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10 tips for foam rolling

February 5, 2016 //  by Di Hickman//  18 Comments

This post is sponsored by Peak Win Athletics. The Peak Win Athletics foam roller used in this post can be found on Amazon. This is a great little foam roller perfect for home gyms, or foam rolling on the go! The storage compartment makes it a snap to store your extra equipment (jump rope, gels, towel, keys), grab it and go! In this post you’ll find a review, 10 tips for foam rolling, how to, and benefits to foam rolling.

10 foam rolling tips

It seems like such a constant in my fitness program that going over the benefits of foam rolling seems moot now, but hey let’s recap. Basically foam rolling is amazeballs and everyone should be doing it, period. Yes even you! Yes it might feel uncomfortable, yes you should still do it! Not convinced? Read on…

Here’s some benefits of foam rolling:

  • Improves blood circulation – it’s a massage, duh!
  • Improved flexibility – the less tense we are the better we move.
  • Improved posture – I leave yoga class feeling 2″ taller, same with foam rolling
  • Prevent injury – due to increased blood flow, and properly aligned and moving muscles.
  • Helps exercise technique – poor technique can be due to tight muscles, foam roller to the rescue!
  • Relaxing – ok not all the time, but sometimes it can be!

How to foam roll

  • Get into position to roll the desired area.
  • Spend 15-30 seconds slowly rolling the area
  • Find a ‘hot-spot’ or point of discomfort and hold for 20-30 seconds
  • repeat, repeat, repeat
10 tips for foam rolling
Demonstration of a few foam rolling exercises you can do using the Peak Win Athletics Foam Roller.

10 Tips for foam rolling

  1. Choose a density or firmness suitable for you. Beginners should start with the basic white, and move onto firmer foam rollers as they become more experienced.
  2. Go slow! Too often I see people rushing the movement, instead go slowly, feel the roll so you can see where your bumps and knots are.
  3. Before or after the workout? Both! Seriously, as Nike said “just do it”.
  4. Roll the tight muscles. Roll the tight muscles strengthen the weaker muscles. Get your posture assessed by a Personal Trainer or Physical Therapist to find your tight/loose muscles.
  5. Breathe. Seriously holding your breath won’t make it any easier.
  6. Mind body connection. Don’t switch off, the mind body connection is huge. Plus checking in with your body is a good thing
  7. Continue stretching. Foam rolling isn’t the end of your flexibility training. Make sure to still do your post workout static stretches.
  8. Beware the bone. Foam rolling is for soft tissue, not bone. Stay off the boney areas.
  9. Pain vs discomfort. If you’re especially tight there is going to be some discomfort. If the foam rolling is truly painful then back off. Modify by dropping to a less dense flat roller and working up.
  10. Pretzel Olympics. Some of the techniques involve a lot of core and upper body strength to get good pressure so ensure you use good technique. Plank alignment is used in many of the exercises so it can be quite the core workout too!

peak win athletics foam roller review

Peak Win Athletics Foam Roller Review

As I’ve been using the Peak Win Athletics Foam Roller I figured I’d share my honest opinion. Firstly it comes in blue or pink, which obviously I got the pink! I have to be honest I nearly got the blue but my yoga mat, blocks, strap, bolster etc are purple and that seems to be my go-to for flexibility stuff so had to get the pink to compliment the purple. In the Amazon description it states the foam roller is 18″ but mine is 13″ as you can see in the pic below.

foam roller peak win athletics

The foam isn’t super dense. Not as tough as a rumble roller (which honestly are too tough IMO) but firmer than the white standard foam rollers. The triggerpoint nibs (bumps and ridges) really help get into the muscle tissue nicely. Bonus is that the end caps are removable so you can use this for storage too! Why? Why not! Throw your jump rope, towel, keys, phone and more into the middle and use it like a gym bag and foam roller rolled into one! With a lifetime guarantee you really can’t go wrong with Peak Win Athletics, for a more detailed review check out my video below, or stop by my YouTube channel.

I’ll be sharing more Peak Win Athletics workouts and posts in the upcoming week or two! If you have any questions leave them in the comments. Let me know if you already foam roll or are looking to start.

