If you’ve stepped foot in a gym recently, chances are you have come across/tripped over someone ‘foam rolling’.
Why? We hear you ask.
Well, by rolling over your muscles, you are essentially giving yourself a massage.
In more fancy terms, this is known as self-myofascial release - aka. relieving tension in your muscles without having to fork out on a professional. Sounds good, right?
A study in the Journal of Sports Rehabilitation revealed that those who combined foam rolling with traditional stretching techniques found their muscles more relaxed than just stretching.
In recent years, this practice has become more mainstream, and people swear by foam rolling, reporting benefits such as an increase in their flexibility (without reducing muscular strength – a HUGE bonus), circulation and muscle recovery.
Another study in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise, backed this up, revealing that foam rolling can help to relieve muscle soreness in the short term.
All sounds great, sign us up!
But hold up a sec.
Before you go investing in your own foam roller, there are some that remain unconvinced of the benefits.
Sure, studies have shown that there are some benefits to foam rolling, but there is still a lot we don’t know. Whereas once foam rolling was considered as a way to release tension in the fascia (the soft connective tissue around the body), this is now being challenged.
Some studies believe that due to the force that is required to manipulate the fascia, the pressure that comes with foam rolling might actually be acting on the nervous system instead.
The truth is, while we know a fair bit about the short-term effects of foam rolling, science has yet to provide answers on what the long terms impacts are.
It seems like at the moment there is little conclusive evidence either way and professionals all seem to have different views about whether or not foam rolling is actually good.
So, should you do it?
We guess that depends.
If you find that after you have used a foam roller you smash your sessions, recover quicker and all in all feel better, then knock yourself out (not literally, safety first guys…).
However, if you find yourself in agony that prevents you from smashing your sessions, it might not be the end of the world giving it a miss – seems like you can get a pretty decent warm-up and cool down without one.
Basically, whatever floats your boat.
Just keep your eyes peeled for more updates in the world of science because we reckon there is going to be plenty more to come on the topic.
Do you foam roll or just stretch it out?
Let us know in the comments below.
