Foam Rolling, Does It Work? (Flexibility, Strength, Recovery)

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In this episode, I share some science / evidence based insights from a recent meta-analysis on foam rolling and its relationship for flexibility, strength, performance and recovery. Whilst foam rolling is a commonly referenced option of self-myofascial release, the evidence suggests that its effects are not so significant.
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[@BodyweightWarrior]

To clear confusion, foam rolling is a neutral or in some cases slight benefit BUT nothing like it is portrayed to do in the fitness industry. If you have time / enjoy it then roll away!

[@LOUISPETERCALLERY]

Being a sports science student, and generally just interested in the subject area, it's so satisfying to watch a video where someone uses legitimate study's and journals in conjunction with their thoughts and ideologies. As apposed to just 'take his word for it'. :)

[@GhostInspired]

As a remedial therapist. When I do triggerpoint therapy. I can physically feel the changes in the tissue I am treating. I have used many variations of therapy to achieve results that doctors, physios, and osteopaths have said shouldn't be possible based on scientific studies. I can achieve close to the same results on my own body with self massage and/or the use of foam rollers, massage balls, various yoga or mobility stretching type movement patterns etc. I do honestly believe you can efficiently release trigger points with foam rollers and it is not just a neurological/pain adjustment.

[@phnification]

I have to say that I RELY on self-myofascial release for my pain. Some of the trigger points don't make sense at first (abdominal trigger points for knee pain), or certain spots around my quads literally make a ROM possible that wasn't possible before. Foam rolling might not be super effective on a general level but I'd be curious what the studies indicate for specific cases of pain and immobility - probably hard to do double-blind...

[@GhostInspired]

@@phnification I believe it comes down to application. Majority of people do not use rollers and other tools correctly. Nor do they utilize mobility exercises or effective flexibility movements in coordination with the use of such tools. MFR actually cannot be performed on a roller period. Manipulating fascial lining is far more difficult than just applying pressure, as Tom mentioned in this video. Correct MFR massage techniques have taken me years to master and a lot of research to understand the reasoning or benefits. There is no way to do a study on the benefits of rolling since it is not performed properly by the average individual and if they are claiming to make myofascial changes then they are simply wrong in the first place.

[@BodyweightWarrior]

Treatments feel like they work, that is kinda of what they do. Although they make little to no physical change (well established through quite a bit of research), the effects on the central pain-modulatory systems IS the benefit. I wasn’t saying that to take away from foam rolling, manipulating neurological perceptions of pain can be very beneficial. It can help muscles relax, reduce spasms etc. BUT it doesn’t deform fascia, it’s just not how it works. I have studied things like Travell & Simons who pioneered trigger point therapy and even they list it’s effects as “neurophysiology”. Foam rolling much like this though

[@GhostInspired]

@@BodyweightWarrior Studies say frozen shoulder cannot be fixed with massage and recovery can only be sped up slightly through exercises. My client (60 years of age, no athletic background, low exercise activity & poor diet) was told he'd recover from FSS in roughly 12-16 months if he did the exercises he was proscribed by his physio and sports doctor. I corrected his exercise, taught him how to use a roller effectively and did manual treatments every 2 weeks and he fully recovered in 6 months. If you understand how to make changes on the body, you can. I don't trust all the studies out there, because not all of them are just. If you tell 100/1000/100000 people to foam roll before or after training. Chances are 99.99% of those people cannot use a roller properly, efficiently or understand their own physiology well enough to make use of foam rolling for their specific individual needs. If everyone knew how to fix their body, train properly/efficiently, or understood their own physiology well enough to know how to make meaningful changes... studies wouldn't be done in the first place. Asking average people to perform in any fitness/health based study typically leads to bias. Not knowing what your doing, in any circumstance, leads to poor outcomes. In writing this reply, I have realised... studies/meta analysis are great for average people. General use of foam rollers, yes, useless mostly. General trp therapy, yes, useless. However, if someone is willing to investigate and put the time in to practice. . . Then both means can be more than neurophathic, obviously. Just to add... By saying "...treatments that "feel" like they work..." you are insinuating that the treatments I have provided for years now have only "felt" effective and not actually fixed or helped to fix the 1000s of people I have treated. I'd gladly disagree. Not just out of spite or pride. But because I have treated countless numbers of people who have had no success with their issues from drs, physios, osteos, chiropractors, you name it they've been to see them and gotten poor results. I'm by no means saying those modalities do not serve a purpose. Just it's possible that some of the people working in them do not treat "The whole person" and only focus on one thing at a time and thus make no progress. Wholistic approaches are always the best way to fix or improve anything. That is my method; it works and I stick by it.

