Foam rolling has become popular in fitness as a great way to help your muscles recover and perform better. It's a simple method that uses a foam roller to put pressure on different muscles, which can help loosen them up and make them feel better. Even though it was first used mainly by athletes and physical therapists, now many regular people use it too, regardless of their fitness level. People like it because it has many benefits, like making you more flexible, helping you feel less sore after working out, and making it easier for your body to recover between workouts. In this article, we'll talk about all the good things foam rolling can do for your muscles and how it can make you feel better overall.
Foam rolling can aid in muscle recovery by reducing muscle tightness and soreness, improving flexibility, and enhancing blood flow to the muscles.
Increased Blood Flow
Foam rolling for muscle recovery is believed to increase blood flow to the muscles and tissues, which can help remove metabolic waste products and deliver oxygen to the muscles. This helps to reduce muscle soreness and post-workout stiffness.
The friction from the pressure the roller applies creates heat, warming the muscles, tendons, fascia, and other connective tissue. This increases flexibility and improves the range of motion around joints. Additionally, the massage-like action of foam rolling is thought to activate and energize the central nervous system, or CNS. This is the series of signals that run from your brain to the muscles that physically move your body. Activating the CNS can help you perform better during future workouts by enabling your muscles to work more fluidly and effectively.
Foam rollers are also believed to reduce myofascial restrictions or tightness in the muscles and other soft tissues. The direct mechanical pressure on the tissue by the roller encourages the muscle fibers to elongate, reducing tension and tightness. Foam rolling also increases the range of motion and flexibility.
In addition, foam rolling is believed to decrease the delayed onset of muscle soreness or DOMS after an intense workout or physical activity. A recent study involving eight athletes found that foam rolling before and after a workout significantly reduced DOMS at the 24- and 72-hour postexercise time points. It also improved sprint performance and power and reduced muscle tenderness.
Reduced Tension
Whether you're pounding the pavement for miles on a run or squatting multiple plates at the gym, intense physical performance can leave muscles sore and tired. Fortunately, foam rolling can help your muscles recover faster and reduce muscle soreness from exercise. Foam rolling works by applying pressure to muscle tissue, loosening tight muscles, and releasing any tension in the connective tissue that holds the muscles together. Foam rolling can be performed on any muscle, but it's particularly effective for muscles in the legs, upper body, and back.
Foam rolling can also awaken your central nervous system or the signals from your brain to the muscles that physically move your body. As such, foam rolling can improve workout performance by increasing the range of motion in muscles and tendons and helping to remove any metabolic waste left behind by the muscle after intense physical activity.
In addition, foam rolling can reduce myofascial restrictions or rigidity in the soft tissues of your body. The pressure you apply to the muscles as you roll out the fascia helps the fascia relax and release the tension built up over time. This is similar to the benefits of a massage but without the cost and commitment of getting one regularly.
The pressure you apply to your muscles during foam rolling can also relieve trigger points or knots in the muscles. The knots in your muscles can cause pain and stiffness, and when you release the tension from those knots, you can feel more fluidity in the movement of your body and less muscle soreness after a strenuous workout.
The key to effective foam rolling is moving slowly and deliberately while using enough pressure to affect the muscle. As with any self-myofascial release, it's essential to listen to your body's feedback and stop when you feel a sharp or intense pain or numbness. Aim for 5 to 20-minute sessions, with 45 seconds spent on each muscle group (quadriceps, adductors, hamstrings, iliotibial band, and gluteals). Also, avoid rolling areas that include tendons and ligaments, such as the knee and elbow, as this can cause joint pain.
Preventing Muscle Imbalances and Injuries
A foam roller can help prevent muscle imbalances and injuries by loosening tight muscles and improving their work. When certain muscles get too tight or work too hard, they can mess up how your body moves. This can make you more likely to get hurt when you're active.
Foam rolling can release muscle tension, making them more flexible and balanced. This stops you from moving in ways that could strain other muscles or joints.
Foam rolling also targets areas where you're likely to get tight, like your hips and back. These areas can cause problems, especially if you're not very active. By working on these spots, foam rolling can help fix how you stand and move before it causes any bigger issues.
Using a foam roller also helps you become more aware of your body and how it moves. This can help you notice and fix any problems with how you move before they lead to an injury.
Adding foam rolling to your workouts can help you balance your muscles and prevent injuries. By loosening tight muscles and improving how they work, foam rolling can help you move better and stay safe when you're active.
Increased Muscle Recovery
Whether pounding the pavement for a long run or squatting multiple plates in the gym, foam rolling can be one of your most useful recovery tools. It's believed that when you press into soft tissue with a roller, your receptors send signals to your spinal cord and activate your parasympathetic nervous system (responsible for relaxing the body). This sends messages to muscles to relax, unwind, and get loose. This may improve your muscles' ability to lengthen during static or dynamic stretching activities, increasing flexibility and improving performance.
