To Roll or not to roll

That is the question.

DO NOT STRETCH FIRST THING.

Stretching before workouts it"reduces force production and thereby reduces training performance".

What do you do then? Try foam rolling. Foam rolling enhances performance and aids recovery without any drawbacks*. Need to warm up? Foam roll. Feeling stiff after a hard workout? Foam roll. Hung over? Foam Rolling (seriously).

Just put your sore muscle on the roller, put some body weight on it and roll back and forth. It should hurt a little. It should hurt so good (sometimes love don't feel like it should). Comfortably uncomfortable. The more a muscle hurts under the roller the more you need to roll it (if you can stand the discomfort).

Wanna see something cool. Watch thismobility demonstrationbefore/after a brief foam rolling session.
Or this one.
Don't forgetthis one.

I could go on... buuuuut you get the point.

Foam rolling makes you more flexible pretty much instantly. It reduces stiffness and soreness post workout as well. The reason it works is up for debate. Some think the roller releases adhesions between layers of fascia; some think the roller moves fluid through your cells (why it may help hang overs); some say it's trigger points; some say it has to do with Golgi tendon stimulation.

I honestly don't care why it works as long as it helps me keep dancing.

Foam rolling isn't for everyone though. Some of us aren't tactile; do not respond well to touch therapy. You recoil from massage work; don't like to be touched or manually manipulated. To quote the avid foam roller Socrates, 'Know thyself'. If you ain't tactile then foam rolling ain't your jam. Keep searching- there will be something that works for you.

Hey Steve- is there anything you HATE about foam rolling?

Great question! Yes.

I hate when people foam roll their IT Band. This is a band, not a muscle. Rolling the IT band increases instability and makes knee/hip issues worse. Why does it irk me so much? Because I see people do it ALL THE TIME.

Top 3 fitness irks:
- stretching before workouts
- rolling the IT band.
- Calling any race shorter than 26.2 miles a marathon.

Wrapping up- foam rolling is a great warm up and recovery tool for people who are tactile.

Just don't roll your IT band.