[@kinobito3479]

@@GhostInspired You said with enough investigation and practice good results that are more than neuropathic can be achieved. Do you know of any websites or books where I can read about the correct usage the way you include it in your own training? Any advice would be much appreciated.

[@simonyadig]

I've led a very active lifestyle for the past 20+ years. Skating, biking, yoga, jiu jitsu etc etc etc. I used to think foam rolling was not necessary because I did yoga every single day. A lot of it. Then as I hit my mid 30s I started having unexplained knee pain, horrible tightness in my hip flexors (that stretching only made much worse), etc. I couldn't understand it other than just chalking it up to 'getting old', but I took such good care of myself and felt it hard to believe I was falling apart that hard. Then I started foam rolling. Within days my knees started feeling better (oddly enough rolling out my hips helped my knees more than anything), and my hip flexor issue went away entirely. I can't even begin to tell you the difference in how I feel and imo the undeniable link was foam rolling. After talking to physical trainer buddies I came to believe that my body was imbalanced. I was strengthening and stretching everything like a professional athlete would, but I wasn't releasing the muscles. After literally 2+ decades of this my muscles just felt tight and congested. The pains were off the chart and in fact I developed some serious injuries directly tied to all this tightness. The past year or two though I've added a moderate amount of foam rolling and lacrosse ball rolling to my routine and it's not hyperbole to say I feel like I did in my mid 20s. I am 100% convinced that foam rolling or any sort of muscle release is imperative to balance out strengthening and stretching, the more you do of the latter the more you need to balance it out with some release. Over stretching my hip flexors messed me up to the point where walking was a huge burden, but then 5 mins of foam rolling on that spot would balance it right back out. If anyone reading this could feel the difference in what I felt you would know without a doubt how crucial muscle and myofascial releasing is. Especially if you're a serious athlete who's pushed their body to the limits for years and decades, and especially as you get older. Tom is a youngster and when I was his age I thought the same thing about foam rolling. Now I see things much differently. Literally feel like a new person. So maybe it doesn't help your flexibility etc but when it comes to maintenance and sustainable athleticism, I think everyone will need to learn this lesson. Otherwise your body will fall apart, even while you're seemingly doing everything right, and you'll just chalk it up to misfortune or getting older when the simple truth is 5 mins of foam rolling every few days would fix you like new.

[@josephcox3091]

I feel like there is a huge misunderstanding in the literature with foam rolling. As an athlete I use it situationally. I use it when I can't quite loosen up when stretching alone does not solve my tightness in a muscle. In sports like baseball and basketball where you have back to back games, some times multiple games in the same day and have a very short window to get ready for a game, foam rolling is just another tool in the tool box. Especially in High School athletics where you might not have access to a trainer to help figure something out it definitely shines. For me it has helped where I may have a minor nagging muscle tightness where stretching alone does not solve the problem, and there is no trainer or professional that I can consult to fix the issue, you may only have 10 minutes before you next back to back game in a double header on a Saturday, you have to figure it out . Thats where that .07 increase does make a huge difference. Its the difference between something being unbearable and something that can be tolerable to go. Also, since turning 30 and still playing armature sports it has definitely helped out a lot, there are days where I wake up super stiff and the only way to reduce the pain is to foam roll and stretch.

[@domainofscience]

This is brilliant, thanks for the summary. I'll add foam rollers to my pile of other placebos. I love a good placebo.

[@M45T3RK35]

Next video The Map of Placebos

[@davidmatthew2849]

It’s not just “your opinion,” it is well-informed by both your research and your considerable experience. Thanks for this! It greatly informs my cycling prep and recovery practices.

[@havardhanto5449]

As a runner, I use it to find the knots in my quads and then to apply pressure as a mental aid to make my self relax that muscle. The roller doesn't do anything in and of it self, but at the end of it I have less knots and that makes the process usefull for me.