Aside from this, foam rolling has also been shown to desensitize overactive muscle tissue by breaking up and releasing trigger points, or knots in the muscle that cause acute pain, explains Lemmer. This occurs when the muscle is short, tight, or overactive due to chronic stress, injury, or poor movement patterns. Foam rolling may be more effective than relieving trigger points, such as massage or static stretching.
Foam rolling can also decrease delayed-onset muscle soreness, or DOMS, which occurs after a workout and often keeps you from returning to the gym. A study published in the Journal of Athletic Training found that foam rolling can reduce DOMS by promoting blood flow to the areas that have been exercised.
When you're first learning how to roll, it's recommended that you have a physical therapist or personal trainer walk you through the process and make sure you're doing it correctly. Too much pressure or moving the roller too quickly could damage the muscles or nerves and lead to additional pain. If you feel a sharp or intense pain, or the limbs begin to "fall asleep," it's crucial that you stop immediately.
How to Add Foam Rolling to Your Routine
Adding foam rolling to your routine can help your muscles recover and make you perform better overall. Here's how you can do it:
Before You Start Working Out: Spend time rolling on the foam roller before you begin your workout. Roll over the big muscles you're going to use. This will help loosen them up and get them ready for action. It also lowers the chance of getting hurt while you're exercising.
After Your Workout: When you're done with your workout, take some time to roll out the muscles you just used. Focus on the ones that feel tight or sore. Roll slowly and gently to help them relax. This can make you feel less sore after your workout and help you recover faster.
On Your Rest Days: Use foam rolling on the days when you're not working out hard or when you're doing light exercises to recover. Spend extra time on the muscles that feel tight or stiff. This will help them loosen up and feel better.
Combine with Stretching: Foam rolling works great with stretching. After you roll out a muscle group, stretch it to make it even more flexible. This helps your muscles get longer and lets your joints move better.
Do it Regularly: Try to foam roll regularly, like every day or every week. Doing it often helps keep your muscles from getting too tight and helps prevent injuries.
Adding foam rolling to your routine like this lets you get the most out of it and keep your muscles feeling good and working well.
Possible Dangers and Things to Be Careful About
While using a foam roller can be helpful for your muscles, it's essential to know about the risks and be careful to avoid them.
Don't Overdo It: One risk is doing too much foam rolling, especially if you push too hard or roll over areas that hurt a lot. This can make your muscles bruised, damaged, or sore. Start gently and increase the pressure slowly. Avoid rolling over bones or areas that are already hurt.
Be Gentle: Don't use fast or rough movements when you foam roll. Instead, roll slowly and gently to let your muscles relax. Avoid bouncing around, which can hurt your muscles and tendons.
Health Issues: If you have certain health problems like arthritis or recent injuries, you should talk to a doctor before using a foam roller. They can tell you if it's safe for you and advise how to use it. You might need to use a softer roller or avoid specific movements.
Watch Your Skin: Using too much foam roller or too hard can irritate your skin, making it red or sore. Wear comfy clothes and use a roller with a smooth surface to reduce this risk. If your skin gets irritated, stop rolling and let it heal before you start again.
Pay Attention to Pain: If something hurts while you're foam rolling, stop immediately. Some discomfort is normal, but sharp pain could mean hurting yourself. If it hurts, talk to a doctor to find out what's wrong.
By carefully watching out for these risks, you can still benefit from foam rolling without hurting yourself.
The Bottom Line
When you foam roll, you're working to release muscle knots and adhesions, which can limit movement and cause pain. The technique, also called myofascial release, involves using a soft rubber roller to apply pressure to the fascia around your muscles. Fascia is the thin connective tissue that holds your muscles together, and it's essential for allowing your muscle groups to work as integrated units. Over time, however, binding in the fascia can form due to injuries, sitting at a desk all day, or other factors. If left untreated, fascia can even restrict your movement and lead to injury. Foam rolling is a great way to break up this binding, improve mobility, and help prevent injury.
Initially, when you're foam rolling, it's better to be too soft than too hard. You don't want to push past the point of slight discomfort into real, legitimate pain, which will only slow down results and may lead to bruising your muscles. You're looking for a level of discomfort similar to a light massage.
Foam rolling is safe if done correctly, but it's always best to have an experienced personal trainer or physical therapist walk you through the process your first time or two. The risk of causing harm is relatively small, but you risk bruising or damaging your muscles if you roll too aggressively or for too long. For this reason, it's best to stick with the major muscle groups (quads, hamstrings, calves, shoulders, traps, lats). And be sure to skip areas that contain bursa sacs, like the greater trochanter or ischial tuberosity of your hips, or joints such as your knees and elbows, Daley advises.
