- Research Fitness Equipment Before Jumping In
- Our Goal: Helping you Choose the Best Foam Roller
- What is a Foam Roller?
- How does Foam Rolling Work?
- 1. Foam Rollers Reduce post-workout pain
- 2. Foam rolling reduces cellulite
- 3. Improve digestion with a foam roller
- 4. Better posture
- 5. Reduce the risk of injury through Foam Rolling
- 6. Relieve stress
- 7. More affordable than a sports massage
- 8. Remove excess lactic acid
- 9. Body toning
- Buying your first foam roller
- Where Can I Get One?
- Performing Exercises with Foam Rollers
- The Final Word on the Benefits of Foam Rolling
- Have your Say about Foam Roller Benefits
You can’t read a fitness blog or magazine without seeing something about the benefits of foam rolling. It’s everywhere–and with good reason!
Foam rolling is excellent for relieving post-workout soreness, for injury prevention, to help heal old sports injuries and also to relax.
If you aren’t quite ready to jump on the foam rolling phenomena, read on and discover how it works and what the physical benefits are.
Research Fitness Equipment Before Jumping In
When people want to exercise, get in shape, or improve the way that they feel overall, they may decide to invest in different types of fitness and exercise equipment to assist them with meeting their daily goals and objectives.
The type of equipment that they choose will often differ based on individual preferences, as well as what kinds of activities that they will be including in their daily or weekly regimens.
Before an individual makes their decision to purchase any kind of equipment or tools to assist them with their routines, it is best for them to do a little research in advance to see what is being offered on the market today.
Our Goal: Helping you Choose the Best Foam Roller
There are lots of reviews of fitness equipment online. This is a another one of those guides. Our ultimate goal is to help you make the best choice of foam roller and also help you use it effectively.
LuxFit Extra Firm Speckled Foam Roller
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What is a Foam Roller?
Foam rollers can be described as relatively light-weight devices that people can use for fitness needs or to give themselves or someone else a massage. In many cases, they may be designed to be quite long and cylindrical or the manufacturers may make them in a number of different textures, sizes, and shapes.
Related: What Size Foam Roller Do I Need?
When these devices are being used to administer a self-massage, they can help the individual soothe and loosen tight and sore muscles (trigger points) in order to speed up recovery time. This type of massage process is currently known as a myofascial release. It basically means releasing layers of skin and muscle from each other. Sticky is bad! Free flowing is good!
Therefore, when people buy a foam roller, they can take advantage of numerous benefits including those that have been provided below. Some of these includes speeding up recovery time, and relieving stress
How does Foam Rolling Work?
Sports injuries scar the muscles and the soft tissue (fascia) surrounding them, which causes pain when you move.
This pain can cause further injury, as your body will be less mobile, flexible and aligned.
By using a foam roller on sore muscles, you’re increasing and releasing pressure on these scarred areas, breaking them up and alleviating the pain.
This is just the start of the benefits of foam rolling. Here are 9 more reasons you should give it a try.
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1. Foam Rollers Reduce post-workout pain
Studies show that foam rolling after an intense workout can reduce the pain felt 72 hours afterward.
Those that used foam rollers after their workout also said that they were able to continue exercising just as effectively, without any soreness.
Foam Rolling Speeds up Muscle Recovery
When an individual begins any type of exercise plan, the exercises that they perform may start off relatively light in intensity. However, as they begin to graduate into more advanced exercise programs, the intensity of these activities can increase quite substantially.
From walking briskly around the lake at the park, to full-fledged running around the outskirts of the city, many of these exercise regimens can take a toll on the person’s body after a period of time.
In these situations, they may find that their muscles are not only tight, but also sore; meaning they may need some assistance with these sore muscles to speed up the recovery process.
Thankfully, foam rollers can be used for these and similar situations since they are great for using to massage and loosen the areas that have been affected. From massaging the back of the legs to massaging the arms, these can be very beneficial for after-care exercise regimens and speeding up muscle recovery.
Does Foam Rolling Work at Reducing Soreness?
2. Foam rolling reduces cellulite
Finally–a cure for cellulite! One of the benefits of foam rolling your glutes and quads is that it releases congestion and blockages in the soft tissue around muscles, smoothing out the skin.
By performing some simple exercises each day, you can clear out these blockages and keep them clear, so you’re bikini ready all summer long.
You can find out all the details you need to know here: Can Foam Rolling Get Rid of Cellulite?
3. Improve digestion with a foam roller
Food intolerances and lack of good hydration can cause painful bloating and discomfort in the belly area.
By massaging the gut with a foam roller, you can help move food through your digestive system, reducing pain and sluggishness.
4. Better posture
If you sit slumped at your desk all day long, you’ll be no stranger to aches in your back, neck and shoulders.
By performing a sequence of foam roller exercises every night, you could dramatically improve your posture. The roller lengthens muscles and releases tension that causes you to hunch or clench tired muscles.
5. Reduce the risk of injury through Foam Rolling
By giving your muscles a foam roller massage before your workout, you’re helping to reduce the risk of injury.