[@Cahiller21]

I only foam roll as a cool down after squatting. I feel that it really helps get my legs loose because when I don't foam roll after I wake up the next day with really tight quads. I know you said it's mostly cognitive but I feel it goes further than that for me personally. Awesome video btw

[@achookangaroo]

What about percussive massage tools like Theragun? Future video?? 🤓

[@DiscGolfDegens]

As someone who owns and loves his, it would be great to know if their science is actually backed up in studies/journals

[@JonnyOxtricks]

Hit the nail on the head, Tom. People really think by rolling a ball/ roller into their "knots" that they're actually changing the structure of their fascia?! Sure, you're going to feel great after desensitising the crap out of those "knots". Can you imagine if we could actually change the structure of our tissue with a bit of pressure? Those Marines would have ZERO traps after carrying those 100lb backpacks!

[@johnnguyen7171]

I’ve examined the same research papers you cited here and have told my clients the same for over a decade. Foam rolling seems to cause mostly neural modulation, but doing specific warmups and dynamic stretches achieve not only the same neural modulation but also preps the body and the brain better for activity. I suggest foam rolling is fine if it’s something they like, but time could be better spent elsewhere. This video is so on-point!

[@corey.d.Kleeblatt]

I had bad knotts build up in my upper arm a year after an injury, and weeks rolling my upper arm out helped reduce the knotts and help my arm heal up.

[@BastienAdrien]

I've had 4 surgeries since may 2018 (hip left, knee left, knee left, hip right) and I've incorporated a lot of your mobility routines in my rehab in consultation with my physio with whom I'm working with since the first surgery. She (and her huge network of scientific physio's, surgeons and other therapists) support this thought and we always worked on mobility and flexibility in combination with strength, stability etc by skipping the blackroll and doing specific exercises for different areas of the body. Today I can climb again, play Beachvolleyball and I feel great. I still do at least 3-4 follow alongs per week either general or specific ones and it helped me a lot. So thanks Tom for your content! P.s.: I appreciate your scientific approach to all those matters (I'm a molecular bio guy so yeah, I love science)

[@tjmiller3535]

In addition to stretching, I find foam rolling and massage guns as useful tools for pre/post workouts and recovery. The older I get the more helpful they have become.

[@markgriffiths409]

I totally agree with that, plus as u say some follow along dynamic stretching and mobility follow alongs as Tom has made work wonders for me at 46yrs 👍

[@238Kennedy]

3-5 minutes at the start of a warm up for thoracic spine, lats, glutes and quads after being in work all day, just gets the blood flowing and gets you moving with ease rather than skipping or other cardio movements. Also find it helps getting ready/focused for the workout without too much effort.

[@vivanakella3316]

Personally I stretch everyday using basically all of your routines as a 14 year old tennis athlete and absolutely LOVE them. I've been using them for the last 2 years since I was 12 and am actually considerably flexible now. That being said I also use foam rollers and lacrosse balls everyday because I do like the immediate after affects and feelings of the two, especially with the lacrosse ball for my back and glutes. For rolling I don't fine too much benefit, but I do feel that I will wake up less sore if I rolled the night before. Well, it could be the rolling, or the hour of stretching before that lol. We will never know. Well we do know. But we will never know.

[@andyreeves8941]

I use it to ‘switch off’ my traps, calves and quads, they can get overactive and feel tight. I always feel more relaxed and looser afterward. The muscle mass is less solid too? Not to mention I have to breath my way through it. It forces a slow steady breath which relaxes me. Especially if I roll my abs and gut.

[@MrDrwatson01]

I don’t think it’s the complete answer to pain and knots, but there are several points on the body where it feels pretty effective.

[@konarksharma1935]

I have been doing foam rolling for almost a year and absolutely love it. I do it mostly on my recovery days after some mobility and flexibility work.

