Blog /

Avant d’épaule et long biceps : Comment se masser et détendre avec un rouleau de massage en running et musculation (foam roller) ?

16.11.2018
16 Nov

Avant d’épaule et long biceps : Comment se masser et détendre avec un rouleau de massage en running et musculation (foam roller) ?

 

How to release tension in the front of the shoulder and the long head of the biceps with a massage roller when doing weight training?

By massaging the front of the shoulder ( anterior deltoid ) and the long biceps on the floor, you are targeting the pivot point of internal rotation.

The correct technique for relaxing the front of the shoulder and the long head of the biceps with a foam roller

    1. Placement: Lie on your stomach with the arm to be massaged extended to the side at approximately 90°. Place the roller parallel to your body, just below the “hollow” of the shoulder, where the arm attaches to the torso.

    2. Targeting the long head of the biceps: To grasp the tendon of the long head of the biceps, which passes through the bicipital groove at the front of the humerus, rotate your hand so that your palm faces upwards . It is this external rotation that exposes the tendon to the roller.

    3. The support: Use your other arm to shift your weight towards the roller. You should not be “flat”, but slightly inclined towards the side being massaged.

    4. The Smash: Once pressure is established, do not roll. Perform internal and external rotations of the arm (rotate your forearm upwards and then downwards). You will feel the tendon and deltoid “roll” under the pressure.

Why does relieving the front of the shoulder and long biceps with a roller work?

The relief you feel is not due to an “elongation” of the tendon (which is practically inextensible), but to two documented phenomena:

  • Neurological Inhibition: According to the work of Behm & Wilke (2019) , sustained pressure on the shoulder-biceps complex stimulates mechanoreceptors (Golgi tendon organs). The brain receives a signal of high load and, reflexively, decreases muscle tone in the biceps and pectoralis major fibers to “protect” the area, resulting in the sensation of immediate release.

  • Fascial Gliding: Luigi Stecco points out that the shoulder fascia is among the densest in the body. By performing rotations under load, you create friction that liquefies the hyaluronic acid between the muscle layers. This restores the gliding motion between the deltoid and biceps, limiting painful friction during pushing movements.

  • Starrett Approach: As Kelly Starrett explains in Becoming a Supple Leopard , the goal here is to “detach” the biceps from the front of the shoulder. He calls this the “distraction-smash”: the roller is used as an anchor to force the tissues to regain their independence of movement.

Points to consider before massaging the front of the shoulder and the long head of the biceps

The Brachial Plexus: If you feel tingling in your fingers or an electric shock sensation, you’re too close to your armpit. Move the roller outwards (towards your arm). Compressing the nerves here is counterproductive.

  • The Coracoid Process: This is the small bony “bump” you feel at the front of your shoulder. Avoid pressing directly on it, as it’s the attachment point for several sensitive muscles (pectoralis minor, short head of the biceps). Stay on the fleshy part of your arm.

  • Tendinopathy: If you have acute inflammation (sharp pain even at rest), direct massage with a roller is not recommended. Instead, work on the pectoral muscle and upper back to indirectly release the shoulder.