Training with a foam roller

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The foam roller is a large roll, often made of rubber, designed to remove trigger points such as knots and adhesions with the aim of improving the body’s flexibility and mobility. This can help improve posture and prevent injuries. Nowadays, you can see foam rollers more and more in various fitness centers and they are also ideal for home use. Foam rolling is part of the self-myofascial release technique. In this post, we want to delve a little deeper into this.

Self-myofascial release massage

Self-myofascial release massage is a form of massage that you apply to yourself. “Myo” means muscle and fascia is the connective tissue that surrounds the muscles and other tissues in the body. Through training, injuries, or poor posture, muscles and connective tissues can become abnormally bound together, causing knots. With the help of the foam roller, it is possible to address and possibly alleviate these knots.

When should I train with a foam roller

Many people use this form of self-massage both before and after training. If you have never used the foam roller before, it is advisable to apply it after your workout as a kind of cool-down. This form of self-massage can be very sensitive, so it’s more comfortable when your muscles are warm and supple.

Self-myofascial release also has the effect of static stretching, which is why many people use it as a form of stretching.

Buying a foam roller

Naturally, you can buy your ideal foam roller in the Fitsociety shop.

How to use a foam roller

When massaging with the foam roller, you’ll notice that certain spots on a muscle can be much more sensitive. This is where most of the knots are located. For general relaxation of the muscle, use method 1. To specifically address the more sensitive spots, use method 2.

Method 1: Perform 1-3 sets of 10-20 repetitions for each release technique (targeting a specific muscle group) you apply. Roll over the full length of the muscle.

Method 2: Start rolling on a muscle and when you find a painful spot, try to hold the spot for at least 30 seconds and repeat this 1-3 times (sets).

There are many different muscle groups that you can subject to massage with a foam roller:

• Calves
• Hamstrings
• Quadriceps
• Glutes (including piriformis)
• IT band
• Back
• Spine
• Neck

Types of foam rollers

It is best to start with a blue foam roller. These are slightly softer than the black version. With the black version, you can penetrate the tissues even deeper, but this is simply too sensitive for a beginner. Foam rollers are available in different sizes, for example, 30cm and 1 meter. The 1-meter one is the easiest to use because you can do all different exercises on it.

Functionality of foam roller

By rolling over the foam roller with your own body weight, you exert pressure on the knots in your muscle tissue. This pushes the elastic muscle fibers back into a straighter position in line with the other muscle fibers. The subtle force you apply stimulates the muscle to relax further and reduce tension.

Foam rolling is not for everyone

Self-myofascial release is not recommended for people with circulatory problems. If you develop bruises, experience more muscle pain (longer after training), or have less sensation in the muscles, it is better to stop this form of self-massage.

Applying self-massage looks quite strange. Many people in the Netherlands are not familiar with it or have never used it. Therefore, it feels very awkward because you don’t know exactly what to do.

The first few times you apply it, it may not be very pleasant and may even be painful. After doing it about five times, you’ll notice that it eventually works very relaxing and is not at all as bad as it seemed. Start with a blue foam roller, and when you become more experienced, you can switch to a black or even harder rollers for an even better and more relaxing effect on the muscles.

If you still don’t like foam rolling in the gym, you can buy a foam roller for home use for only 20 or 30 euros.

Advantages of foam roller

Recent research has shown that working with a foam roller increases flexibility but not strength in trained athletes.

Above, we explain why and how you could work with a foam roller. Below, we delve deeper into the studies conducted on the effectiveness and benefits of foam rolling.

Just to recap: With a foam roller, you can apply the massage technique called: Self-myofascial release massage.

This term refers to massaging the connective tissues (fascia) of muscles yourself. Binding these tissues together can lead to knots, also called “trigger points.” By massaging away these trigger points with self-myofascial release massage, you would ensure greater flexibility, more strength, and other aspects influenced by, for example, reduced flexibility and blood flow.

Acute effect of foam roller

In June, the online prepublication of a new study on the effects of working with a foam roller appeared[1]. Researchers from Oklahoma State University had 14 American football players (college level) go through a specific protocol three times. Prior to this, tests were conducted on jump power, isometric strength, and flexibility of the leg muscles. The three protocols were.

1. Foam roller massage. left and right hamstrings, left and right quadriceps, left and right gluteus maximus, left and right gastrocnemius. All one minute each, so a total of 8 minutes.
2. Dynamic stretching. The same muscles, for 8 minutes.
3. Do nothing. Inactive for 8 minutes.

Each week, a different protocol was performed, and thus all fourteen participants underwent all three protocols. Immediately after performing the protocol, testing was done again.

Results: More flexible not stronger

Both foam roller massage and dynamic stretching increased peak power in jump power, but this difference was not statistically significant and could therefore have been caused by chance. There was also no significant effect on (average power and average and peak velocity in) jump power. Foam roller and dynamic stretching also had no significant impact on isometric strength.

However, the flexibility of the hip joint did increase significantly with both the foam roller (15.6% increase) and dynamic stretching (19.9%).

