Ok, so maybe that title is a bit dramatic. 😉 Foam rolling may not have changed my life, but it sure helped me more than I ever imagined. Now, maybe you’ve known about foam rolling forever and can’t believe there are people out there who don’t know about it! Or maybe you’ve never heard of it. Or maybe you’re like me and kind of knew what it was but never really did it. If you’re an athlete of any kind or simply like to lift weights, do at home workouts, or whatever type of fitness you’re into, foam rolling has great benefits. I’ve been exercising in various forms my whole life and can’t believe I never used foam rolling until recently! Read on for some foam rolling benefits and tips!
What is foam rolling? Foam rolling involves using a foam roller on your muscles to release tension, which helps reduce soreness and improve recovery time. There are tons of foam rollers out there, and you can find one at pretty much any store like Target, Walmart, sports stores, Amazon, etc. They come in different sizes, which is just a preference thing (how long you want it to be). There are also smooth rollers and others with bumps on them. I personally find the bumpy ones too painful to use at times and prefer the smooth ones. I have a couple of these basic ones from Amazon.
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When I first looked into foam rolling, I had no clue how to actually do it! I learned from a Beach Body on Demand workout, but here’s a great YouTube video on foam rolling your whole body in 5 minutes!
Now that you know HOW to foam roll, you may be wondering WHEN is the best time to foam roll? I personally love to foam roll at the end of the day before going to bed. I find it releases the tension from the day and really relaxes me. After I finish foam rolling, I usually do yoga or stretch, and then I go to bed. There are a lot of opinions out there on when the BEST time is to foam roll. Many people foam roll for 5-10 minutes before a workout, others right after a workout, and others before bed like I do. I personally recommend trying it out at different times and observe how it affects you and when you feel you get the most benefit from it.
Foam rolling for me has significantly reduced sore muscles and increased my ability to stretch and gain flexibility. I have noticed a huge difference in my recovery time and I get more out of my workouts. It also feels SO good when I’m done! So if you want to feel better and recover more quickly from your workouts, make sure you grab a foam roller and give it a try! Drop a comment below and tell me your favorite time to foam roll or how it has helped you!