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The benefits of foam rolling consistently

This is an excerpt from Complete Guide to Foam Rolling-2nd Edition by Kyle Stull.

FINDING THE BENEFITS IN FREQUENCY AND CONSISTENCY

It is rare that someone stands up after foam rolling and says, “I love this so much!” It is more common to hear someone say, “Why would I do that again?” because it can sometimes be uncomfortable. However, pain and discomfort are not necessarily the goal of foam rolling. (If the pain is extreme, you can switch to a softer roller or change your position.) Rather, you can achieve the benefits discussed in this chapter by creating consistency in your rolling routine. The body adapts to exercise over time. The only way this occurs is if the stimulus (such as weightlifting, cardio, or stretching) is consistently performed. Foam rolling is similar. While the benefits of foam rolling are often immediately realized, in order for the muscles and other tissues to change permanently, you must foam roll regularly.

Consider what it is your body does every day: Are you using it to its full capacity, allowing it to recover properly, keeping it hydrated, and feeding it all the nutrients it needs to rebuild and repair? Few people in today’s society are doing this. If you are not giving your body what it needs daily, you may need to perform foam rolling more frequently and for longer periods each time. TriggerPoint founder Cassidy Phillips has compared foam rolling to brushing teeth. Phillips has often been heard saying, “You brush your teeth every day to keep the plaque from building up, and you need to ‘brush’ your muscles every day to keep the gunk from building up.” While muscles do not accumulate plaque the same as teeth, the analogy rings true. Foam rolling consistently will help keep the tissues hydrated, moving smoothly across each other, and prevent them from getting stuck, short, and tight.

So far no one has performed a study to determine the precise number of days per week one should roll for maximum benefits. However, studies have suggested that rolling two to three times per week for four to eight weeks can help significantly improve range of motion and muscle flexibility (Junker and Stöggl 2015; 2019). It is also important to consider your lifestyle: What kinds of shoes do you wear? How much do you sit every day? How hard do you work out? All of these factors play a role in the degree of wear and tear the body experiences. It is quite possible you may need to roll twice a day to help initiate the change and then once per day to maintain it.

Take knee pain, for example. Imagine that your doctor has concluded you do not have any torn muscles or ligaments in the knee and suggests you lightly stretch the calves. If you have an office job where you work eight hours per day, you may be required to wear business casual clothes, including a shoe with an elevated heel. An elevated heel shortens the calf muscles. If you wear those shoes for extended periods of time, the calf muscles will quickly adapt to that shortened position and will no longer stretch out on their own. To lengthen the muscle, you could foam roll for up to one minute and then perform a stretch. However, foam rolling once a day may never be enough to actually offset the eight hours of shoe wear, thus never creating the change needed to relieve pressure off the knee. Not to mention that you will likely be in your heeled shoe the next day, and your calves will shorten again. In this case, you may want to plan to foam roll and stretch first thing in the morning, at lunch, and before bed. To maximize the benefit, you would also want to include some strengthening exercises for other muscles around the foot.

The frequency and consistency with which you foam roll will play a big part in the benefits you receive. Always consider what you’re asking your body to do most of the time. If you notice that you’re in the same position for hours each day, you may need to devote a few minutes throughout the day to your foam rolling and stretching routine.

More Excerpts From Complete Guide to Foam Rolling-2nd Edition

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