Foam Rolling

One of my favorite things that I was introduced to in P90x2 was foam rolling.  I saw the potential in it so quickly that I had to go out and buy a travel size foam roller after one session to keep with me on the road.

A foam roller is a cylinder made of…wait for it…foam.  It’s kind of like a rolling pin, but you use it for your muscles and fascia.  Regular use of a foam roller can help reduce muscle and joint pain and enhance athletic performance.  Foam rollers are designed for self-myofascial release; an intense form of sports massage that you perform on yourself.  It’s basically deep-tissue massage that you can use to loosen tight fascia and reduce some of the stiffness and soreness of muscles.

In P90x2, there is a short, dedicated session in each warm-up to do some foam rolling on the body parts you are going to be training that day.  It is one of my favorite segments of each workout.  There is also a full Recovery + Mobility workout that has over 20 minutes of full-body foam rolling.  I try to push myself hard enough that I am always a little sore the next day and foam rolling helps that.  One of my favorite times to foam roll is actually at night, in front of the TV.  Instead of sitting on the couch, slouched over, I’m getting a nice massage, so I’m ready to perform better the next morning.

The downside of foam rolling, especially when you first start, is that it can be a bit painful.  But, the more it hurts, the better it’s working.  The more you do it, the less it will hurt.  The idea is to roll your muscles on top of the foam roller, slowly.  When you find a hot spot, as Tony Horton calls it, a place that is really tender, you stop there and breathe, maybe making micro-movements, until you work out the kink.

You can foam roll any muscle or joint by getting your body into the right position and letting gravity do the work.  You can also apply some added pressure by stacking your legs, twisting your body, or leaning a little harder to get the right level of pressure that works for you.  My favorite areas to hit are my shoulders, my outer lats right behind and under my armpit, and my calves.  Lately, I’ve been focusing on my upper pecs as well, since they were really blasted by the P.A.P. workouts at the end of P90x2.

You can pick up a foam roller at just about any sporting goods store or from Beachbody.  You could also use a tightly balled up towel, a piece of PVC, a can of vegetables, or even a tennis ball in a pinch.  I know alot of you are sitting there reading this and feel a little discomfort in your back or shoulders.  Give foam rolling a chance and before you know it, that pain will be a thing of the past.