Ultimate Foam Rolling Guide for Runners

Have you ever wondered if it’s worth your time to foam roll as a runner? I have, especially when sitting on a spot that’s super tight and thus painful!

“Find a place inside where there’s joy, and the joy will burn out the pain.” –Joseph Campbell!

I’m fairly certain foam rollers weren’t around in his time…but it applies. You gotta focus on the outcome to get through a little time on the roller.

That is if you should be foam rolling at all!

A lot of us have been using the foam roller all wrong and instead of making things better, we’re perpetuating injuries and stressing out our bodies.

In particular, I want to ensure we stop beating up our IT Bands as that’s the biggest injury which I am asked about.

So let’s dive in to more about why we’re foam rolling and how to use it correctly as a runner.

What are the benefits of foam rolling?

Let’s start by talking about what does foam rolling do? Because the more you know…well the more you’ll be committed to it.

As explained by the American Council on Exercise (ACE):

Foam rolling is also called myofascial release and is designed to work out the “knots” in your muscles. You could compare the practice to self-massage. The technical terms for ‘knots’ are trigger points or myofascial adhesions.

What is fascia?

Fascia is a form of connective tissue that wraps and bundles muscles (myo) together. Myofascial adhesions can develop through stress, training, overuse, underuse, movement imbalances and injuries.

The muscle adhesions can cause weakness due to an inability to fully function, which leads to muscle imbalances and the body trying to correct for these.

Should Foam Rolling Hurt?

As with running, discomfort is ok, but pain is bad. On a scale of 1-10, stop before you hit an 8.

As with physical therapy, you may feel discomfort at the time which is designed for long term healing. More pain is not better though!

The more consistently you roll {a few times a week} the less knots you will have and the less painful in general it will be over time.

What are the Benefits of Foam Rolling for Runners?

All right so if you commit to doing this slightly painful thing everyday what should you expect to come from it:

Range of Motion

One study showed that foam rolling increased range of motion by 4.3%, which of course leads to better stride and flexibility as runners!

Pre-exercise Warm Up

It’s a fantastic way to wake up the muscles and increase blood flow before your workout which ensures your muscles react better.

Increased Oxygen Flow to Muscles

Increased oxygen flow is important for performance and muscle recovery.

Is foam rolling different than stretching?

While I am a big fan of a a good yoga class, it doesn’t break up muscle adhesions the way that a deep tissue massage or solid foam rolling session does.

Top Tips for Foam Rolling

1. Foam Rolling Your IT Band

Your IT Band is not evil and does not need to be beaten in to submission.

In fact, you really shouldn’t be using the roller right along your IT Band when it’s inflamed at all.

Read a lot more on this topic!

You can’t relax the IT Band, that’s a fallacy. It’s tightness is caused by other muscles from the glutes to misaligned hips.

What to do instead?

• Work on activating the glutes while running
• Stretch the hip flexors
• Roll the thigh, the inner thigh, the glutes to release fascia (see video below)
• IT Band exercises part 1, part 2, part 3, part 4

2. Stop Over Rolling

While you often hear videos tell you to find the sore spot and then stay on it for 30-45 seconds for the knot to release, that’s not always the best plan.

If something hurts stop pounding it in to the ground! You don’t see a bruise and keep pushing on it hoping to speed recovery.

If the spot is tender, but not a spot that’s causing pain during your run it’s ok to spend 30 seconds or so holding your body weight on it with the roller to try and release a knot. Do NOT spend more time and don’t do this repeatedly all day long. Your goal is not to irritate the area.

“if the pressure is on the right point, 20-30 seconds max should hydrate that tissue and encourage the trigger point to disappear. More time won’t help; more accuracy of placement will.” – Tom Myers

We have to remember that all the muscles are connected and sometimes the location of the pain is just the result of imbalances up the chain. I.e. almost all women with knee pain end up learning they have weak hips or misfiring glutes!

How often should I foam roll?

Daily. I know that sounds like a lot, but if you foam roll before every run you’re both warming up the muscles and breaking up adhesions to keep you running injury free.

Also, by working those muscles daily you will quickly find it becomes less painful.

Are you making these foam rolling mistakes? Tips for better results #runchat Click To Tweet

3. Be Mindful while Foam Rolling

A quick roll over your legs isn’t getting you results.

This in fact is one of the biggest things I’ve found from all the studies, practitioners and articles out there.

You need to slow down and really spend some time on your rolling, which ensures that you are using good posture {a strong core} and actually working on tight spots rather than just quickly rubbing over the muscles.