[@jordanlariviere1893]

Thanks for this video Tom. Questions: What about the way you have been using myofascial release in previous (relatively recent) videos? Meaning, as a first step in a longer stretching routine. I have in mind rolling on a stick for calves, Lacrosse ball for gluteus, thoracic extension on foam roll maybe? Would you now change your mind about those videos or you still feel they might allow to stretch further and hence be useful? Second question: you say it is non effective for releasing "knots". What would do it then? I mean I agree that I have never been able to release lower traps / rhomboids with a lacrosse ball as effectively as my PT can, but on the contrary I find I can release QL knots quite well or plantar fascia and feel (wrongly?) that I get a long lasting benefits. Would love to hear your thoughts. I would be quite happy to save time in all the future injury prevention work, etc. 😋

[@venivini5151]

I've had super tight dorsi with basically no range of motion. I've been using a foam roller to loosen the muscle and can now do better workout, even if it last only a few hours it gave me the opportunity to do full range of motion and not feel pain anymore.So I would say they are super effective

[@jrisner6535]

It helps with my back, reduces tension and pain

[@thiemofischer2230]

Agreed

[@fair98fair]

One trainer describes it as foam rolling before exercise "takes the handbrake off". I definately feel better when i foam roll before cycling. Dont feel as stiff shoulder checking and in general feel like i get less knots in my back building up in the first place. Just my experience

[@YeNZeC]

I warmup using; Rowing machine for upperbody. Treadmill/ cycling for lower legs. A few sets of warmup sets at lower weight. This also increases the muscles strength as its being taxed before the actual workout.

[@uncagedpine9589]

If you enjoy foam rolling, do it. I Know for me sometimes ill get cramps or just sleep on a muscle wrong and the only way to stop the pain is to massage the muscle. Its just messaging the muscle.

[@holisticpersonalcoach4360]

Its like anything, it depends how well it is being done. Foam rolling is just 1 piece of the puzzel. The tightness is usually due to weakness or a lack of stability so if the release work is done in conjunction with stretchng & then there is stability &/or strength added where needed the improvements will stick over time. Consistency is the key... 4-6 times per week for 4-6 weeks & noticable improvement will be the result "if" its all done in sequence properly. Thats a BIG "IF"

[@DejiDigital]

I can totally understand why it wouldn't be all tht effective for soft tissue work like flexibility or muscle massaging, but for skeletal work? My over head mobility has insanely improved from doing thoracic extensions with a foam roller. When I first started I could feel and others could hear all that cracking.

[@ericpatterson5050]

Loved seeing your Twin in the Video 👌🏾👍🏽💜🎥

[@svellah4388]

Tom, I love your videos. I am so grateful for your content! Thank you :)

[@papersquares]

I like to blast Rolling in the Deep and roll around on a foam roller for 4 min asa warm up. No amount of scientific evidence or lack thereof can convince me trhat this isn't the ultimate start to a workout.

[@willdavidson8971]

You sir are a legend

[@666gb]

Foam rolling always left me unsatisfied in the long run. Feel good for some spots but overall, it's meh. Good to know I'm not missing out.

[@leelan5448]

I'll stick with your strech videos 😂, I'll leave the "knots" to a massage therapist once a month🤣 Awesome vid as usuall Tom!

[@trepidati0n533]

What is hilarious is it is shown that the actual massage also has negligible benefits. What that hey have shown though is that you having to chill your ass out for a hour or so puts your body into a solid parasympathetic state which does more for recovery than the massage itself. But...as they say, if it makes you feel good then who am I to judge.

[@Watchamocalit]

Super helpful, thank you

[@abhishekchauhan7857]

I do foam rolling prior to "dynamic stretches" followed by my work-out and it feels great in that sequence, at least for me. For me Foam Rolling acts as a CATALYST in this whole energy process. Post work i just do "static stretches"- Game Over

[@Briaaanz]

I use a hard foam roller ball, more for self massage than foam rolling tho

[@gymdevil]

Use only on specific areas before doing flexibility work... main one is TFL... get a better stretch after using it... keeps ITB problems at bay...

[@user-rr1bg3ib5w]

I foam roll and it makes a world of a difference for me highly recommended

[@pradiptahafid]

It would be interesting to see whether people are more motivated and exercise longer when they use a foam roller. A simple act of exercise can boost motivation. Just like when you already put your running shoes when you don't feel like running at all, you better start to have a little bit of jog. I love the simplicity of foam roller. I tend to be more motivated to do exercise when I already feel something in my body.

[@BraddGraves]

This talk implies there's a difference between "real" pain and "perceived" pain, yet all experience of any kind, including pain, is perceived.

[@jdidsbury]

Hi Tom - Do you have any experience personally, or via others of massage guns? I'd be interested in your opinions and any associated research you've seen. Thanks.

[@BodyweightWarrior]

Same as above. They don’t do anything but they feel good 😂

[@KebapRocker]

But isn't lacrosse ball rolling basically a massage? And massages are proven to be beneficial i think. Am I missing something?

