Foam Roller Exercises

Foam roller exercises can help you stretch muscles and tendons to improve your range of movement, break down soft tissue scars and adhesions (where muscle, bone or fascia become stuck together) and improve blood flow.

Foam Roller Exercises

Remember to engage the abdominal muscles and breath slowly while performing the foam roller exercises, a form of self-myofascial release. To improve the range of movement, perform each exercise for 1 to 2 minutes. Hold the pressure on the spot for 30 to 40 seconds if there is a trigger point.

The following are a selection of foam roller exercises:

Calf

Sit on the floor with the legs out straight and the foam roller at the base of the calf muscles
Lift your buttocks off the ground and support yourself with your hands
Place the free leg on top of the leg being exercised
Roll the foam roller up and down the length of the calf muscle
Adjust your body position to target the inside & outside of the calf

Start & Finish
Calf

Midpoint

Hamstrings

Sit on the roller with it positioned just above the back of the knee on the hamstrings
Support your body with hands positioned beneath the shoulders where they stay throughout the exercise
Place the free leg on top of the leg being exercised
Slide your hips forward & backwards to move the roller over the length of the hamstrings
Adjust your body position to target the inside & outside of the hamstrings

Start & Finish
Hamstring

Midpoint

Glutes

Sit on the foam roller with it positioned under your glutes
Support your body with hands & feet
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller over the length of your glutes
Adjust your body position to target the right & left glute

Start & Finish
Glutes

Midpoint

Tibialis Anterior

Kneel on the foam roller positioned at the top of the shins
Support your body with hands positioned beneath the shoulders where they stay throughout the exercise
Slide the knees forward & backwards so as move the foam roller the length of the shins
Move your hips to the left & right so as work the inside & outside of the shins
Adjust your body position to target the inside & outside of the shins

Start & Finish
Tibialis

Midpoint

Quads

Lie face down on the foam roller with it positioned at the top of your thigh
Support your body with hands, forearms & feet
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller over the length of your quads
Adjust your body position to target the right & left thigh

Start & Finish
Quad

Midpoint

Hip Flexors

Lie face down on the foam roller with it positioned at the top of your thigh
Support your body with hands, forearms & feet
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller over the length of your hip flexors
Adjust your body position to target the right & left thigh

Start & Finish
Hip

Midpoint

Iliotibial (IT) Band

Lie on your side on the foam roller with it positioned just above the knee
The top hip must remain vertically above the lower hip
Support your body with your hands, forearm & feet
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller over the length of your IT band

Start & Finish
IT Band

Midpoint

Adductor Longus

Lie face up on the foam roller with it positioned under the bent leg just above the knee
Support your body with hands, forearms and feet
Move sideways, backwards & forwards to move the roller from your knee to the groin

Start & Finish
Adductor

Midpoint

Tensor Fascia Latae

Lie face down on the foam roller with it positioned under your hip
Support your body with hands, forearms & feet
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller on the front and slightly outside of your upper thigh just below the pelvis

Start & Finish
TFL

Midpoint

Lower Back

Lie face up on the foam roller with it positioned under the outside of the mid back
Support your body with your feet
Arms folded together on your chest
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller from your midback to the top of your pelvis

Start & Finish
Lower Back

Midpoint

Thoracic Spine

Lie face down on the foam roller with it positioned under the mid back
Support your body with your feet
Arms folded together on your chest
Move backwards & forwards to move the roller from your shoulders to your mid back

Start & Finish
Upper Back

Midpoint

Foam Rollers

Using your body weight and a cylindrical foam roller, you can stretch muscles and tendons, break down soft tissue adhesions, release trigger points, and soothe tight fascia while increasing blood flow and circulation to the soft tissues.

Foam Rollers come in various shapes and sizes. Click on the image opposite to view the different types of Foam Rollers.

Effect on performance

In a study by Healey et al. (2014)^[1], there is a reduced feeling of fatigue, allowing participants to extend workout time and volume. However, foam rolling did not affect performance.

In a study looking at foam roller exercises on the quadriceps, MacDonald et al. (2013)^[2] found it was an effective treatment to acutely enhance knee joint ROM without a concomitant deficit in muscle performance.

An article, "Do Foam Rollers Work?", by Sonja Ristevski reviews the current research on Foam Rollers' use.

Have a look at the following article on 5 Unusual Foam Roller Exercises.

Conclusion

Based on the work by MacDonald et al. (2013)^[2], we may be able to conclude that myofascial release with a foam roller can dramatically increase your range of motion without any adverse effects on strength or performance.

References

HEALEY, K.C. et al. (2014) The effects of myofascial release with foam rolling on performance, J Strength Cond Res., 28 (1), p. 61-68.
MACDONALD, G.Z. et al. (2013) An acute bout of self-myofascial release increases range of motion without a subsequent decrease in muscle activation or force, J Strength Cond Res., 27(3), p. 812-821

Page Reference

If you quote information from this page in your work, then the reference for this page is:

MACKENZIE, B. (2013) Foam Roller Exercises [WWW] Available from: https://www.brianmac.co.uk/foamroller.htm [Accessed