A FOAM ROLLER is a great tool to have at your disposal if you have sore or ‘tight’ muscles.
This cylindrical piece of compressed foam or cylindrical plastic tubing covered in foam has become very popular over the last few years.
So what exactly does foam rolling do?
Well, people started using foam rolling as a form of self myofascial release that aimed to mimic results they could get from their masseuse/physio.
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Muscle tightness, adhesions/knots and trigger points build up after several bouts of exercise.
The goal of foam rolling is to remove these so optimal length/tension and pain free movement can be restored to the muscles.
Foam rolling can be painful at times, especially if you find a knot in your muscles. This is no different to a masseuse giving you a deep tissue massage and finding it painful!
So when is the best time to complete foam rolling? Well this is debated a lot within fitness circles.
We use foam rolling as part of our warm up process so it’s the first thing we do when we enter the gym.
We generally advise 30 – 60 seconds on each muscle group which would mean 5-10 minutes in total.
Foam rolling can also be completed on ‘off days’ to prepare you for future training sessions and reduce overall muscle soreness.
Have a look at our foam rolling masterclass video to get started today
What is a foam roller and why do I see people using them in the gym?
A FOAM ROLLER is a great tool to have at your disposal if you have sore or ‘tight’ muscles.
This cylindrical piece of compressed foam or cylindrical plastic tubing covered in foam has become very popular over the last few years.
So what exactly does foam rolling do?
Well, people started using foam rolling as a form of self myofascial release that aimed to mimic results they could get from their masseuse/physio.
Muscle tightness, adhesions/knots and trigger points build up after several bouts of exercise.
The goal of foam rolling is to remove these so optimal length/tension and pain free movement can be restored to the muscles.
Foam rolling can be painful at times, especially if you find a knot in your muscles. This is no different to a masseuse giving you a deep tissue massage and finding it painful!
So when is the best time to complete foam rolling? Well this is debated a lot within fitness circles.
We use foam rolling as part of our warm up process so it’s the first thing we do when we enter the gym.
We generally advise 30 – 60 seconds on each muscle group which would mean 5-10 minutes in total.
Foam rolling can also be completed on ‘off days’ to prepare you for future training sessions and reduce overall muscle soreness.
Have a look at our foam rolling masterclass video to get started today
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Fitness FOAM ROLLING you see me rolling