Raise your hand if you have a foam roller gathering dust under your bed or in your closet. Or maybe you’ve thought about getting a foam roller but haven’t actually pulled the trigger yet. Well, your muscles called, and they’re begging you to use this recovery aid in your fitness routine.
We all know how it feels to wake up in the morning with a body stiff and sore from a long run or a tough workout the day before. Getting out of bed itself is a challenge, but completing the rest of the day is like a twisted instalment of Mission Impossible. Fortunately for you, there are several different ways to alleviate muscle soreness, and one of the easiest and most effective is foam rolling.
It’s important to note that the firmer the material, the deeper the pressure it will provide—so if you’re new to foam rolling, start with a softer roller to adapt your body to the technique and to prevent injury.
Foam rolling works by using your body weight as pressure to release the tightness in your muscles, similar to how a massage therapist would rub out pressure points to make you more relaxed. The beauty of foam rolling, though, is that YOU are under control, so you can target any sore area you want and use the roller to massage your muscles until you are totally satisfied. Below is a complete list of foam roller exercises for every part of the body, along with images and instructions for each exercise. As long as you have access to a foam roller, you can perform these exercises anytime, and anywhere.
