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Does Foam Rolling Help or Hurt Your Performance?

Let’s set the stage.  Imagine that you have been training hard for weeks.  Your muscles are sore, and your body is achy.  You are definitely pushing into your overreaching phase and fast approaching over-training.  Then your overly helpful friend and neighbor mentions, “Hey, I just got this foam roller—it’s great!  My buddy says it helps him run faster, jump higher, and he never hurts.  You need one!”

Is foam rolling another gimmick or does it really help?  All of the local gyms and sporting goods stores have them.  Should you use one?

Surprisingly, the actual research on foam roller use to improve performance has been minimal.  The foam roller is traditionally used as a method of self-massage or self myofascial release.  By using the foam roller, it is thought that the fascial system can be changed and manipulated.  Hopefully, improving either performance or recovery by affecting how the neuromusculoskeletal system functions.

The standard definition of fascia is soft and sometimes fibrous connective tissue system that penetrates and surrounds muscles, bones, organs, nerves, blood vessels and other structures and extends from head to toe, from front to back, and from surface to deep in an uninterrupted, three-dimensional web binding some tissues together while allowing others to slide smoothly over each other, though all layers are connected there are distinct layers with differing function (LeMoon, 2008, and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fascia).

Research indicates the following regarding the use of the foam roll for performance:

  • Foam rolling likely has a positive effect on arterial stiffness and can improve arterial and vascular function while also positively affecting joint range-of-motion (ROM).
  • The change in arterial and vascular function may in part be why foam rolling (after training) seems to have a positive effect in reducing muscle soreness.
  • Foam rolling may promote more blood flow to the area, which allows the body to eliminate waste more efficiently while providing much needed nutrients to aid in recovery.
  • Improved recovery is important if you plan to participate in multiple events over multiple days such as a relay or weekend tournament.
  • Improved recovery may also allow for more intense and frequent training while (hopefully) reducing injury.
  • It may aid training during certain cycles when the intensity or volume may be higher or during an overreaching phase of training. Overreaching is typically a very short and deliberate phase in your training when you have a spike in training volume for a week or two followed by a return to baseline or below which can lead to improvements in performance. Care must be taken though because overreaching can easily turn into over-training.
  • Foam rolling also appears to have a beneficial effect on ROM, and more importantly, it can help improve ROM without negatively affecting performance. In contrast, static stretching can impede performance.

As a physical therapist, I highly recommend using the foam roller for athletic performance because:

  • It appears to help improve joint ROM and doesn’t impede performance.
  • It can likely help with recovery, either by reducing soreness or reducing post work out tightness. By promoting improved blood flow, it allows for improved nutrient delivery which can improve recovery times.
  • Improving recovery may allow for more intense or frequent training sessions or prepare you for multiple events with little rest.
  • Alleviating soreness prior to activity can have a psychological boost, which shouldn’t be overlooked as an important outcome.

How should I use the foam roller?

  • I typically recommend one to three minutes of body weight rolling (if it is tolerated) per extremity, and the same for the thoracic, low back, and buttock area.
  • A good rule of thumb is to roll out an area that is tender and sore, or recently worked, until it no longer feels tight and sore.
  • Again approximately one to three minutes per area although this may vary based on your size. Increased time will be needed the more developed your muscles are.
  • Foam rolling is generally not advised for anyone on blood thinning medications or with blood clotting disorders.

What has been your experience with using the foam roller? Is it worth the effort? Can you notice any specific improvements in performance? Please share your comments or questions!

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5 Lessons Learned from Running Robie Creek

Robie Creek is billed as the toughest half marathon in the northwest, 8.5 miles and up 4.6 miles down.  This year the weather was beautiful, but hot!  Temperatures approached 80 degrees.  This was my first time running this particular race and utilizing a high intensity interval training (HIIT) and low running mileage to train for a distance effect.  Racing Robie Creek taught me this:

