foam rolling

Develop a Habit of Foam Rolling

Foam Rolling can give you tremendous benefits in your life. Everything from pain management to flexibility, foam rollers can do wonders for your health. There are some studies coming to light that show the benefits of foam rolling, but there are also countless people who swear by it.

The problem is that developing new habits are difficult! Yes we may know how good we feel after foam rolling, but it is easy to get busy and not take breaks at work, etc so that eventually we feel muscular discomfort and pain. Or maybe we exercise a lot without using a foam roller before and after our workouts.

The way foam rolling can give you the most benefit is simply sticking with it. That’s why you need to make it a goal to develop, what we at muscle foam roller call, the foam rolling habit! Below are some tips to get you started on your way to a lifelong journey of foam rolling and better well-being.

1. Place the Foam Roller in plain sight

One great way to get yourself to develop the foam rolling habit is to set your foam roller out somewhere that you will see it a lot, such as your living room or bedroom. If you have it set out in plain site, then it’s always there for you to see. It becomes a constant reminder to use the foam roller throughout the day.

If you don’t like the looks of it on the middle of your living room then you can set it up against the wall in a corner, so it’s not as noticeable. You should put it up against the corner of wall somewhere anyways so nobody accidentally steps or trips over it.

2. Start Foam rolling while watching TV

Another great way to get yourself to adopt the foam rolling habit, is to simply foam roll while you watch TV. This is one of the most simple and effective things you can implement in your daily routines! Most people watch at least a half hour to an hour of TV almost every day, so why not hop on the foam roller and roll your muscles out while you’re watching game of thrones! Watching TV while rolling will keep your muscles much more healthy than merely being a couch potato and remaining sedentary. Most people are sedentary all day at work, then maybe go to the gym and come home to vedge out some more.

3. Start Foam Rolling at Work

Another great way to use the foam roller more often and develop the habit, is to bring a foam roller to work. If you wanted to be a little bit more discrete, you can get a muscle roller stick or a travel size foam roller to bring to work.

If your boss or place of business allows you to use the foam roller while taking breaks at work, then great! If not, you should work to confince them of the benefits it would bring to your productivity. Since we spend the majority of our days at work and many of us work at a sedentary job, you should talk to somebody that has the power to grant that ability. You can explain to them how important it is for yours and other people’s well-being.

Taking a lot of breaks and preferably foam rolling on those breaks, can have a dramatic effect on decreasing myofascial trigger points, which cause muscle pain. Employers may not realize that it doesn’t take very long to use a foam roller. It may just take a few minutes and it will keep the employees refreshed and able to focus more on the work because they’re having increased blood flow and less pain associated with the repetitive stress of sitting or doing computer work all day long.

4. Take lots of breaks while sitting for long periods

Though this may or may not involve foam rolling, you should always take breaks when sitting for long periods of time. There have been recent studies that suggests sitting is the new smoking. It is bad for your body to sit for long periods of time.

Preferably, you would get your foam roller out and start foam rolling while taking these short breaks. This would allow the much needed blood flow and circulation to take place on muscles that are overworked by sitting down too much.

5. Bring a foam roller while traveling

Similar to foam rolling at work, you should also make it a point to bring a foam roller while you are on vacation. Many people have to travel for work or just for pleasure, and end up sitting on a car, bus or train for a long time. A travel foam roller can easily fit in your luggage, so you can undo the negative effects of sitting for long periods of time while traveling.

Many people like to visit the hotel gyms to get a quick workout, while on vacation. Why not bring a travel foam roller so you can easily get some foam rolling done as well?

6. Foam roll before workouts

Another tip would be to use a foam roller every time you are about to start a workout. You can just do it for a few minutes before your workout to warm the muscles up and loosen up your body.

Foam rolling before a workout actually seems to be the new stretching for many people. Foam rolling has similar benefits to your body as stretching, but it doesn’t weaken your muscles temporarily like stretching does. While they both have similar beneficial effects on the muscles, foam rolling seems to be a more logical pre-workout activity because it doesn’t cause a decrease in muscular performance like stretching does.

There have actually been studies done that show a decrease in muscular performance. When you stretch, you are essentially elongating the muscles. And for quick power movements like sprints, it needs to quickly shorten the muscle to contract your leg muscles to sprint. So many fitness professionals now recommend stretching after a workout, and instead do similar movements and warm ups as your main workouts.

7. Foam roll after workouts

Another tip is to use a foam roller right after your workouts. This can help speed your recovery and reduce pain associated with the delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS). You can use a foam roller between your workout days as well to reduce the pain caused from DOMS.

Many people will foam roll before and after workout or just after workouts, depending on their own personal preference and how their body reacts to rolling. I personally like to get a quick foam rolling session before and after a workout.

9. Focus on making it a habit

Another way to adopt the foam rolling habit is to really focus your energies on turning it into a new habit. The problem is, many of us get very busy and we forget to implement the foam rolling on a daily or weekly schedule.

If you can continually foam roll for a month it is much easier to develop the habit. If you can just get yourself to do something everyday for 30 days it can be much easier to develop a habit. Everybody is different though. Some people, after 30 days will still struggle keeping the habit. Others will have developed a habit. If you need longer try 60 days of foam rolling and once it becomes a habit you don’t have to use discipline any longer. It just becomes as natural as brushing your teeth.

