The Ultimate Foam Roller Guide

Why foam rolling will be your new best friend

Do you experience back, hip, neck, leg… etc. pain? Muscle cramps, tight, stiff muscles and/or joints, headaches or poor posture? Well, you may want to try foam rolling. It has been proven to relieve most aches and pains people experience… and I have seen it first hand in the last 14 years of training individuals. I promise you, it will help you feel better too! So give it a chance to change your entire world!

How does it work?

Foam rolling is like a self, deep tissue massage you can do anywhere, for a one-time price of $20! (Not that deep-tissue massage therapist aren’t spectacular and amazing… but it’s a more convenient and cheap way for a quick self-treatment.)

When you use the foam roller, it’ll help break up the myofascial sheath that lays over your muscles. Which when tight, inhibits muscle movement and its ability to stretch. This is where a lot of pain stems from. The constriction of movement of the muscles. Prolonged inactivity, injuries or repetitive motion, can degrade the function of the muscles and their fascia (a network of connective tissue that surrounds and supports muscles). Blood flow can’t get to the area and the area stays restricted and compromised which causes pain.

The pressure of the foam roller allows for that myofascial release of the muscle. Myofascial release is what happens when you apply firm pressure to a trigger point (in the muscle belly) for a few seconds, which results in a release of tension from the muscle and encourages recovery. From there static stretching can be performed more easily, as the muscles are less constricted.

When should I use my foam roller?

The foam roller is a great tool to use to warm up the body. So ideally, you would use it before a workout or before you do any kind of static stretching. This way, blood will be flowing more freely to the muscles and they will be ready to perform in a workout or relax in a deep stretch.

You can also use the foam roll, on its own, for pain relief. For example, if you have low back pain from inactivity and from sitting a lot, the muscles are going to be very tight and stretching in of itself may be too intense at first. Sometimes stretching can cause the muscle to spasm out if the area is extremely tight. So daily foam rolling is a great way to start to loosen that myofascial sheath around the muscles to help break up some of those pressure points. It’ll be the best thing that ever happened to you! And within a few months, you will be out of most of your pain, you’ll gain more movement and you will be able to start stretching and even exercising.

How to buy your foam roller… yes there are different types

So foam rollers are everywhere these days! Which is amazing. Even most hotel gyms now have them. So if you are a traveler, yeah to that!

But it can get a little confusing when you are purchasing one. One tip I can give you is that Amazon is a lot cheaper then Dicks for example.

(Side note: As an Amazon Associate I may earn from qualifying purchases.)

The 5 basic types of foam rollers:

The softer foam roll (aka soft density, basic or flex foam roll)– This is the one that is most likely sold at Target or Walmart. When you squeeze it, your fingers go into the foam slightly. It is a great starter foam roller, if your muscles are very tender to the touch or if you have a low pain tolerance. Otherwise, I’d advise to start off with a high-density foam roller, so you do not have to buy another one later on when the soft density one doesn’t relieve your muscle tightness anymore.
High-density foam roll- This one will be very firm to the touch… your fingers will hardly sink into it. It is the one I personally use the most and recommend to the majority of my clients. It may be more intense at first… but if you keep at it, within 2 weeks you will be glad you went with it. This will provide more pressure to break up those pressure point areas in your muscles.
Trigger point foam rollers- These guys are supposed to dig into certain areas a little bit more then your normal high density foam roller. So if you feel like you need something more, but not quite ready for the rumble roller, this would be your pick!
The rumble roller- This beast comes in two different densities itself. Blue is a little less dense and black is extra firm. I personally love the rumble roller on my back when I am especially tight or have been doing a lot of heavy lifting. You definitely need to build up to this one, as it is truly a trigger point, deep tissue massage.
Collapsible and portable, Morph Foam Roller- This roller is perfect for when you travel a lot. I had a client who was a runner and traveled often with business. He would bring his morph foam roller everywhere with him to roll out his legs before a run or while he was traveling. So it’s perfect if you’re in a similar situation.

Plus there are different sizes:

The 12″, 14″, 24″ and 36″ (trigger point and rumble roller come in 22″ and 31″).

Yes they come in all sizes. I always recommend the 36″ (or 31″ if your looking at the rumble rollers). This is because a huge position of relief for me and many others, is laying longways on the roller. It helps to open up your posture and your chest and it can help alleviate back tightness and constriction because the back muscles can “melt” over the roller.

It also relieves my head-aches and neck tension. Laying long ways on it and placing the base of your scull at the end of the roller, while rocking it back and forth, presses on major pressure points and causes relief to the neck and head area. Then bonus, dropping your head off to one side, stretches the front of your neck. Which when this area is tight, it can cause a lot of tension headaches, migraines and neck pain.

So with the longer roller… you can lay comfortably on it, to reach all areas of your back and neck.

How to use your roller:

You want to slowly and deliberately, roll through each movement along the full length of the muscle belly. Note any areas that feel unusually dense or tender. Pause and gently rock back and forth at those points for several seconds to allow the roller to break up the knots/ trigger points. It may be uncomfortable at first, but keep at it, to your own tolerance. Gradually, the muscle will begin to loosen and the pain will begin to dissipate.

Yes, it is awkward and kind of uncomfortable at first… but with practice, it will become easier and more comfortable and you will start to notice your pain disappear and your movement increase!

Check out my printable Foam Rolling Guide for a quick and easy reference.

A printable guide which includes vivid pictures showing various ways to use the foam roller to relieve pain and loosen each part of your body!

For more information on pain relief and stretching- check out my posts: Why you need to stretch now… and how; AND A peaceful morning… with a stretch and mental head start.