  1. High intensity interval training (HIIT) combined with low running mileage can be a successful way to training for a very intense half marathon. (See my TrainingPlan PDF.)
  2. CrossFit as a form of high intensity training (HIT) is a good way to train your legs to handle a very fast and steep decent. When running downhill, your leg muscles work more in an eccentric or lengthening fashion versus the typical concentric or shorting fashion. This results in more tissue micro tearing and muscle soreness when running downhill and injuries more frequently. CrossFit training prepared my legs to handle the strenuous downhill section.
  3. Warm temperatures are great for fans and tough on participants. With an April event, most of my training was in cool weather, but the race was in much warmer weather. This was hard on me and other participants as there were many runners who were taken off the course with heat exhaustion. Of all the race factors, the temperature was the most problematic for me. I would highly advise at least a two week acclimatization period if you’re going from cool to warm weather. Next year, I will spend at least two weeks with daily sauna exposure prior to running. I will likely over dress during outdoor sunny training days to get my body used to higher temperatures.
  4. Train for the mid pack. In larger races or in races where there is not time corrals to help insure similar running paces, I would recommend training for this variable. Constantly changing your running pace faster or slower is more tiring than just running your preferred pace. This was the case for almost the entire race (and particularly the first five miles). One easy and effective running style to train for this variable is called the Fartlek. Fartlek is Swedish for “speed play”. It involves taking your normal forty to sixty minute run (after warm up) and intermittently changing pace from jogging (at different speeds) to sprinting. This can be performed in a structured form or randomly in true Fartlek style. One method is to pick objects in front of you and vary your running speed as you approach them. This is a critical training method if you want to improve your race time, and I should have incorporated Fartlek in my training to help prepare for Robie Creek.
  5. You need to know how you feel in what you wear BEFORE the race. You don’t want to have chaffing on your thighs for many miles even if you look good wearing new clothes. Try out everything you plan on wearing and have a backup plan for any potential problems. (Lansinoh works great as a soothing salve for all those chaffed areas.)

IMG_1106_SmallRobie Creek is a nicely organized and challenging run.  The scenery is beautiful, and course terrain makes it a unique race.  I would highly recommend this race for anyone looking for a new challenge in the half marathon distance.

Robie Creek was a great race and a fantastic teacher.  I will be sure to incorporate more of these lessons learned when training for future races.  I also plan on experimenting more with high intensity training as a means to prepare for other events.

I would love to hear about the lessons and experiences you have learned either at Robie Creek or other races!

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Minimalistic Running & High Intensity Training to Prepare for the Toughest Race in the Northwest, Race to Robie Creek

Much of the newest research on fitness and performance is geared toward high intensity training (HIT) or high intensity interval training (HIIT).  The research continues to suggest that it may be superior to other forms of training in maximizing fat loss while promoting muscle mass and improving VO2 max.  High intensity training optimizes hormonal function and regulation (if not done to the extreme) and can generally accelerate your performance.  It is also highly efficient time-wise.

This type of training goes hand in hand with new concepts in running, including running fewer miles and using HIIT in preparation for distance events, such as the half or full marathon or even iron man triathlon events.  CrossFit takes HIIT to the extreme while mixing in Olympic style weight lifting with other possible exercise activities to optimize fitness.

I decided to merge HIIT specific for running with my love of CrossFit.  I abandoned my old “traditional” methods of distance training to see how a merger of the two could prepare me for the toughest race in the Northwest, Race to Robie Creek.  Why so tough?  A half marathon distance with a 2,072 foot ascent and a 1,732 foot descent on a mostly gravel road!

Although I love to run, I’m not a particularly fast runner.  For an average half marathon, my finish time might range from 1 hour and 40 minutes to 1 hour and 50 minutes on a typical course with a few hills.  Race to Robie Creek is much different!  I wanted to see how I could prepare differently for a race like this.  Wish me luck!

I have attached a .pdf file of my training plan.  Download it now and see what you think!

TrainingPlan

I would love to hear from you.  Do you train with HIIT or do you run along with CrossFit?  Share your experience or leave a comment below.  Ask your physical therapy questions via e-mail at contact@thephysicaltherapyadvisor.com.

Disclaimer:  The Physical Therapy Advisor blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice.  No health care provider/patient relationship is formed.  The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at your own risk.  The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Do not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition you may have.  Please seek the assistance of your health care professionals for any such conditions.

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How Can Physical Therapy Benefit You?

I can’t tell you how many times someone will ask me what I do for a living, and upon hearing that I am a physical therapist, he or she will immediately divulge his/her complex personal medical history about a health issue.  This in no way upsets me that they ask.  However, it is concerning that so many people live with chronic aches and pains and (apparently) aren’t able to resolve the problem.  I can’t promise that physical therapy is the panacea of all cures for what ails you, but I have seen it work miracles in people’s lives.  The most amazing thing is the diversity of people I have had the privilege to interact with and help!

