Foam Rolling 101: Here's What You Need To Know

To better understand foam rollers from A-Z, here's a guide breaking down the do’s, the don'ts, and a short series of exercises for the well-seasoned and newbie foam rollers alike.

Most people think foam rolling is some sort of medieval torture designed to inflict pain as you roll out your tight IT bands, but the foam roller is capable of so much more—and if used correctly, rolling doesn’t need to hurt. The roller can actually help rejuvenate and strengthen your entire body by healing and restoring your fascia. Fascia is a thin layer of connective tissue that lies under the skin and wraps around the every muscle and organ in the body. The role fascia actually plays in the body is really only now being fully recognized. Fascia helps connect the muscles to the bones and joints and plays a key role in our structural integrity—so in a way it is like the scaffolding of the body. The best way to imagine fascia is to think of a thin Saran wrap-like layer that lies between the skin and the muscles like a web. If you’ve ever seen the white stringy layer when you cut into an uncooked chicken, that is fascia. Fascia is also where the nerves and the lymph nodes sit–so it is now being called a sensory organ because this is where pain originates and is communicated to the brain.

One of the key benefits of the roller is that it helps smooth out and hydrate the fascia. Foam rolling improves circulation throughout your entire body which helps to oxygenate the blood, boost lymphatic drainage and flush toxins from the body. The roller also helps to "lubricate" the joints and reduce inflammation in the body while increasing flexibility and range of motion. It can also improve the connection to the intrinsic or core muscles; we tend to lose this connectivity with our core as we age. So bottom line, the roller is an incredible tool for overall fitness and health.

These are all benefits that exercises like running, yoga, weights, spinning, or any number of other routines don’t necessarily offer, and this makes the roller the perfect complement to whatever other workouts you might be doing.

Many people use a roller that is too hard, especially when they are first starting out. I spent years experimenting with different densities of roller and I finally decided to develop my own roller. Even with a softer roller, rolling is not always going to be comfortable—but it should be the sort of pain that feels good, because it’s doing you good. Rolling shouldn’t really hurt. If you find yourself grimacing, I recommend trying a slightly softer roller.

I also developed a smaller, softer foam roller specifically for traveling. I find that whenever you’re on the go is a time you really need the roller, so I created this roller to be small enough to pop into your carry-on luggage but big enough to still get the all benefits of rolling. You won’t be able to do all the moves in this course on this roller, but you’ll be able to do a lot of them and if you’re on the road a lot I really recommend this option.

First of all, never roll on your cervical spine (the neck) or the lumbar spine (the bony part of your lower back). The discs and vertebrae in these areas don’t have so much soft tissue protecting them and rolling these areas can really hurt! Some of my moves do reach these parts–but it’s all about positioning your body so it is actually rolling over a stationary roller, rather than having the roller moving under you. Honestly, I think the biggest mistake people make is thinking the roller is just a physical therapy tool. For starters, here are five beginner foam roller exercises you can introduce into your daily movement and wellness practice.

Wanna learn how to use foam rolling to reduce inflammation? Here's a guide on how to reduce inflammation with exercise.