What is a foam roller and how should we practice with it?

What is a foam roller and what are its types? What are the benefits of exercising with a foam roller? Foam roller is a simple roller that is often found in sports clubs and physiotherapy centers. Foam roller is used to massage muscles, reduce body pain and help the body recover.

There are different types of foam roller and training with it has many benefits for the body. If you want to fully understand the foam roller, how to use it, its types and benefits, read this article to the end.

What is a foam roller?

What is a foam roller? Foam roller is a simple roller that you can find in sports clubs and physiotherapy centers! This device is used to massage muscles and help the body recover after exercise.

This device is made of a foam and by applying pressure to the muscles, it helps release tension and cramps in the muscles and relieve body pains. Not only professional athletes, but sometimes even beginners can use foam roller.

Types of foam rollers

Foam rollers come in different shapes and sizes and each one has its own characteristics. In the following, we mention some of the most well-known types of foam rollers.

• Types of foam rollers based on shape: spherical, cylindrical, twin
• Types of foam rollers based on size: Mini foam roller, short foam roller, large and long foam roller
• Types of foam rollers based on softness: Soft, medium, hard
• Types of foam roller based on surface: Smooth, ribbed and raised foam roller

What is the important point in choosing a foam roller? You should pay attention to the opinion of the coach or physiotherapist in preparing it; Whichever type he suggests is best for you.

But if you are a beginner and you like to work with a foam roller yourself, use a simple cylindrical type (without protrusions) and with a short height. The rest of the cases may cause pain and even muscle cramps due to applying more pressure.

How to use a foam roller

How to use the foam roller correctly is very important; Foam roller is more therapeutic and not a fun tool for fun and games! If you use it in the wrong way, it can hurt you. Now we will tell you how to use the foam roller correctly.

• Be sure to warm your body: Before using the foam roller, warm up your body gently to avoid injury.
• All movements should be done slowly: Move the foam roller over your muscles in slow motions, pausing briefly on sore spots.
• Breathe deeply when using a foam roller: While using the foam roller, take deep, slow breaths to help your muscles relax.
  Do not use in any way on the joint, bone and arch of the back: This is very dangerous and harmful. Joints and bones do not have soft tissue to be massaged! By applying point pressure on the spine, you only irritate and inflame the intervertebral discs, which is dangerous.
• Work gently and briefly with this tool: Massage each muscle for 10 to 30 seconds and reduce the pressure if you feel severe pain. Work on the sore spots gently and don’t put your whole body weight on it.

What are the benefits of exercising with a foam roller?

Foam rolling is a tool (and technique) to release muscle spasms and reduce pain. This device can help reduce muscle stiffness, pain, and inflammation and increase your muscle’s range of motion. Even if you don’t exercise, a foam roller can be useful for those of you who sit or stand at a desk all day.

This device has many advantages, and of course its benefits can be different for each person. In the following, you will see what are the benefits of training with a foam roller.

• Reduce muscle aches and pains
• Reduce muscle inflammation
• Helping to reduce the symptoms of fibromyalgia (chronic musculoskeletal pain syndrome)
• Increasing the range of motion of muscles
• Help increase blood flow in the muscles
• Helping muscles recover
• Help to relax

An example of training with a foam roller

Now that you know what a foam roller is and you are familiar with its benefits and how to use it, it’s time to introduce several exercises with a foam roller and explain how to do each one.

1. For quadriceps

What is the best movement for quadriceps with foam roller? If your job is such that you spend most of the day sitting, using a foam roller to massage the quadriceps muscles is a good idea; Because it can help to increase the blood flow and keep the muscles of this area active.

how to do movement

• Get into a plank position and place the foam roller under the quadriceps muscles (make sure it’s under the thigh muscles, not under the hips).
• Using your upper body, slowly go up and down on the foam roller to massage the entire thigh well.
• Do this movement for 30 seconds.
• If you hit a sensitive (painful) spot, take a few deep breaths and stay there.
• For more concentration, you can massage one paw first and then the other.

