Review > Foam Rolling and Self-Myofascial Release

I love my foam roller. I was introduced to it in the gym, but the joy of having one on hand at home, is priceless. For the uninitiated, foam rolling or self-myofascial release, is a stretching technique which applies a gentle force to knots in your muscles, by rolling your body on a cylindrical piece of high density foam.

You put the foam roller between your muscle and the floor, and using your body weight, you move slowly back and forth over the length of the muscle. Foam rolling causes the fibres in the knot to straighten in line with the muscle fibres, resulting in the muscles being restored to their optimal level of function. Put simply, foam rolling is self-massage, and an effective part of any warm up, or cool down.

I won't lie, once you find a tender spot which indicates a muscle knot, it hurts like hell. However, by rolling on the foam roller before and after exercise, this pain should ease. This is due to the gradual break down of muscle scar tissue and soft tissue adhesions, caused by injury, insufficient stretching and disuse. Foam rolling can target most muscle groups and correct muscle imbalances and ease stiffness, resulting in strong and supple muscles. While never as good as a hands-on massage, it is less expensive, and always available when you need it.

Foam rollers come in a variety of sizes, colours and densities. Needless to say density and size are the important features, colour is just a personal choice!

To understand more about foam rolling, and watch some video examples, see world renowned strength and conditioning coach, Michael Boyle's article Foam Rolling (Training and Conditioning Magazine).

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