Often the answer to the problem is not what is expected.  Let’s review a common issue with many of the CrossFit athletes who I work with.  In that particular “box”, we have a very large age range of athletes from teenagers to people in their sixties and seventies.  It’s a wonderful atmosphere for all ages.  A common complaint is shoulder pain.  Many people struggle to lift overhead properly and often have shoulder pain.  This pain is typically from what is known as shoulder impingement syndrome leading to tendonitis of the rotator cuff.

There are many “standard” treatments for this ailment depending on the medical practitioner you ask.  For example, a physician is likely to offer pain medications (and possibly an anti-inflammatory medication); advice on icing and taking it easy; and if particularly progressive, a physician may even provide a hand out regarding elastic band exercises.  Some physical therapists would likely offer similar advice, such as icing and elastic band exercises to strengthen a muscle group known as the rotator cuff muscles.  (The rotator cuff is a group of four muscles that are important in the movement and stability of the shoulder.)

Time and time again, after a thorough examination of the client, I understand why the shoulder is hurting.  The person has no thoracic mobility likely due from: years of poor posture; office work; washing dishes; taking care of children; or sitting watching TV for hours.  Maybe these activities have led to a very rigid and immobile thoracic spine.

Poor thoracic mobility is a big deal when it comes to shoulder mobility.  The shoulder joint is made up of the scapula (shoulder blade) and humerus (the arm bone to the elbow).  The shoulder blade and the thoracic spine also make a type of joint.  If the thoracic spine is stiff, the shoulder blade is unable to rotate correctly–affecting the way the ball of the humerus spins in the socket of the shoulder blade.  This leads to impingement of the rotator cuff and biceps tendon which causes pain.  If you don’t treat the lack of thoracic mobility, it will be very difficult to ever resolve the shoulder pain.

Here lies the problem.  How would a person know that if he or she didn’t ask a physical therapist?  The answer is that he or she wouldn’t know.  Unfortunately, he or she would likely go round and round from one treatment to the next without fully recovering.

The human body is very simple and fragile, yet a complex and robust machine!  The body is truly remarkable and full of surprises.  Many of the most common aches and pains a person may have can be described in a similar scenario like mentioned above.  My purpose is to introduce you to physical therapy and show you how it may help and how I may be able to assist you in uncovering the reasons behind the musculoskeletal problems and pain you are having.  Some issues are not so black and white.  Many issues are like peeling an onion with many layers to the problem.  I believe it is crucial to have a physical therapist on your team to help you live a long, happy life performing the activities that you want for as long as you want!  Remember age is a relative, and movement is the key to healthy living.

Ask YOUR questions via e-mail at contact@thephysicaltherapyadvisor.com.  I look forward to answering them in an upcoming blog post! 

In addition, I have included information below about physical therapy and physical therapists.  Physical therapists can help you improve, restore or maintain your ability to move and function in your daily life.  As a physical therapist, I help people participate in life, whatever that may be for each individual.  To learn more about physical therapists, visit the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA).

Where do physical therapists typically work?

  • Hospitals
  • Rehabilitation Centers
  • Out-Patient Clinics
  • In Your Home
  • Schools and Work Places
  • In the Community / Health Promotion Centers
  • On the Battlefield and Armed Services Triage Centers

How Can Physical Therapy Benefit You?

  • Assist in recovery from a surgery (assisting in complete recovery and integration back into daily life or sport)
  • Assist in recovery from a stroke or heart attack
  • Assist in improving strength or endurance after an illness or prolonged inactivity
  • Assist in improving balance and walking ability to prevent falls
  • Maintain independence
  • Pain management including low back pain, shoulder pain, hip or knee pain and/or arthritis pain
  • Improve athletic performance by optimizing movement patterns
  • Health and injury prevention in sport and in life (work or play)

Physical therapists can help guide you through any array of recovery or rehabilitation: return to work, sport, running, and CrossFit.  Whatever your desired activity may be, a physical therapist can help you get moving and “living” again!  Fundamentally, movement is life!

Disclaimer:  The Physical Therapy Advisor blog is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute the practice of medicine or other professional health care services, including the giving of medical advice.  No health care provider/patient relationship is formed.  The use of information on this blog or materials linked from this blog is at your own risk.  The content of this blog is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment.  Do not disregard, or delay in obtaining, medical advice for any medical condition you may have.  Please seek the assistance of your health care professionals for any such conditions.