Are these things useful or are they one of those BS bandwagons that triathletes seem to be forever jumping upon?
Will correct use of these really enable me to maintain a higher volume and intensity?
Good.
Rolling my IT bands is with out a doubt the single most important “maintenance” I do. Before I started rolling my IT bands, I had some pretty bad knee pain. After a month of rolling a few times a week my knees felt great and I haven’t had a hint of knee discomfort since.
The foam roller has been an invaluable tool for me in eliminating knee and shin pain due to ITB and posterior tibialis tightness. Foam rolling has been the sole treatment (among many others tried) that has alleviated the above two ailments. I can’t say that anyone else would see the exact same benefits but I have certainly seen some benefits.
I am doubtful of the foam roller’s effectiveness when used on otherwise healthy muscles though. For instance, it doesn’t subjectively help my quads feel less fatigued or recover faster after a hard bike or run…on the contrary it seems to make them feel weak and tired as if I’m damaging them.
It helped me recover from my hamstring injury faster and for me replaces massage which it seems everyone recommends. I do it every day now and if I happen to forget I can tell the next run that I feel “tighter”. Although perhaps if I was more flexible stretching additional stretching would accomplish the same thing…
Foam rolling gives me a reason to live.
OK, so maybe that’s a bit of hyperbole, but as I’ve tried to get faster on both the bike and run, foam rolling and The Stick have been a wonderful combination to take care of the IT band and the associated pains that go with it. My IT band definitely takes more abuse now. Roll back and forth over an area 20-30 times until it hurts good. You can get a foam roller pretty cheap, and you can also use a baking rolling pin instead of a name-brand massage stick. I love using the massage stick on my calves. It really is good stuff, and probably the best bang for the buck training/recovery tools I have. You can go DIY on the foam roller, too using 6" PVC pipe. Go for it!
Good, good, good. I cannot believe the state my muscles were in before I started using the foam roller (and other self-massage torture devices). I could barely exert any pressure at all and am now amazed that I got away with minimal injuries. I just toughed it out through discomfort and assumed it was the same for everyone. Sure is a lot more fun training and competing with a body that does a lot less complaining.
I’ve heard endless great things about foam rolling. I believe, mostly from people who have had previous or long standing problems.
I’ll say my experience isn’t great and I’m still looking for the best product. If I’m tight and use TP, it seems to just agrivate the problem. And if I have no IT problems and roll it, it’ll get inflamed and hurt days later.
They work and and work well. Personal masseuse daily would be ideal. roller=“masseuse in a tube”
My wife got one after using them for warm ups in her pilates classes. We both use it to help with muscle recovery in the evening. I haven’t used it in an injury situation, but for muscle recovery it seems to be helpful as an aide to massaging muscles. It won’t work any miracles but it is a sensible thing to have if you would benefit from regular massage.
It’s an invaluable tool for me personally. I roll before and after every run and ride. If I skip it, my legs are tight when I wake up and little aches and pains start to develop, which in the past eventually turn into injuries for me. My calves and IT band are the areas where I really feel it helps.
I have been using foam roller for the last 2 years and it has made a tremendous difference to my conditioning and recovery from injuries notably hamstring, calves and minor achilles strains - as a soon to be super Vet it is a key piece of kit to help me contain and minimise the ageing process. Summary - simple, efficient and portable piece of kit that “does what it says on the tin” its a no brainer get one!
For me, when I first tried a foam roller on my IT band and quads I could get maybe 3-4 rolls on each area and have to stop. Same thing when I got massage therapy. It hurt so bad. After months of use I can usually get upwards of 20 rolls on each area. I try to roll often and that ends up being 4-5 times week usually. It is certainly loosening something up, and that seems to help me recover from runs easier.
I bought my roller at a discount store for about $20. For that price it was well worth it.
I find it awkward to use on my calves.
Are these things useful or are they one of those BS bandwagons that triathletes seem to be forever jumping upon?
Will correct use of these really enable me to maintain a higher volume and intensity?
I was skeptical as well and never used any type of massage or foam roller work.
About 6 months ago, I was lucky enough to sit next to Christian Vande Velde at a wedding. He was a great guy and the only “shop” related subject we talked about that night had to do with massage. I specifically asked him if it was BS or did it help.
In no uncertain terms, he told me he would NOT be able to compete and train at the level he does without massage and or foam roller treatment…that was good enough for me. I went out and bought one the next day.
It has been like night and day. I use it 2-3 times a week and my legs have never felt better…I’m not faster, I’m just running with fewer aches and pains and I’ve had many more runs that were my legs felt “snappy” vs fatigued or dead.
Buy one. Use it. You won’t be sorry.
the benefit is that is breaks up adhesions that cause your muscles to pull and not work in the way they are supposed to. Doing this will not heal an injury, but it allows the muscles to work as they are supposed to and not cause stress on them or tendons/ligaments that inflamed etc.
Doing it right after a workout can flush the muscles and get blood flowing etc.
When I do it regularly I can maintain higher volume/intensity because I’m not battling little overuse injuries from muscles working in ways they aren’t supposed to, if all my muscles are loose and work as they should I never experience overuse injuries.
Man I will tell you that as I get older, I realize how important it is to use the roller. I have the whole trigger point kit and the two tennis ball size hard rolling balls that came with it work wonders for back aches!
Anyone have some ‘best practices’ for getting the most out of the foam rollers. I’ve started to use them after various injuries and while they help after a workout to loosen me up, they haven’t changed my life like some people have mentioned. I typically use them for my calves and hamstrings and either use my bodyweight or throw one leg on top of the other to increase pressure. I’ll sometimes isolate certain muscles, too, and give a good 10-12 rolls on each muscle.
The Trigger Point Grid is a child’s toy. If you want to foam roll for real then look at the Rumble Roller (I have no affiliation whatsoever with this product, but I use it at LEAST once a day)
Anyone have some ‘best practices’ for getting the most out of the foam rollers. I’ve started to use them after various injuries and while they help after a workout to loosen me up, they haven’t changed my life like some people have mentioned. I typically use them for my calves and hamstrings and either use my bodyweight or throw one leg on top of the other to increase pressure. I’ll sometimes isolate certain muscles, too, and give a good 10-12 rolls on each muscle.
Well start your routine with a massage ball on the bottoms of your feet. A tennis ball or golf ball will work and watch a youtube vid on how to perform the exercises.
The Trigger Point Grid is a child’s toy. If you want to foam roll for real then look at the Rumble Roller (I have no affiliation whatsoever with this product, but I use it at LEAST once a day)
That thing looks nasty (but in a good way if that makes sense). You living back in Madison now Thomas? If so, doing any local races this season?
Foam rollers are good but be careful not to overtreat an area. It is possible to make things worse especially if you don’t really know what you are doing e.g. working the glutes could irritate the nerve adjacent to the piriformis.