It's no secret that you can find any of this information online. Including this article here! But hopefully I cut out all the filler information that makes it annoying to do research on your own. As you've probably seen with athletes, gym rats, and health/fitness enthusiasts of all kinds, foam rolling is pretty common. Foam rolling is quite simple, a foam cylinder that you use your body weight to roll over before and after exercise. What these simple foam rollers do is quite fascinating. The benefits mostly include the health of mobility. The fibrous layer of connective tissue that surrounds all of the muscles in our body is called fascia. When this layer of tissue doesn't have proper mobility, fibers of the fascia become cross linked and they attach to muscles and nerves, causing normal motion to be restricted and causing pain. (You can read more about it here) So lets get straight to it!

Benefits of Foam Rolling

1. Better movement

2. Decreases the chance of injury

3. Decreases recovery time after a workout

4. Increases range of motion

5. Increases circulation

6. Breaks up scar tissue

Mistakes to avoid

1. Only massaging problem areas

2. Rolling too fast

3. Spending too much time on knots

Extra Tips

1. Foam roll everything, including things that don't hurt!

2. You don't need to buy a foam roller if your in a pinched budget! Although they might be slightly more painful, tennis balls, and PVC pipes work too!

2. Do it before your workout! It will help to get the blood flowing and loosen up tension in muscles.

3. Do it after too! Foam rolling helps to move blood that pools in muscles during workouts allowing nutrients and oxygen to come in and begin the healing process. After all, who doesn't want a speedy recovery? That leads to more workouts during the week and allows for more intensity during those workouts!