If you’ve been to the gym, a sporting goods store, or watched a sporting event in the last few years, you’ve probably seen somebody foam rolling. It may look odd, but those people on the ground with their colorful foam cylinders are onto something. Foam rolling has its benefits for sure.
Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique. Don’t worry about trying to pronounce that. SMR is a type of massage that releases muscle tension, improves flexibility, and boosts movement efficiency using objects such as foam rollers. Foam rolling can be good for easing soreness and reducing inflammation both before and after workouts or even just when you feel the need to do it. It may be a bit uncomfortable at first as your muscles get acclimated to the feeling but with anything, consistency is key.
If you’re interested in trying it out, here are four of the benefits of foam rolling.
Eases Muscle Soreness
The day after a tough workout is a day you need some help. Those first few steps after killing squats the day before are anything but painless. You’d be crazy to not want to try to negate that.
Foam rolling is a great way to relax your sore muscles and reduce inflammation. Some research has shown that people who foam roll immediately after working out as well as 24 and 48 hours after saw reduced muscle soreness.
When you’re rolling, you’re releasing pressure on your exhausted muscle tissue, relieving the soreness and pain you feel after a tough workout. This improves your recovery time and quality, allowing you to get back out there with less soreness.
Improves Flexibility
Flexibility is one thing that often gets neglected in the gym. Hitting the weights for a PR or running our fastest mile time is usually what we’re concerned about. Flexibility is important too and foam rolling can help.
Like stretching, foam rolling loosens muscles, which in turn reduces the friction they create, giving you smoother movements and a broader range of motion. When you’re more flexible, you’ll be able to work out with more productivity and power.
When you combine foam rolling with traditional static stretching, you’ll see the best results. Try foam rolling before and after each workout as well as anytime you feel stiff or sore. Do what you can handle at first, then see if you can do it for a minute.
There Are Different Kinds of Foam Rollers
If you’re new to foam rolling or you’ve been around the block a little bit, there’s a foam roller for you. It may look intimidating at first, but you can find a low-cost foam roller that’s perfect to see if it’s for you.
It’s not as cheap as static stretching with just your body, but the cost of a basic smooth foam roller is minimal. You can find them for around ten dollars in the right places. The texture is smooth, so the experience won’t be as intense as some of the higher-end textured ones.
The textured rollers are just that. They take the smooth roller and add ridges and bumps to get deeper into the muscles and work out knots and tension.
If you really need to target a specific area, you could try out a massage stick or ball. Some of these are smooth and some are textured depending on your needs. You could also use a tennis ball or lacrosse ball to work into some of your smaller problem areas.
It’s Easy to Start
It may be uncomfortable at the start, but it doesn’t take much time to get used to foam rolling. If you listen to your body and don’t overdo your limits, your foam roller will quickly become your new favorite workout accessory. The more you do it, the less tension you’ll find in your muscles.
Start with some light pressure at first and don’t put your entire bodyweight on any one area. Slowly roll each tender area for around 10 seconds and then gradually build up to 30 to 60 seconds. Take your time and do each area individually. Avoid joints such as your knee and elbow and focus on muscles.
In no time, you’ll be a foam rolling pro!
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