Most people experience tightness, soreness, stiffness, and overall discomfort in their muscles. Over time, these issues accumulate and can significantly reduce functionality, the consistency of workouts, flexibility, mobility, and generally increase pain.
However, you can break this cycle with foam rolling!
Many people focus solely on their workouts and neglect self-care. Consistently practicing stretching, foam rolling, and other self-care activities won’t just enhance your workouts; it’ll improve your overall quality of life.
We constantly engage our muscles throughout the day when we work out, run errands, drive, or work at a desk. Sitting for long periods without moving can also add unwanted tightness to the body.
In essence, we contract and engage various muscle groups all day long. Therefore, it’s crucial to restore balance in the body and stretch the fascia.
Think of foam rolling as a self-massage. It helps eliminate painful knots and adhesions, making your body feel lighter and boosting function and mobility, allowing you to perform at your best consistently.
Foam rolling works on the principle of “tension to release tension.” By applying pressure to tight areas, the knots break up and dissipate.
You can use a foam roller on almost any part of the body—back, quads, glutes, hamstrings, triceps, chest, and more. For specific questions about foam rolling practices, feel free to contact me via email listed in my bio.
To foam roll, place the foam roller on the desired body part and roll through the muscle until you find a sore spot that rates about 6 or 7 on a scale of 1 to 10 (10 being the sorest and 1 being not sore at all).
Once you find a sore spot, hold the foam roller on that area for 30 seconds and repeat this 2-3 times for each sore muscle. If you’re short on time, just focus on the tightest or sorest muscles. If a particular spot is extremely sore, you can hold for less than 30 seconds if the pain becomes unbearable.
Foam rolling should never cause actual pain or strain. If you experience sharp pain, stop foam rolling and consider consulting your doctor, depending on the pain’s nature, frequency, and your medical history.
Foam rolling may be uncomfortable since you’re pressing on a tight area, but it shouldn’t cause searing pain. There’s never a bad time to foam roll (except when driving). Ideally, foam roll when you first wake up and before you go to bed, and before and after working out.
Adding just 10-15 minutes of foam rolling to your daily routine can significantly improve how you feel within a few weeks. You’ll likely notice better performance during workouts as well. For instance, many people find they can squat deeper after foam rolling their quads and hamstrings for just five minutes.
Foam rolling is a fantastic tool, but there are other similar options too. Tennis balls, lacrosse balls, or softballs can be used to roll out the bottom of your feet, calves, glutes, neck, etc. Follow the same 30-second hold practice when using these objects.
For the neck, back, and glutes, place the ball on a wall and roll while standing upright. A Thera cane is also a great self-care tool. It resembles a shepherd’s crook and has several round knobs that can release tension in the body. These are available online for about 20 dollars, and the same holding principles apply.
Theracanes and small sports balls offer more localized relief and can target smaller areas of the body. Epsom salt products can also help reduce muscle soreness. Look for lavender and Epsom salt bath bombs or rubs. Eucalyptus Epsom salts can be very soothing as well.
Finally, I highly recommend acupuncture and trigger point massages. While self-care at home is great, sometimes it’s beneficial to visit a trained professional.
Thank you for taking the time to learn about the benefits of foam rolling and how to better care for your muscles. Feel free to reach out to me via email with any comments or questions. Stay tuned for more tips!