8. Set an alarm or even reminder

Another way you can use the foam roller more often is to set an alarm or event reminder on your calendar. Maybe you want to remind yourself to do it every day or every other day. Maybe you want to remind yourself to do it several times a day, everyday.

The frequency of your foam rolling habit all depends on how your body reacts to foam rolling. It is a personal preference. I personally try to roll every single day.

You may decide to set a schedule to use a foam roller several times a day, once a day, or every other day. The important thing to remember is to just be consistent with it. When you are first staring out on your foam rolling habit, it can definitely help to use a reminder (alarm or calendar event) on your iPhone or smartphone device.

10. Educate yourself on myofascial trigger points

Another great way to use a foam roller more often is to educate yourself on the benefits of foam rolling. Read up on what myofascial trigger points and myofacial release are.

It’s one thing to read a article about the benefits of foam rolling. It’s another thing to completely educate yourself on the mechanisms of how pain is developed through these trigger points. The more you read about how foam rolling can help with pain and general health, the more you believe in the validity of foam rolling. The more you realize how good it is for your body the more you want to do it. The goal is to basically educate yourself to develop a mindset change of how our muscles really operate, and how our muscle is the bodies biggest, least cared about, and most misunderstood organ. And the ultimate goal of education is how you can use a muscle roller massage tool like the foam roller to keep your muscles and body healthy.

We had several guides here at muscle foam roller that you can browse to gain a better understanding of many subjects. You can learn how foam rolling benefits your body and other aspects related to the science behind myofascial trigger points and muscular health.

Finding the Best Foam Rollers

Choosing the Best Size Foam Roller

When searching for the best foam rollers, you must consider size. Not only are there many different types of foam rollers, there are many different sizes that foam rollers come in. It can be confusing choosing the right size roller.

The length is what usually is the main difference in sizes between foam rollers, but there can also be differences in diameter. For example, there are the traditional Trigger Point Foam Roller (pictured above) and there is the Travel Foam Roller (pictured below), which is miniature sized Trigger Point Foam Roller to make it easier to carry around.

Travel Foam Roller — Black travel foam roller

When choosing the best foam rollers for your particular needs, the size is usually just a personal preference, as the smaller ones are better for travel and portability. The longer ones are easier to roll on and to not slip off from. It really all depends on where you want to use it. We generally recommend a longer roller for home and a shorter one to bring to the gym and while traveling.

Choosing the Best Firmness for your Foam Roller

When searching for the ultimate muscle foam roller (either for fitness or general health) you need to consider your preference, age and your purpose for rolling. When using foam rollers, it is important to decide if you want more of a firm foam roller or a softer one, as each can give you different experiences while rolling. You also want to decide if a grid style foam roller or something more firm like a knobbed style foam roller is better.

The firmness is all about how dense the foam is. If the foam is extremely dense, it will be much more firm. If it is less dense, it will feel softer to the touch and you will feel the softer foam when rolling your muscles.

Softer Rollers For Beginners

In general, you should choose a softer foam roller when you are first starting out. The soft foam rollers are better for beginners because it is common to experience soreness and pain when first getting into rolling with foam rollers. Your muscles need time to adapt to the rolling. The very first time you get on a foam roller, you will likely experience some uncomforted in certain areas, while felling great in other areas.

With that said, it is okay to use a hard foam roller like the high density foam roller, even when you are a beginner. It helps relieve the myofascial trigger points better than a softer foam roller. It all depends on your personal preference.

Firm Rollers For Advanced Users

Once you give your body time to adapt, you will be able to roll on (and probably need) a more firm foam roller. Though you may still want a soft roller, some people may need a firm foam roller as they continually use them. At first, your muscles are much easier to get to and much more tender. After your muscles have adapted, the firm rollers help you get a good muscle massage, stress relief, and all the other benefits foam rollers have.

Textured or Flat Foam Rollers?

Not only are there different sizes and degrees of firmness, there are also different textures. There are grid type textures, round bump like textures, and spike knob-like textures.

This is all about personal preference. We personally use different textures for different purposes. For example, the smooth foam rollers are a great all purpose foam roller. The knobbed ones are good for more of a deep tissue massage. The grid foam rollers are a good mix on the flat rollers, as they give you a more varied massage; It varies the pressure on your muscles.

Choosing the Color that Fits Your Personality

This, obviously is all about personal preference. Whether you want a white foam roller, a black foam roller, a pink foam roller, a blue foam roller, a green foam roller, or a purple foam roller, the choice is all up to you. However, you should note that some companies will use a color code to differentiate between the firmness.

For example, white is traditionally the softest roller and black rollers are the firmest foam rollers. Colors like blue and green are usually a medium thickness.

Just keep that in mind when looking for a roller, and be sure to read the description to make sure it is the correct firmness that you need. We don’t agree with this logic because we know that people want different colors based on preferences, and different degrees of firmness.

Though it may seem complicated with all the factors, just get a foam roller. It will make a huge difference in your life. It helps with pain, it helps with staying fit, staying hydrated, and many other benefits. Here at muscle foam roller, we have a huge variety of foam rollers that will fit your needs.