Quote: (06-01-2013 03:23 PM)Ziltoid Wrote:
Massage of any kind has some pretty compelling benefits on paper for a weightlifting routine. If you have the cash to blow, I suspect you'd get better results from getting a professional massage, but you definitely cannot beat the price and convenience of foam rolling.
I'm unaware of how it compares to swedish/deep tissue massage in terms of mitochondria, recovery, soreness, and overall LBM gain, statistically.
Never tried it myself, but have been thinking about it.
Do you notice that it affects your recovery at all?
I can't say I have noticed much, but that is because recently I decreased the intensity of my lower body work.
What I have noticed is that it hurts to foam roll certain parts of my quads, glutes, and calves. When I first started it was so painful, now it is a lesser pain. From what I understand the more it hurts initially, the more knots there are in your muscles.
Maybe someone who is more experienced with foam rolling and the science behind what it does for your muscles can correct me, but I believe it increases flexibility and ROM, increases the ease of blood flow, relieves tightness, and relaxes/decreases built up muscle soreness (DOMS).
For the recovery aspect, if it does decrease DOMS (which at its most intense can last 3-5 days) this will allow you to work the body parts more often and allow your muscles to perform at maximum efficiency due to reduced built up soreness.
Besides all that, it feels amazing. And if you really put in time and focus (set aside 20 minutes to foam roll your entire lower body), your legs will feel so fresh and relaxed.