The following video will walk you through how to hit some key areas, that are outlined below.

4. Key Foam Rolling Exercises for Runners

There are a few key areas that can help runners to prevent knee and IT Band pain by spending a little quality time each day with the roller.

Try these foam roller exercises for legs to keep things feeling good.

My foam rolling routine takes about 5 minutes when done thoroughly, but since I do it daily…probably 3 minutes because I have less knots to workout.

Glutes/Pirformis

Sit on the foam roller with knees bent and feet on the floor,slowly rock back and forth to start, you might immediately feel muscles rolling over as your glutes release. You can then put your right ankle on your left knee and start to slowly roll on the glute to begin getting in to the Pirformis.

With both moves take a minute to move a little more forward and back, to get all sides of the muscle and discover your trigger points.

IT Band

As noted above don’t roll the actual IT band when it’s inflamed. Other times you can slowly roll this area, but keep it moderate as this muscle is always tight due to other areas.

To roll it sit on the roller then lean to the right side with legs straight on the ground and roll from hip to knee, place your hands on the floor for balance.

Calves

This is my most sensitive area and the one I love hate to do. Foam rolling your calves is super important as a runner though, so embrace the ouch.

Tight calve muscles can also pull on your knee causing misalignment, so don’t skip them! With the mid-point of your calves on the foam roller hold your self up with both arms and slowly move from knee to ankle. It may be easier to do one leg at a time, remember to turn your leg in and out to get all sides of those calves!

How to foam roll calves? I get this question a lot, so the key is first to hold your body weight up with your arms (bum off the ground) to increase the pressure on your calf muscles. Once that feels ok, you’ll want to put one leg on top of the other for added pressure.

Finally, I’m a big fan of my massage stick for getting in to the calves.

Shins

Resting your shins on the foam roller, lean forward in a table top position and roll from knee to ankle. This is a great step in preventing shin splints.

Inner Thigh

Lie on your stomach and put the roller vertically next to you with right leg bent at 90 degrees. You may find the most sensitive spot is near the knee, this is a good place to hold for up to 30 seconds as that tightness will eventually pull the knee in causing poor gait.

Hamstrings and Quads

These two can be rolled in roughly the same way, one by facing the floor and the other by facing the ceiling. With legs straight you will slowly roll from hip to knee first with feet flexed, then feet turned out, then feet turned inwards. Again this will help to hit all sides of the muscle.

5. Select the Right Foam Roller

The foam roller is actually just one of many options for doing at home myofascial release (aka self massage).

It’s a great tool, but there are others which can also be beneficial depending on how long you have been at rolling, what areas you are trying to hit and if you need something for travel.

Foam Rollers

The basic foam roller comes in a variety of sizes and densities, so here is what you need to know!

Size

The longer foam rollers make it possible for you to lay your full back vertically on the roller to do massage for the shoulders and even some great core work. A smaller roller may be more agile for trying to work on areas like your inner thigh.

Density

The denser the roller the more intense the massage. As your body weight leans in to what ever area you are rolling, a roller with less give will create more pressure on the area.

Many people find they can handle a dense roller on some areas, but need a softer roller on others. I recommend getting the denser roller and the controlling the pressure by reducing the amount of weight you put on the area.

Trigger Point Massage Ball

I mention Trigger Point by brand because it is one of the most commonly carried in running stores. While they do also have a dense foam roller with a grid pattern to work more in to the muscles, my focus here is on the ball which allows you to truly get in to the deep muscles of the glutes or to consistently roll out your feet.

Releasing tension in the feet can actually resolve issues all the way up to your hips!

The Massage Stick

The Massage Stick was actually one of the first tools I was introduced to during my marathon training in 2005…yikes it’s been so long!

No one was foam rolling back then, but we were carrying around sticks even when the airports started asking if they were weapons.

I LOVE the stick for working on my calves and inner thighs. However, it doesn’t let me get my shoulders, sides and back the way I can with the foam roller…yup just another reason we have so many “tools” in our house to keep me running straight.

Rumble Roller

The Rumble Roller has spikey nodes all over…ok spike is the wrong word, but new rollers beware this is going to go deep! The design of these nodes are to help create a more massage like experience, it is an aggressive roller but most become accustomed to it within a few weeks.

Roll Recovery R8

While David loved the Roll Recovery R8, I couldn’t wait to get it out of our house because it inflamed my IT Band like nothing else.

He disagreed saying it was one of the deepest and best massagers. At a price point over $100 though, I admit I would still be hesitant to truly recommend it.

How often do you foam roll?

Do you have a preferred type of roller?

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