Upper Back:
New! CommentsPlease voice your opinion on the matter. Leave me a comment in the box below. |
