Do you foam roll?

MostlyWater
MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
As exercise or more as stretching? I'm just getting started!

Replies

  • quiksylver296
    quiksylver296 Posts: 28,439 Member
    No. I found it doesn't help much. I stretch my problem areas like hamstrings and achilles.
  • invaderbree
    invaderbree Posts: 27 Member
    i foam roll after lifting. helps with soreness for me.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,440 Member
    I look at it more as a stretching-like thing, with feel-good and maybe some small recovery benefits, but that doesn't necessarily make it not exercise? I don't log it as a separate exercise if I do just a bit of it, but if I do a long stretching session that I want to log, I'd include the foam rolling time in the total time if I did some in the session. There's a "stretching" entry in the MFP cardio exercise database, with a quite low calorie estimate per minute that covers that kind of thing OK, IMO.

    If you try it and find it pleasant or helpful, it really doesn't matter if you call it an exercise or something else (stretching or whatever), does it? Technically, you can log pretty much any movement in MFP as exercise, but people who claim exercise calories for every movement throughout the day can end up double counting calories that are already in their base activity level (like routine house chores).

    Whether to log foam rolling as exercise is really a question of whether it's numerically meaningful to you for the calories, or worth logging to record the fact that you did that exercise-related activity.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    ah, i see. thanks for responding.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    I've done it, but I find it awkward. I can't put all my weight on my quads, so I'm sort of draped over the thing.

    My alternative has been "ball against the wall" rolling. It works incredibly well for my problem areas which are hips, IT, and lower/upper back.
  • SavageMrsMoose
    SavageMrsMoose Posts: 631 Member
    I did it pretty consistently when I was training for a recent marathon. The Peloton app has some foam rolling classes. It can really hurt if your not careful and it works your core as well. Its also awkward, but if you have a really tight area that needs special help, its great. I'm not so sure about calorie burn, but it helped me recover for my next workout.
  • Womona
    Womona Posts: 1,806 Member
    I always use the foam roller before I do any kind of workout as part of my movement prep. Sometimes it feels great, other times it’s hateful! Haha!
  • Alpha12
    Alpha12 Posts: 251 Member
    I just started for a tight IT band that started causing me significant lower back pain. It can be painful while I roll the tight spots, but I find an almost immediate relief after I'm done.
  • MostlyWater
    MostlyWater Posts: 4,294 Member
    thanks for responding!