[@banandababa]

Foam rolling does nothing for me and is also kinda painful? If there was a softer foam roller maybe I would like it

[@acerimmer4954]

Aren't foam rolling like massage?

[@kezbanana8327]

Would love you to do something on feet. I’m suffering with plantar fasciitis at the moment and it’s really painful and gets me in tears sometimes and the doctor seems a bit useless with helping me.

[@omarbarradas306]

I've been dealing with Plantar fasciitis too and my doctor was completely useless, but I've found really helpful doing calves stretches, I bought new shoes with a wider box toe and recently I started using toe spacers and seems quite helpful too as they relief that horrible sharp pain in the heel

[@AtHomeFitness14]

Rolling the bottom of the foot with a frozen water bottle is good. Calf stretching. Golf ball rolling on bottom of foot, foam roller calf/peroneals. Banded dorsiflexion, inversion, eversion. Shoe inserts etc

[@joaolopes3029]

Doctor or physiotherapist? Doubt a doctor will help you with that, Kez

[@kezbanana8327]

@@joaolopes3029 doctor. You have to go through a GP to get referred to a physio. But that’s on the basis the GP actually can be bothered to

[@Obi_Wanka_Knobi]

I have plantar fasciitis (or faciosis as it’s becoming known now). Did the stretching, rolling on the frozen water bottle, rolling on a golf ball, but finally bit the bullet and went to the podiatrist and got orthotics. I’m not 100% yet but I don’t walk like an old man when I get up in the morning anymore.

[@ColleenDL]

When I foam roll I feel benefits. Therefore I believe it’s good for me. Just last night my back was tight. After I foam rolled, it wasn’t. 🤷🏾‍♀️

[@whatchonly]

can someone clearify the sponge effect? in my mobility seminars we were taught that there is a sponge effect, meaning, that foam rolling (very slow with lots of pressure) helps to raise bloodflow and the nutrition exchange in the rolled area. this should improve recovery. meanwhile tom said that this effects are just temporary i feel a lot better the day after the workout if i did roll and stretch the pumped areas of my body after a workout. ty for comment :) sry for my non-native english

[@terrylknox89]

i only really use rollers for those post workout knots ... idk what it actually does but i have high pain tolerance so it's just really fun to do

[@AtHomeFitness14]

You can't stretch intensely every day. So I feel it is beneficial to do on off days from stretching. That way your still working towards your goal of increasing flexibility but in a different way

[@AtHomeFitness14]

@Ethan Richard at a certain point I feel it's counter productive. You can do whatever you want tho guy

[@foteinipapaioannou3256]

Great video, thank you!!

[@tommygunTW1]

Nice vid tom

[@AdamKlingenberger]

I imagine this will be a more controversial video, but thank you for simplifying and communicating the info for us.

[@marnieridley2552]

Great video Tom - this would explain why smashing my piriformis with a lacrosse ball is doing nothing long term. Would strengthening help then over stretching/rolling? Thanks!

[@AiTheGreat200]

Can you do a foam roller follow along, please 🙂

[@laurel5432]

I'm a rather lazy person and if I do get the energy to do something, I'll do something substantial. Foam rolling to me seems like a good way to lie to yourself "well, i did foam rolling for 20 minutes". And just like you said, there's ways to better spend that time :p

[@DivideandConquerMath]

So this would also apply to deep tissue massage then? IE - sports massage also does not really do much unless you are an elite athlete?

[@juansamudio1171]

Foam rolling is usually used with muscle imbalances not necessarily to become more flexible in the way you think it works very well and if it didn’t then all certifications for personal trainers wouldn’t recommend it. Physical therapist use it to gain mobility and yes take the “knots” off in a way but it actually just warms up the muscles and joints in that area to increase range of motion usually for about 10 min of extra motion after you foam roll and yes it’s a good way to bring blood to the muscle after a workout to be less sore. There’s many Harvard studies and other studies that all recommend it but the true thing is that we actually don’t know much about it but they have a good theories and we have ideas. If the Foam rolling didn’t work all certifications wouldn’t recommend it for personal trainers but they do so there’s definitely something helping more than just a cognitive thing.

