Can foam rolling be substituted for stretching or are the two exercises completely different? (I would prefer to roll vs stretch any day of the week)
Do both.
Why would you substitute? +1 on both, but always stretch. Flexibility along with proper warm-up before harder workouts, goes a long way to preventing injuries IMO.
Can foam rolling be substituted for stretching or are the two exercises completely different? (I would prefer to roll vs stretch any day of the week)
My thoughts are that Foam Rolling is for increasing circulation and Stretching is for increasing range of motion.
Is that incorrect?
jaretj
My thoughts are that Foam Rolling is for increasing circulation and Stretching is for increasing range of motion.
Is that incorrect?
jaretj
Rolling “loosens” your muscle tissue.
Can foam rolling be substituted for stretching or are the two exercises completely different? (I would prefer to roll vs stretch any day of the week)
This is interesting.
You have to state what you believe you are achieving by stretching.
Then we can begin to answer the question.
To begin:
Foam roller has proven benefits.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23772339
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23575360
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22580977
etc…
Stretching doesn’t.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24100287
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24077380
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24042312
etc…
By loosing the muscle tissue you you mean something like relieve tension in them and helping you to relax? Or something different?
I’ve never really used rolling on myself so I honestly don’t know what it does.
jaretj
Looks like I have some reading to do
jaretj
.
Stretching can certainly help with your range of motion, but post workout that probably isn’t its most important function. Stretching can help disperse lactate (lactic acid) build up in the muscles. Rolling helps breakdown excess fascia that builds up and can cause tightness leading to injury. Both rolling and stretching serve other functions but these are some of the primary reasons for doing them post workout.
On a personal note I will say I was not a “believer” in the whole rolling thing till I gave it a try. It really feels amazing on your IT band which is an area all too hard to access even through proper stretching. You should do both and definitely give rolling a try. Check out some videos online to make sure you are doing it right because there is definitely a method.
Also to everyone who has tried rolling, try using a lacrosse ball on some hard to roll spots. It is like having a deep tissue massage. One technique that is great is putting the lacrosse ball on your hamstring while sitting on a table then slowly raising and lowering your leg. Does wonders.
Stretching can certainly help with your range of motion, but post workout that probably isn’t its most important function.
Stretching can help disperse lactate (lactic acid) build up in the muscles.
No it can’t: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23256711
Rolling helps breakdown excess fascia that builds up and can cause tightness leading to injury.
True: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/?term=Acute+Effects+of+Self-Myofascial
Both rolling and stretching serve other functions but these are some of the primary reasons for doing them post workout.
Which functions?
On a personal note I will say I was not a “believer” in the whole rolling thing till I gave it a try. It really feels amazing on your IT band which is an area all too hard to access even through proper stretching. You should do both and definitely give rolling a try. Check out some videos online to make sure you are doing it right because there is definitely a method.
Also to everyone who has tried rolling, try using a lacrosse ball on some hard to roll spots. It is like having a deep tissue massage. One technique that is great is putting the lacrosse ball on your hamstring while sitting on a table then slowly raising and lowering your leg. Does wonders.
Stretching doesn’t.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24100287
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24077380
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24042312
etc…
Yea…and every orthopedic surgeon, sports physical therapist and trainer must be wrong for having us stretch to prevent/help with injuries?
I must be a special case then. Stretching has helped improve my range of motion. It’s also helped me overcome ITBs and I’m currently going through hip bursitis/tendonitis…which specific stretches have helped alleviate.
We wouldn’t get very far if we didn’t question the results of every publication.
Stretching doesn’t.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24100287
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24077380
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24042312
etc…
Yea…and every orthopedic surgeon, sports physical therapist and trainer must be wrong for having us stretch to prevent/help with injuries?
I can’t comment on what orthopedic surgeons, sports physical therapists and trainers think.
I can say that stretching has not been shown to prevent injuries or improve performance.
Stretching has been shown to help with injuries.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15089024 … but not on their own…
Stretching has also been shown to increase mobility, but here’s the kicker, this increase in mobility does not give a performance benefit and can actually cause a performance reduction.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23588487
I must be a special case then. Stretching has helped improve my range of motion. It’s also helped me overcome ITBs and I’m currently going through hip bursitis/tendonitis…which specific stretches have helped alleviate.
We wouldn’t get very far if we didn’t question the results of every publication.
We wouldn’t get very far if we ignored them either. All these publications have been peer reviewed by people far more knowledgeable then me.
I’d rather question beliefs that are founded on nothing.
We also used to bleed people when they got sick. Just because a remedy is popular does not mean it has any scientific basis.
If you are going to counter an argument supported by recent studies published by reputable journals, you should counter with other recent studies. Not your own, unscientific, experiences.
I can be the counter to your special case because I have been competing in running and triathlon for 20 years, and have not stretched at all for the past 15. I have only had one injury (patellar tendonitis) which was caused by my quads being too loose. The treatment was doing wall sits for 5 minutes 3 times a day for a month.
In 2006 I discovered that there was no evidence to support stretching as a method of injury prevention and performance enhancement.
I have not stretched since.
As the original poster I want to clarify the reason behind my question. I was asking if the “benefits” of rolling and stretching are the same. It seems as though whether I stretch or roll prior to a run, my run is much smoother than if I just went out cold. From the answers above it seems like they achieve two entirely different things.
Also is it bad to by proud of starting a small ST fued?
If you are looking to warm up before running, I would definitely avoid stretching. I do like stretching, but after a warmup. Cold stretching is what can lead to injuries and issues and should be done after the run or workout.
Now rolling on the other hand can be done before or after or both. Some Olympians like to use it as a warmup when space is limited. Don’t go over board, especially if it is new to you.
Also, there is no need to become a super flexible yogi when it comes to stretching. I think many people either go all the way or do nothing and it is quite easy to learn to stretch properly for the task you are doing. So yes, you do not need super flexibility when running, but yet you do need a certain range of motion, which we often lose from over training. Generally if you are getting injured from running, you likely lack a range of motion. If you aren’t getting injured then great.
… Cold stretching is what can lead to injuries and issues and should be done after the run or workout…
I do this virtually daily - first thing when I get up (while watching SportsCentre) for as much time as I have to spare before breakfast that day. I never considered it cold stretching - there aren’t very many times in the day when my muscles are as warm as when I climb out of bed. Range of motion is reduced, not unexpectedly, but I’m not trying to set flexibility records then.
… Cold stretching is what can lead to injuries and issues and should be done after the run or workout…
I do this virtually daily - first thing when I get up (while watching SportsCentre) for as much time as I have to spare before breakfast that day. I never considered it cold stretching - there aren’t very many times in the day when my muscles are as warm as when I climb out of bed. Range of motion is reduced, not unexpectedly, but I’m not trying to set flexibility records then.
Well I guess we likely all do some amount of cold stretching, especially when we first get up. But I was referring to a dedicated stretching program that tries to help increase range of mobility.
I do some yoga and we usually start with a warm up routine, which in and of itself includes stretching. It is just that any amount of deep stretching shouldn’t occur until you get some hat int he muscles.
A heating pad would also do the trick as could a hot shower or bath.
I think you brought up a very good topic that there is a lot of miss-information about.
Have you tried not pre-stretching or rolling for a significant duration?
I used to experience extremely high RPE vs Pace/HR on morning runs.
Couldn’t figure it out at all.
I started early morning regularly. Guess what? Problem disappeared.
Or in other words, you probably feel better when you pre-stretch/roll just because you pre-stretch/roll.
Does that make sense?
*edit. I felt I had to edit this response. There are no publications listed. This is an opinion open to whatever flaming it is due.