Recently, I had a parent asking me the benefit of the foam roller as we were having his daughter finish her training session doing some exercises on it.  So I thought I would spend some time today discussing the use of the foam roller and why your athlete and you could benefit using one.

What is a foam roller?

I’m sure you have probably seen a foam roller, but it is a 2 foot or 3 foot foam tube about 6 – 8 inches in diameter.  The roller can vary in the degree of solidness, but as you get used to the foam roller generally the more solid the better.  In fact, I’ve had some people tell me that they’ve graduated from a foam roller and just use pvc pipe with some type of cloth around the pipe.

You can probably go to any health club now and see these pieces of equipment lying around.  You’ll see members rolling their bodies all over this foam roller, some crying out in pain.    If you’ve ever wondered what that thing is and why they are doing it, then continue reading.

It isn’t that expensive.  In fact, I just checked online and the priciest I saw was under $20.  You can click here to look at it and order if you like.

How to integrate it with my workouts?

The foam rollers are being highly touted by many of the top strength and conditioning professionals across America.  I try to go to as many conferences as I can throughout the year and are exposed to many different strength programs.  Many of them have the foam roller included in those workout programs.

Basically, the foam roller is a self-massage that helps before you workout and after your workout.  It helps the body recover faster and in this day and age, recovery is huge for athletic performance.

A lot of the top collegiate programs will have their athletes come to the workout and do a general quick warm-up (jump rope, light jog – something to get the blood flowing).  Then they will have the athletes do a series of exercises on the foam roller.  This is doing what a massage would do, break up the muscle tissue, get it a little looser, so you get your body moving a lot easier during your workouts.

The athlete will then start his/her dynamic warm-up and get right into the training session.  Doing that foam roller prior to the warm-up really helps get the body moving in the greatest range of motion possible.  This helps reduce the chances of injuries happening and have a great workout.

After the workout, normally the athletes will use the foam roller on the body to break up the lactic acid developed in the muscle.  This helps reduce the chance of soreness happening and help with recovery.  Then the athlete would participate in some general stretching to finish.

A lot of professional athletes will get deep tissue massage after workouts as a way of getting their body to recover faster.  Most of us can’t afford a massage all the time, so in its place you can use the foam roller.  I don’t think it can substitute for a good massage, but it will suffice.

What does the foam roller feel like?

If you have some tender spots on your body or some tight muscles, the foam roller initially won’t feel pleasant.  A good example is your IT band, the muscle tissue running down the side of your leg.  A lot of people will have to go slow and apply a little amount of pressure because this is so tender.  I’ve seen people howl out in pain because of this tightness.

If you are like that, then be conservative with the foam roller.  Over time, you will get that area looser and it will feel better.  Just like with a massage, you have to work out those rough patches before you can get better.

When you get to the point that the foam roller just doesn’t feel like much of anything when you do your exercises, then I would suggest moving on to a higher intensity roller.

This is a great piece of equipment to work into your routine.  With our athletes, we will do it beforehand with some of our athletes we feel need it.  We are trying to do it with all of our athletes after the workouts.  It only takes an extra 5 minutes and it will help your body feel a lot better before and after the workouts.  Even non-athletes who are just trying to maintain good health should start using it.

If you are interested in purchasing a foam roller now, click here.