[@BodyweightWarrior]

The neurophysiology change IS the benefit to foam rolling. This is how trigger point therapy and others works. Main is an excellent manipulator BUT it doesn’t deform fascia. The current literature shows this.

[@juansamudio1171]

@@BodyweightWarrior oh yes never said it did deform fascia the force isn’t enough or at-least from what we know to really change anything from it

[@trepidati0n533]

Don't use the certification argument. Top Michelin star chefs used to say "searing seals in the juices" and thus it just got parroted everywhere (books, schools, etc) as gospel for DECADES when shown to be false. Doctors used to believe that blood letting was a good thing to get rid of diseases. Right now the evidence says "foam rolling really doesn't do jack shit"...PERIOD. The thing is....people are slow to change to new evidence. THIS is also a FACT. It typically takes a generational change for things that are ingrained to shift. Now, you might be able to find some specific use cases where it might help solve an INDIVIDUAL problem...but that is it.

[@juansamudio1171]

@@trepidati0n533 it does do shit don’t take it from me take it from the PHD professors who write articles on what it does do and yes the certifications constantly keep with with research and have their own facilities were they do studies which is why when something is new they renew the information unless you get a shitty certification from like Groupon or something the idea of SMR Is not necessarily to “ stretch”the fascia it’s not necessary to foam roll but it has benefits with it so if you like it go ahead but do it with in mind to follow it up with active stretching and not really only on the foam roll if it didn’t do Jack shit we wouldn’t be learning it in university for physical therapy

[@thewheelnicole3958]

I watched this while foam rolling. 😂

[@mateusz3162]

I feel it somehow helps if you are really tight (got 'knots') in some spots (so probably the most gains you got first time you do it) but I got the same intuition that as a tool towards gains in a range of motion stretching (and especially stretching with loads) is definitely better

[@lastmanstanding5423]

I always hated foam rolling. Happy to know it was justified.

[@acerimmer4954]

I foam roll thoracic spine nad lats before bed. Not every day only whem im stiff.

[@agnieszkabinasik]

It seems very similar to the kinesio taping hype 😅 If you enjoy it, do it 🤣 I personally do appreciate foam rolling as a form of recovery technique as a runner, I also treat it as a tester - usually foam rolling isn't painful for me so when it is, it's a sign of an overload or asymmetry in the way I load my muscles during the workout.

[@rnonthenicschannel4820]

Hello Bro🙏🏻💪🏻😁 Excuse me Bro Do you have a Calisthenics or Bodyweight Workout for Upper Abs,Obliques or Side Abs & Lower Abs Type,Variations Workout?🤔

[@YehonatanAvidan]

I would definitely give that a try! Always wondered if it has a positive impact as people say.

[@blueyedream]

Been doing it for years. It's definitely helped as a compliment to stretching (I use it as a warmup before stretching). Also have noticed that it really helps recovery, especially if I foam roll my legs or back after a workout. They aren't as sore the next 2 days, given equal recovery factors like the same diet, etc. Probably has something to do with blood flow to the areas rolled.

[@joshuabush2569]

I've had a foam roller sat round around the house for a few years... it's barely been used. just seems like a lot of time and effort for not much in return

[@irenereyes2032]

I haven't used my foam roller since i got my theragun mini. Wondering if i should still keep my foam roller?

[@brandonthai__]

Can u do stretches for football players?

[@jojoherz]

This is all very confusing for me... Cori from RedefiningStrength whom I similarly respect as you and who also has a scientific approach to training recommends foam rolling (however more specific exercises and mostly rolling orthogonally to the muscle rather than in line with the muscle). But also everything you mentioned makes sense. Phewwww.

[@BodyweightWarrior]

To clear confusion, foam rolling is a neutral or in some cases slight benefit BUT nothing like it is portrayed to do in the fitness industry. If you have time / enjoy it then roll away!

[@stefanocattelan5475]

Thanks Tom, I'd like your opinion on massage guns too

[@BodyweightWarrior]

same as this, just a bigger price tag

[@clairebishop757]

I remember an Athleen X video suggesting that foam rolling in the wrong direction (in relation to muscle fibers) could actually be harmful. Hopefully I'm not misrepresenting what Jeff said, but is anyone able to clarify further?