 

Disclosure: I received compensation in exchange for writing this blog post. Although this post is sponsored, all opinions are my own because hey I keep it real yo!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. nicole

    February 21, 2016 at 1:46 pm

    I have to get back into the groove of things, which means exercising and going back to eating healthy again. I steered off a little and I feel it. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply
  2. Kaan

    February 18, 2016 at 4:29 pm

    So nice to have Max coaching our 8am fliamy. Workout felt great today. Trying to string more pull-ups together. Discovered that it seems a bit easier with keeping my hands closer. Will be experimenting with this Decided to run yesterday in the gorgeous weather. 3.5 miles felt like 13.5 after not having run for about 5 months. Happy to be back at it.Have a great Wednesday everyone

    Reply
  3. Caitlin + Dani

    February 16, 2016 at 8:20 am

    Foam rolling is so great for sore muscles. Thanks for sharing!

    Reply
  4. Shelly @ Behind Blue Eyes

    February 16, 2016 at 6:56 am

    I am so happy you shared this! I have been considering getting a foam roller for a while now because I’ve had some past injuries that just keep reappearing. My muscles are full of knots, but I just can’t afford to see a massage therapist on a weekly basis.

    Reply
  5. Blythe A.

    February 11, 2016 at 8:23 pm

    I’ve never tried Foam Rolling, although I’ve heard such great things about it. I have a bad back and sometimes my HIIT workouts make it act up. I bet this would really help relieve the tension.

    Reply
  6. Amy Jones

    February 11, 2016 at 2:44 pm

    Like always I love your suggestions, this is a great routine for a busy person and it looks really effective

    Reply
  7. Deb- It's me, debcb!

    February 11, 2016 at 8:21 am

    I hate foam rolling because it hurts but I get such tight IT bands that I have to. Great tips! Thanks!

    Reply
  8. Heather

    February 11, 2016 at 7:52 am

    I can’t say that I have ever done this, but I can imagine that it does have a lot of benefits, and it sounds like it would be good to try!

    Reply
  9. Roxanne

    February 11, 2016 at 4:41 am

    I didn’t know this is a thing! I’d love to try it- bet it would help my old arthritic back! 🙂

    Reply
  10. OurFamilyWorld

    February 11, 2016 at 2:44 am

    That looks like a fun workout. I’ve never done foam rolling. I would love to try it.

    Reply
  11. Katarzyna

    February 10, 2016 at 11:29 pm

    I never heard about a foam roller – it sure does look like a great workout though! I’m curious if it would help with muscle pains I’m getting sometimes 🙂

    Reply
  12. Beth@FrugalFroggie

    February 10, 2016 at 8:04 pm

    I didn’t know about using a foam roller with working out. Sounds interesting!!

    Reply
  13. Debra

    February 10, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    This actually sounds like a great workout! I am going to have to pick up a foam roller ASAP.

    Reply
  14. Amber NElson

    February 10, 2016 at 6:39 pm

    I love using a foam roller. It definitely helps to strength out my tense muscles after a long day or a workout.

    Reply
  15. Monica @MonicaWantsIt.com

    February 10, 2016 at 5:15 pm

    I used to do this after Zumba classes when my calves would be sore. Thanks for sharing tips and techniques on how to do this properly.

    Reply
  16. Ana De Jesus

    February 10, 2016 at 11:58 am

    I have never heard of foam rolling before but if it helps with pain and tension I am all in. Strange question but could you use this on your stomach?

    Reply
  17. Kimberly

    February 10, 2016 at 9:51 am

    I love my foam roller! I even travel with it. I have a Trigger Point & Rumble Roller.

    Reply
  18. Robin Rue (@massholemommy)

    February 10, 2016 at 9:07 am

    That sounds like a great workout. I have never heard of a foam roller before, but I kind of want to look for one now 🙂

    Reply

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Hi, I’m Di. A yoga teacher with over 20 years experience in the health and wellness industry. My mission is to give you information so you can be fitter, healthier, stress-free and happier (no, seriously).

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