It’s National Foam Rolling Day and while some people cringe when they hear they have to foam roll, there are many reasons why you need to adopt this practice into your training program. At ATH our coaches are strong supporters of a good foam roll either pre or post workout because athletes need to release tissue tension. You can achieve this either before the workout prior to the warm up or after the workout before stretching. However, it’s also fine to foam roll whenever the athlete feels tight.
Here are some tips from our coaches on why they recommend foam rolling:
- Rolling before training helps increase muscle proprioception, which means it helps wake the muscles up and helps athletes get ready for the training intensity.
- After training, foam rolling helps flush out metabolites or lactic acid and increases range of motion by releasing tension from muscles.
- Rolling helps increase blood flow by increasing oxygen delivery to cells, which is how nutrients get in and out the muscles and helps heal damage areas of the body. This may also help enhance recovery.
- Rolling reduces the chance of injury by decreasing muscle stiffness.
Before you grab the nearest foam roller make sure you avoid these common mistakes:
- Don’t foam roll too fast. We want to facilitate a change by adding some pressure to our muscles. Rolling too quickly doesn’t allow us to apply enough tension to our muscles.
- Avoid rolling directly over pain. If you find a sore spot, ease your way around the area, slowly. Try to test the waters and warm your muscle up to the tender spot.
Our performance coaches at Athlete Training and Health have the knowledge and experience to help you reach your potential and improve your overall performance. Stop by and tour any of our world-class training centers and talk to one of our performance consultants about a free evaluation, so you can start learning more about how to optimize your training program.