I recently picked up a foam roller at Dicks Sporting Goods. After testing a few out on the floor in the middle of Dicks Sporting Goods. I settled on one from Trigger Point. I liked the way that it felt and the size because it fits perfect inside my gym bag. Keep reading to learn how to use a foam roller.
What is a Foam Roller?
For those of you that don’t know what a foam roller is. A foam roller is a lightweight cylinder of compressed foam. Its a tool used to massage your body in order to help with recovery.
What Is Foam Rolling?
The actual act of foam rolling (also known as self myofascial release) is where you use a foam roller to apply pressure on any knots that you have. Instead of just rolling back and forth. The best way to get results is by holding the foam roller against a knot for about 30 seconds. It will be painful at first, but your body will naturally respond by relaxing after a few seconds.
Benefits of foam rolling include;
- Increased flexibility
- Reduced soreness
- Eliminated muscle knots
How To Use A Foam Roller
I referred to my NASM textbook, online articles, and even YouTube videos to see what techniques would work best for me. It takes practice to get use to it. You are not going to enjoy it at first, at least I didn’t. It’s going to feel weird and awkward. You are going to question yourself, if you’re doing it correctly. After about two weeks of foam rolling. I felt a lot more comfortable doing it. I actually felt like I knew what I was doing.
How Often Should You Foam Roll?
Since I bought the foam roller. I have incorporated it in my stretch routine, before and after my workouts. I will foam roll any area of my body that feels tight and sore. Sometimes I’ll even foam roll on my rest days. You may feel sore from the pressure of foam rolling afterwards. So I wouldn’t over do it. I would recommend you start off foam rolling two to three times a week too tart. Then slowly work your way to doing it more often and or as needed.
What You Should Do After Foam Rolling
If you have ever had a massage before, they usually tell you to take it easy and drink lots of water afterwards. The same goes for foam rolling. Drink lots of water to help flush any toxins out of your system that you released while foam rolling.
Foam Roller Tutorial
I recorded a Foam Roll Tutorial on my YouTube channel. In the video below you are going to see me foam roll my calfs, hamstrings, quads, hips, glutes, back, and triceps. Don’t forget to “Like” this video and to “Subscribe” to my YouTube channel so you can see the next video that I will be posting. I upload new videos every Sunday and Thursday.
I hope you enjoyed reading this blog post, how to use a foam roller. If you have any questions please comment down below. For more fitness tips see these other blog posts; The Benefits Of Working Out At Home, How To Motivate Yourself To Workout, and Plank Variations To Strengthen Your Core.
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