What is that thing? That's the question people always ask when I pull out this foam roller. Little, do they know the benefits of rolling. By positioning your body on the roller over a particular muscle (like the outer thigh, which is hard to stretch) the roller provides a self-myofascial release, a sort of self-massage, which can help your muscles to be more pliable, and can provide a kind of stretch that not even massage can provide. At first, it can be extremely painful in a deep stretch kind of way. But, if done on a regular basis, rolling gets much more bearable and even pain free when the tension has been released from that particular muscle.
Releasing this tension, that you might not have even known existed, can prevent injuries, improve posture, relieve pain in your joints and low back, improve performance and just make you feel better. I have found in my practice that clients with knee pain have been completely relieved of that pain and have been able to begin running again by religiously rolling twice a day until it became easy and then continuing once a day, especially after running.
So, don't be intimidated by this little guy. You might have seen them in the gym and ignored them, but after your next workout, you might just want to go roll. There are brands that come with a video on how to use it, the different body parts that you can massage. Basically, you want to do your calves, hamstrings (back of the thigh), shins, quadriceps (front of the thigh), outside of the thigh and your back. You might feel like a fish flopping around on the floor at first, but it will get more comfortable to perform these moves and you will see improvements, if done regularly.