This is because you’re releasing any adhesions in the muscle fiber that might otherwise cause reduced mobility and flexibility, leading to injury.
5 Benefits from Using a Foam Roller
6. Relieve stress
There are a number of amazing stress-busting benefits linked with foam rolling. It calms the nervous system and massages the acupressure points connected to the adrenals.
The stress relieving benefits of foam rolling also include increased elasticity in the soft tissue and the muscles they surround. Breathe deeply while you do the exercises and benefit from yoga-level relaxation.
In general, these are great massage tools that are easy-to-use and easy to control. There is also a short learning curve for this type of exercise. Most people find themselves getting the hang of foam rolling within the first workout. Experiment and see what works for you.
7. More affordable than a sports massage
Although treating yourself to a deep tissue massage every so often can be good for the soul, it’s not so good for your wallet!
Investing a few dollars in a foam roller can give you the same benefits as a sports massage, without the hefty price tag.
8. Remove excess lactic acid
Hardcore exercise can sometimes leave excess lactic acid on your muscles which causes a burning ache. Benefits of foam rolling include massaging the excess acid from your muscles to relieve this ache and help your body recover faster.
Increase this benefit by drinking water to help your body flush out the toxins you’ve pushed out of your muscles.
9. Body toning
Not just a great tool to use before and after exercise, you can even use your foam roller as an aid during your workouts!
Build strength in your glutes, quads and core by using your roller in glute bridges, skaters and plie squats and get even more use out of it.
Buying your first foam roller
Foam rollers come in different sizes, densities, and textures, so it’s worth doing a little homework before heading out to buy one.
Here are some basic things to have in mind when buying your foam roller:
Size
Foam rollers are available in three sizes as standard, each one better for different areas of the body.
The benefits of foam rolling with a small (12 inches) roller are that you can take it with you on holiday or to the gym for a post-workout massage. They’re ideal for necks, arms and shoulders.
Medium (18 inches) and large (36 inches) foam rollers are better for larger areas of the body, like back and legs. Larger sizes are also better if you’re planning on incorporating your roller into your workout.
Density
There are softer foam rollers available on the market which may feel more gentle and relaxing to use, but be warned–they may not be as effective!
When it comes to choosing the density of your foam roller, the harder, the better. By putting pressure on your muscles, then releasing it, you’re allowing the blood to flush back in, which aids circulation.
Without a harder surface to press against, you’ll get a far less effective massage from your roller.
Texture
You can buy foam rollers in smooth and knobbled varieties, and the kind you choose will really depend on preference.
Ridges and knobbles on the surface of your roller are good for getting into those smaller muscles and act like the thumbs of a masseuse. The textured rollers tend to be kinder for beginners, too!
Smooth rollers feel a lot harsher on the muscles initially, but the long-term results will be far better. The downside is the intensity of the pressure it gives, but stick with it if you want those long-term gains!
Take a look at our picks for the top 5 foam rollers on the market and find the one that’s best for you.
Where Can I Get One?
Foam rollers can be purchased online and in retail stores. They are designed for multiple purposes including performing various kinds of exercises like bending and stretching. People can also use foam rollers for their own massages or giving them to others.
Therefore, foam rollers can be very beneficial since they assist in performing exercises, relieving stress, and assisting with speeding up muscle recovery. We strongly believe that any active person should have a foam roller at their house, and make use of it almost every single day! It’s an easy, quick and effective way to get out those kinks and knots, and just plain feel better.
Foam rolling: we love it and we’re sure you will too! Buy a foam roller today and use it consistently for a week. We’re sure you’ll start to see results and keep going with your routine. It really does feel that good to foam roll.
You can see some of our top picks for foam rollers here:
Comparison Chart
Performing Exercises with Foam Rollers
Some people have over-sized expensive exercise equipment in their homes and apartments, and these machines can be used on a regular basis to lose weight. These machines are often designed to support a running or jogging program that people start in order to lose weight and stay fit.
When these machines are in the home, the noise level can increase, so the person may not be able to use these machines whenever they need or want to. However, when an individual wants to starts an exercise regimen by stretching in advance, they can make use of foam rollers.
Foam rollers can also be used post-workout to rejuvenate tired muscles. Even if you don’t work out regularly, you can benefit from foam rolling. Maybe you sit at a desk all day long? Roll your shoulders out for some great results.
These exercises can be performed at virtually any time during the day or night. The best types of exercises that people can perform on the foam rollers normally consists of those that involve increasing range of motion, specifically stretching and bending exercises. Check out these articles for more details about how to use a foam roller:
10 Strengthening Moves with a Foam Roller
The Final Word on the Benefits of Foam Rolling
Are you converted yet? Though they may initially cause discomfort, the benefits of foam rolling are plentiful.
Add them to the start and end of your workouts to increase your performance and aid your recovery. On rest days, try some relaxing stretches and exercises to regain your zen.
Perhaps all the hype about foam rollers is worth getting behind after all!
Have your Say about Foam Roller Benefits
What are your thoughts about the benefits of using a foam roller? Leave a comment below and let us know what you think.
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