Foam roller... is it helpful? how do you use them?

[marco83]

Hi fellow runners

I did not know this tool until a few weeks ago... I have always been just a runner and did not do much more than that, at least in the past. Did not know about cros-training, or massaging... Now that I am aging and I need to find excuses to my training injuries (a part from age of course and th fact that I stopped for over ten years and that when I started again I was 26 kilos more), I am starting to look at all these things.

And one that is particularly new and unknown to me is the foam roller, so I am asking you... any experience? How do you use it? When? do you need warm up first? Is there a special technique or something or just roll on the floor ... and finally is it useful? (ok this one is probably rhetorical question as probably you do find it useful... but how and when did/do you use it?

Thanks

marco

[benwill Marathon]

Good question, i have had a foam roller for about a year now its a nice a nice blue one. I use it all the time to prop open my door. But i have watched a good amount of videos on youtube about how to use it. But looks so painful and worried about more damage then good so haven't really bothered with it.

[dagshar Half Marathon]

I have one and I do use it, but not regularly enough. I find it quite easy to use (there are lots of videos online); the one thing I never do is roll the ITB as there are a lot of warnings out there that this could do more damage than good, so I'd rather not take the risk.

Is it useful -that is the big question. Not sure whether it is possible to prove one way or other, but plenty of professional recommend it. The last guy I went to fora sports massage said it would be best not to get the muscles become as knotty in the first place, i.e. do it yourself regularly!

[ju-ju- Marathon]

I have one, its good, painful and it works- it really releases the muscles in my legs so I dont get cramping or stiffness...

[ju-ju- Marathon]

However I find stretching and simple exercises to be best