While we’d probably all love a deep tissue massage after a challenging workout, the truth is that this isn’t always a reality!. Luckily, grabbing a foam roller can help you get the benefits of a massage at home.
Reduced Exercise Soreness
If you’ve ever tried to tackle stairs after leg day, you know how tough dealing with delayed onset muscle soreness can be! Foam rolling is a form of myofascial release, which helps to melt away any trigger points and areas of tension, preventing and relieving post-workout pain.
Improved Flexibility
Because using a foam roller helps to relieve muscle tension, it improves your flexibility and range of motion. Why is this so awesome? Because it’ll make you that much more able to complete the moves in your next workout.
Better Posture
If you’re a desk warrior, you know how quickly it is to get slouchy and develop tension in the upper back, neck, and shoulders. The foam roller can help you to relieve any muscle knots and open up through the chest, improving your posture.
Prevent Injury
Because foam rolling helps remove tension from your muscles and increase your flexibility, you’re instantly at less of risk of developing an injury. But, foam rolling also helps to increase blood flow to the area and break down any scar tissue, preventing your risk of injury even more.
Foam Rolling Basics
- Stop whenever you come across a painful spot and hold pressure for 15-30 seconds, breathing deeply and slowly.
- Don’t overwork tender areas – 30 seconds is the max you should stay on one area to help break up adhesions over time.
- Ensure that you are rolling slowly – rolling too fast will not help release the tension from your muscles.
- Avoid rolling directly on bones and joints.
- Ensure that you are maintaining proper posture and form throughout your foam rolling session. We recommend watching one of Trigger Point’s videos for instruction on proper form to roll out the areas you feel are tight.
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