12/09/2021
Do you foam roll?
In recent years, foam rolling has gone mainstream. Once a self-massage technique used only by professional athletes, coaches, and therapists; foam rolling is now an everyday practice for people of all levels of fitness. There’s a reason for the popularity of this self-massage technique: it’s simple and it works!
Foam rolling is also called myofascial release. But what is fascia? And why do you want to “release” it?
Fascia is the thin tissue that connects our muscles. Think of it as your body’s internal packaging—it helps muscle groups cooperate as integrated units. When it’s healthy, fascia is flexible, supple and glides smoothly over your muscles. But binding in your fascia can form for a variety of reasons, such as muscle injury, inactivity, disease, inflammation, or trauma. Even just sitting at a desk all day can get your fascia “gummed up” and stiff.
That's where rolling can come in and help.
Foam rolling can be performed prior to and after your workouts. Before exercise, rolling will increase tissue elasticity, range of motion and circulation (blood flow). This can help you move better during your workout and protect you from injury.
Foam rolling post-workout is a great way to enhance recovery.
Focus on all of the major muscles you just worked, with an extra emphasis on the areas that feel problematic. By stimulating blood flow in affected areas, you’ll dramatically increase oxygen to your sore muscle fibers and reduce recovery time.
In fact, most elite athletes get muscle work done regularly for this reason. While nothing can quite replicate a good sports therapy session 😉, you can still enjoy many of the same benefits at home (or between therapy) with a foam roller.
So get to it 🙌. Yes, it can be uncomfortable, yes it can be painful but the benefits far out weigh not doing it at all.
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TRAIN HARD RECOVER HARDER