2. For leg muscles

Apart from regular exercises for the leg muscles, using a foam roller on these muscles can help loosen knots and cramps in the leg muscles.

How to do:

• Sit on the floor and stretch your legs. Place the foam roller under the right leg.
• Lift your hips and put your weight on the foam roller. To create more pressure, place the left foot on the right foot.
• Slowly move the right leg back and forth on the foam roller and guide the body back and forth with your hands.
• Do this movement for 30 seconds.
• Switch legs and this time do the same exercise for the left leg.

3. For hamstrings

The hamstring or back of the leg is also one of the muscles that is under pressure due to sitting for a long time and needs exercise and massage.

How to do:

• Sit on the floor and stretch your legs. This time, place the foam roller under the hamstrings.
• As in the picture, raise your hips so that your weight falls on the foam roller and move slowly between the back of the knees and the hips, making sure that the foam roller does not go under the knees.
• Pause on painful points and continue this movement for at least 30 seconds.

You can cross your legs and exercise only one leg and then repeat the exercise for the other leg.

4. For the IT band

This strip consists of connective tissue and extends from the outer part of the thigh to the knee. Stiffness and pain in this area is common in runners, but others can benefit from massaging this area as well.

How to do:

• Lie on your right side and place the foam roller under the IT band (side of the thigh). Place your body weight on your right forearm.
• Using the upper body and left leg, move slowly on the foam roller between the knee and the buttock, pausing on sensitive points.
• Do this movement for 30 seconds and then massage the left side.

5. For the upper back muscle (between the shoulders)

If you have a hump in the upper back due to your job or poor standing and sitting posture, this exercise will help you. Humpback causes a lot of pressure in the upper back area, but it can be partially solved with a foam roller.

how to do:

• Lie on your back and place the foam roller under your upper back (just like the picture). The knees should be bent and the soles of the feet on the ground. Hands can be placed next to the body or in front of the chest.
• Contract your abdominal muscles and lift your hips off the floor.
• Move slowly between the lower neck and middle of the back, pausing on painful points; (Make sure that the foam roller does not go under your neck and also under the spine – it should only be under the shoulders)
• Do this movement for 30 seconds.

6. For the armpit muscle

The underarm muscles or the lats, if they become tight, can disturb the posture of the body. Use a foam roller to relax these muscles. What is the best movement for the armpit muscle with a foam roller?

how to do:

• Lie on your back at a 45-degree angle and place the foam roller under the right lat muscle. Keep the right leg straight and the left leg bent and comfortable.
• Move slowly from the armpit to the middle of the back and focus on the sensitive points, making sure that the foam roller should not reach your armpit area.
• Do this movement for 30 seconds and then massage the left side.

7. For the shoulders

Do your shoulders need a massage? You can massage the deltoid muscles with a foam roller.

how to do:

• Lie on your side and place the foam roller under your right shoulder. The lower body can rest comfortably on the floor and the left hand is forward to guide the movement.
• Move slowly over the deltoid muscle. If necessary, rotate your trunk a little so that parts of the upper deltoid are also massaged.
• Do this movement for 30 seconds and then massage the left side.

8. For the neck muscle

When you have severe headaches caused by muscle spasms in the neck, you can use a foam roller.

how to do:

• Place your neck on a foam roller.
• Slowly turn your head to the right and pause at the point where you feel stiffness.
• Now turn your head to the left.
• Repeat this movement for 30 seconds.

Note 1: You are supposed to rotate the neck or foam roller. You just turn the neck left and right.

Tip 2: Do not do this exercise if you have disc or neck arthritis.

final word

A foam roller is a simple roller that is used to massage muscles and reduce body pain. This device is made of a foam and by applying pressure to the muscles, it helps to release tension and cramps in them, and as a result, it is very useful for body recovery.

In this article, we first said what a foam roller is and then we talked about its types and benefits. In the end, we taught several sports exercises with this device.

Resources: health – healthline – fitness