[@BodyweightWarrior]

Wouldn’t say it would be harmful, nothing I saw to suggest that. It doesn’t impart enough force to do anything

[@MustafaErkaya]

Foam rollers are one of the worst items to spend money on fitness industry! No wonder. A university hospital in Turkey did a similar study and I was a participant of it. We did two days of exercise. One with foam roller, the other one with old school streching. Results came exact same, lol.

[@jojoherz]

The duration of the study? Well, then I would not expect an effect... If you do mobility only on one day before exercise, you will likely also not see a difference in such a short time. But we are not arguing, that mobility and stretching are in fact beneficial, are we.

[@MustafaErkaya]

@@jojoherz It was a recovery study. So basically we had to do 2 workouts each day. They were measuring the power of quadriceps muscles with a pc connected leg extensions machine. The first day after you warm up on a bicycle for 10 minutes(it was a controlled bicycle) you'd push as hard as you can for 5 times. This process is repeated 2 times(2x5). Then you have 5 minutes of stretching time. After 5 minutes you repeat the exact same 2x5 process. Second day(one week after)you do exact same thing but instead of stretching, you'd use foam roller. It was a basic and reliable study I think.

[@trepidati0n533]

@@MustafaErkaya That is not reliable. Any "exercise activity" to be shown reliable has to be doe for "weeks" to ensure the efficacy is there. This is why fasted training sounds good in theory but in reality shows no long term benefit.

[@CMDAwesome]

I dont think it does anything for me, its just uncomfortable for the sake of being uncomfortable because i never feel any relief

[@terrylknox89]

random Q : what shorts are those

[@calisthenicsindia8498]

Doesn't do much but do it if u enjoy😂😂. This is enough 😂ig . Good vid tho for those needing evidence 👀

[@speculativesapient7139]

Science triumphs opinions

[@kaiphan6335]

You got this idea from Daniel?

[@BodyweightWarrior]

I remember his video long ago. I actually just saw it being mentioned in more recent comments on the channel plus also read this paper

[@likesgymnastics5767]

My opinion is same as yours - not worth the time. Glad that science backs it up. I am writing this just for the algorithm lmao

[@AdamKlingenberger]

Big Foam isn’t going to like this

[@thebucketmanj8525]

Foam rolling is stupid

[@chr1staki]

Foam rollers are proven to work on me for DOMS. I don't care too much for "studies"... scientific assumptions are probably more misleading than supposed placebos

[@trepidati0n533]

Ahh....so you just believe what you want to believe. So if I believe smoking doesn't cause cancer it doesn't? I mean all those studies are just misleading.

[@dominirican7403]

Foam rollers actually have proven to work lol. Even the top athlete foam roll...from Matt fraser to lebron James, Michael Phelps, Serena Williams. People who would never spend their time doing things that don't benefit their body in some way

[@BodyweightWarrior]

They all drive cars too but I wouldn’t consider that a performance enhancing activity

[@dominirican7403]

@@henkiedebomb i did. Never said I disagreed with anything Tom said. But I am saying that the top athletes use it because it seems to actually be worth it for them. Everyone is different

[@dominirican7403]

@@BodyweightWarrior in perspective it can be. Mentally..Jeff Gordon has said he loves to go on drives before his warmup just to get his mind right before he even gets into the warmups....but i get what your saying...I'm not disagreeing with anything said in this video. Just being firm on the idea that it indeed works. And it works differently for everyone. One of the longest playing basketball players like John Stockton and Karl Malone have talked about the benefits of it back in the day. Tom Brady talks about it. And remember they have the top of the top therapists working with them. I personally hate it, it's torture, i prefer more of a medium level modality

[@AdamKlingenberger]

Many top athletes have bad habits or superstition. Just goes to show that at that level, mental prowess is as important as physical. For example, it is well evidenced in literature that running with a heel strike is inefficient and leads to injury. Yet the majority of professional runners have a heel strike. You don’t have to have perfect form to be a top runner.

[@Kahva123]

You say they're proven to work yet fail to give us anything to support your claim except basically anecdotes? We can break down another scenario with your logic/argument: back in the day some runners used to smoke ciggarettes before a race just cause it was thought to be beneficial for their performance. However, we now have actual evidence pointing out the flaws of that logic. I would rather trust science than some athlete, no matter how good they are or what team they have around them. Unfortunately a lot of even the top physios etc are pretty incompetent and lack actual scientific understanding or simply aren't motivated to keep up with the research.