5 Reasons You Should Foam Roll

Foam rolling is one of the simplest, most inexpensive, and most effective techniques to keep your muscles balanced, healthy and injury-free. Here are 5 things you might not know about foam rolling.

5 Things You Might Not Know About Foam Rolling

What is foam rolling?

Foam rolling is a type of self-massage. Technically called self-myofascial release (SMR), foam rolling is the act of rolling a muscle over a hard foam cylinder. SMR tools can also include lacrosse balls, golf balls, or sticks. When you apply pressure to a muscle to relieve tension using one of these tools, you’re performing self-myofascial release. In other words, foam rolling.

Why should I foam roll?

Most people have muscle imbalances. Muscle imbalances can be a result of work, recreation, training, or injury. When muscles are tight, injured, or imbalanced they can develop adhesions or “knots.” By foam rolling over the adhesions, we allow the muscle to relax and lengthen. By allowing the muscle to relax and lengthen, we can begin to correct these imbalances. Foam rolling is one way to achieve this goal and restore range of motion.

Foam rolling is also an excellent warm-up activity. By relaxing and lengthening the muscles before a workout, and increasing your range of motion, you’ll be less likely to cause additional imbalance or further injury. Likewise, foam rolling will help your muscles warm up quicker than if you simply started a workout without any warm up at all.

When should I use the foam roller?

Foam rolling before a run or physical activity is a great idea. It can help loosen the muscle and increase range of motion. After a workout is also a great idea to help alleviate any tightness acquired during the activity itself. You can also work a foam rolling routine into your strength work or rest days.

How do I foam roll?

Foam rolling is simple, yet so many people don’t know how to foam roll correctly.

To properly and effectively foam roll: First, roll the entire length of the muscle or muscle groups you’re targeting. As you roll you may notice a few “tender” spots. Those are the spots you need to work on.

After you’ve completed the initial “roll,” go back to one of the tender spots and apply pressure with the foam roller. Hold this pressure for a minimum of 30 seconds.

Why? 30 seconds is how long it takes for the muscle to send a signal to the brain and back in order for the muscle to relax. If you aren’t holding pressure on the tender spot for a minimum of 30 seconds, you’re not doing much of anything.

Be sure to roll all your muscles. This includes the calves, quads, hamstrings, TFL, hip flexors, lats, biceps and triceps. Roll muscles you don’t even think need to be rolled.

What to do when you’re injured?

Self-myofascial release is important for runners, athletes, and individuals working on general fitness. The human body is incredibly resilient and will find the path of least resistance when it comes to getting a job done. So even when you think your injury has nothing to do with foam rolling, it very well may. Those shin splints that have been plaguing you? Those could be attributed to tight calf muscles.

Muscle imbalances and subsequent “correction” by the body are responsible for many more injuries than you may think. When in doubt, foam roll.

5 Things You Might Not Know About Foam Rolling

Foam rolling may seem like a chore. It may be annoying and cumbersome. It probably even hurts, too. But foam rolling is hands down the simplest way to make your body feel better.

Happy rolling!