Comparable research

The effect of foam roller massage on flexibility has been demonstrated multiple times. Various studies have shown its effect to be comparable to that of stretching [2,3,4]. When it comes to increasing range of motion, the foam roller seems to be of value.

In an article on static stretching, I have described how stretching can have a numbing effect on muscles, especially with static stretching. Several studies have shown that this can impair performance that follows [5,6], especially when it lasts longer than a minute [7]. In this case, 8 minutes of foam roller massage did not result in impaired performance, leading the researchers to see this as a good alternative to static stretching.

While the use of foam rollers do not appear to either benefit or deter maximal isometric strength or velocity, DTR does appear to enhance ROM and may be used in addition to traditional stretching exercises to maintain or increase ROM in athletes.

Bert H. Jacobson, Oklahoma State University

However, this alternative already existed and in their own research proved to have a greater effect on flexibility, namely dynamic stretching.

That the foam roller has no effect on strength was previously demonstrated in 2008 when research showed that individuals could not jump higher or have more isometric strength [2], and later in 2014 when strength in leg extensions and muscle activation did not increase either [3].

Acute effects vs. long-term effects

It is important to realize that the Oklahoma State study looked at acute effects. Immediately after the protocol (stretching, foam roller, or nothing), testing was done again. This did not result in improvement in jump power or isometric strength as seen in previous studies on acute effects [8,9]. However, one of these studies did show that using the foam roller reduced fatigue after the test [9].

Reduced fatigue can theoretically lead to better performance at a later time. This seems to be confirmed by research from last year.

The same researchers who did not see a direct effect on jump power [8] did see this when looking at performance 48 hours later. Let 48 hours after training be the time when muscle soreness is often most pronounced. Just earlier this year, research was conducted showing that the foam roller can indeed limit muscle soreness [11].

It is therefore quite possible that better performance after 48 hours is due to the fact that you feel less muscle soreness. However, you may then wonder whether you should have rested longer for optimal recovery. Handy for a certain competition, perhaps, but not if you just dive into the gym to get stronger or bigger.

Conclusion

There are two things that seem reasonably well demonstrated:

1. Self-myofascial release massage with the foam roller increases flexibility and range of motion
2. Self-myofascial release massage with the foam roller has no direct effect on strength

And then a few things for which we have seen the first indications but for which more research is needed for confirmation:

1. Self-myofascial release massage with the foam roller reduces the feeling of fatigue.
2. Self-myofascial release massage with the foam roller reduces muscle soreness
3. Self-myofascial release massage with the foam roller may result in better results a few days after the massage.

References

1. Behara, Brandon; Jacobson, Bert H..THE ACUTE EFFECTS OF DEEP TISSUE FOAM ROLLING AND DYNAMIC STRETCHING ON MUSCULAR STRENGTH, POWER, AND FLEXIBILITY IN DIVISION I LINEMEN.Journal of Strength & Conditioning Research:Post Acceptance: June 24, 2015 Original Investigation: PDF Only
2. Jaggers, J., Swank, A., Frost, K., and Lee, C. The acute effects of dynamic and ballistic stretching on veritcal jump height, force, and power. J Strength Cond Res 22(6), 1844-1849, 2008.
3.  Mohr A, Long B, Goad C. Foam rolling and static stretching on passive hip flexionrange of motion. J Sport Rehab 23(4), 296-299, 2014.
4. Sullivan, K., Silvey, D., Button, D., and Behm, D. Roller‐massager application to the hamstrings increases sit‐and‐reach range of motion within five to ten seconds without performance impairments. Int J SportsPphy The, 8(3), 228, 2013.
5. Behm, D., Button, D., and Butt, J. Factors afffecting force loss with prolonged stretching. Can J Appl Physiol 26(3), 261-272, 2001.
6. Cramer, J. T. Do practical durations of stretching alter muscle strength? A doseresponse study. Med Sci Sports Exerc 40(8), 1529-1537, 2008.
7. Kay AD, Blazevich AJ. Effect of acute static stretch on maximal muscle performance: a systematic review. Med Sci Sports Exerc. 2012 Jan;44(1):154-64.
   doi: 10.1249/MSS.0b013e318225cb27. Review. PubMed PMID: 21659901.
8. MacDonald, G., Penney, M., Mullaley, M. , Cuconato, A., Drake, C., Behm, D., and Button, D. An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force. J Strength Cond Res, 27(3), 812-821, 2013.
9.  Healey, K., Hatfield, D., Blanpied, P., Dorfman, L., and Riebe, D. The effects of myofascial release with foam rolling on performance. J Strength Cond Res 28(1), 61-68,2013.
10. Macdonald, G. Z., Button, D. C., Drinkwater, E. J., and Behm, D. G. Foam rolling as a recovery tool after an intense bout of physical activity. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 46(1), 131-142, 2014.
11. Peacock, C. A., Krein, D. D., Silver, T. A., Sanders, G. J., and von Carlowitz, K.-P. (2014). An Acute Bout of Self-Myofascial Release in the Form of Foam Rolling Improves Performance Testing. Int J Exerc Sci, 7(3), 202-211.