You may have heard about something called foam rolling. You may have even seen those nasty-looking cylinders stacked up in gyms, or small, hard balls used to ‘trigger point’ certain areas of muscle tissue. In this blog post, we’re going to explain a little more about foam rolling and why it might be a good idea for your to try.
If done frequently and correctly, foam rolling can help to prevent and cure various injuries you may have.
What is foam rolling?
Foam rolling is a self-myofascial release (SMR) technique that involves using a cylindrical object, such as a foam roller, to apply pressure to your muscles. The goal of foam rolling is to break up adhesions and knots in your muscles, which can improve range of motion, reduce muscle soreness, and speed up recovery from injury.
It’s a form of self-massage, using hard pressure to release the muscles.
There is a growing body of scientific research that supports the benefits of foam rolling, which was borne out of the anecdotal benefits people had found from it.
A 2015 study titled Foam Rolling for Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness and Recovery of Dynamic Performance Measures found that foam rolling can reduce muscle soreness after exercise, and offset the performance decline associated with post exercise soreness.
Movement quality improvements
Much of the discomfort we experience in our joints and during movement comes from a local of mobility. When a joint lacks its full range of movement, it can be tight, stiff and painful. One way of alleviating this is with foam rolling of the muscles and connective tissues that act on the joint.
A review study into foam roller use found that foam rolling can improve range of motion in the joints, and can be used as an effective part of the warm up and cool down for most activities. Although the study stops short of a suggested range of foam rolling exercises, it does say that…
‘The results of this analysis suggests that foam rolling and roller massage may be effective interventions for enhancing joint ROM and pre and post exercise muscle performance.’
The point is, there’s a significant enough body of evidence to show that foam rolling is effective when it comes to joint health, movement and therefore injury prevention and cure. You just need to know how to do it effectively. There’s no point indiscriminately rolling every joint in the body!
See this video for an effective guide to full-body foam rolling. It only takes 10 minutes or so, making it perfect to do at home, or before or after a workout…
Is foam rolling suitable for all?
Foam rolling is generally safe for most people, but it is important to start slowly and gradually increase the amount of pressure you apply. The likelihood is that at first, it’ll be very painful so start with a softer roller, then progress to a firmer roller.
If you have any underlying health conditions, such as arthritis or a muscle injury, it is important to talk to a qualified physiotherapist before starting a foam rolling routine. When you’ve got the all-clear, here’s the basic technique…
Lie on the foam roller with the area of your body you want to target over the roller.
Slowly roll back and forth, applying pressure to the muscle.
Hold each position for 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Repeat on the other side of your body.
This will give you the basics. As you get used to the movement, you’ll focus more on the trigger points in the muscles to help release tension in them.
How often should you foam roll?
Foam rolling can be done as often as you like, but a couple of times per week is a good starting point. You can foam roll before or after exercise, or on its own. The more you are using your body, the more foam rolling you should do. If you train at a high intensity for 5+ sessions per week, you might want to increase that figure, deposing on how you are feeling.
Foam rolling is a safe and effective way to improve your flexibility, reduce muscle soreness, and speed up recovery from injury. If you are looking for a way to improve your overall fitness, foam rolling is a great option.
You can buy a foam roller very cheaply from Amazon…
Want to improve your health and fitness? Let the AdMac Fitness Personal Trainers help…
AdMac Fitness has been helping the people of East London transform their health and fitness for nearly a decade.
We help people using tried and tested fitness approaches. Our expert team of personal trainers, based in both Bow and South Woodford can help you get a grip of your health forever. With our guidance and experience, you can relax knowing that your fitness journey is going to be guided by some of the best personal trainers in East London.
For more information on who we are, what we do and how we can help you achieve your health and fitness goals, contact us on… 07921465108 or email us at admacfitness@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you!
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