Foam rolling seemed to come out of nowhere maybe 15 or 20 years ago.
Lets separate fact from fiction.
What is foam rolling?
(The foam is similar to what a pool noodle is made of, but denser.)
When and how do you do foam rolling?
Foam rolling is often done before a workout, as part of a warmup.
This means different things to different people, but its often thought to relieve feelings of muscle soreness.
In this theory, foam rolling is good for us because it breaks up those adhesions.
In reality, scientists have not been able to find evidence that adhesions are real.
This theory is widespread enough that self-myofascial release is used as a synonym for foam rolling.
(Some muscles, of course, fall into both categories.)
The warmup phase of your workout exists to help accomplish these goals.
Fortunately, foam rollingseems to help increase flexibility without causing those short-term dents to strength and power.
(So does dynamic stretching, but thats another story.)
is a good thing to do before a squat workout.
And thats the lesson to take away from this, I think.
If it helps, keep it.
And if it doesnt, ditch it in favor of something thatdoeswork for you.
