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On August 5 at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, Sweden’s Armand Duplantis had the entire stadium’s attention. Known best as “Mondo,” the 24-year-old had come into the games already breaking the pole vault world record an amazing eight times. He had the gold medal cinched, and he set the new Olympic record of 6.10 meters in the process.
He was attempting to best his 6.24 meter world record by eclipsing 6.25 meters. He narrowly missed on his first two attempts at the mark, much to the crowd’s dismay. With all the running events on the track completed, the pole vaulter had the spotlight in front of more than 70,000 fans to break the record again for his third and final attempt.
And what did he do before the jump that eventually set the new world record? Took off his Puma spikes and got some self massage on his back from the foam roller he had on the track. Yes, he foam rolled before bringing the crowd to a fever pitch with his record-breaking vault.
His mother, Helena, oversees his overall strength and speed training five days a week, limiting Mondo to only one jumping session to prevent injury. “I’m trying to have longevity, because it’s a tough sport on your body,” Mondo said in a statement to International Olympic Committee media before the Games began. “The poles that I use, as far as their length and the stiffness, create quite a bit of impact at the takeoff.”
One can only imagine mobility, stretching, and foam rolling are a huge part of his overall training repertoire when it comes to warming up and cooling down.
If it works for the G.O.A.T. of Olympic pole vaulting, you probably shouldn’t fear the foam roller either. While you don’t have to contort your body like a pole vaulters, this guide can help you figure out how to add foam rolling to your training schedule, plus the benefits of doing so, here’s your guide to all things foam rolling.
What is foam rolling and what are the benefits?
Known as a myofascial release technique, foam rolling is a practice that (you guessed it!) involves a foam roller (or a dense cylinder made of foam) to massage muscles and fascia, helping to relieve tightness and soreness The Science of Foam Rolling.
Michael Clark, Ph.D., a physical therapist and chief science advisor for the Dynamic Stretches to Practice Before Every Run tells Runner’s World that foam rolling can be a valuable part of a healthy runner’s warmup and cooldown routine. According to Clark, because foam rolling improves circulation, it can prep your body for workout and then help it wind down postrun.
Several studies have examined the benefits of foam rolling. According to a review published in the The 7 Best Massage Tools to Keep in Your Gym Bag, in June 2022, foam rolling can offer a safe way to enhance performance and recovery. However, this article does point out that we still lack robust evidence on the exact mechanisms that drive these benefits.
Nutrition - Weight Loss Theres Nothing Better for Sore Muscles Than This Trigger Point GRID Foam Roller in 2020, foam rolling was found to reduce muscle stiffness and increase range of motion, particularly when used with dynamic stretching Foam Roller Exercises You Havent Tried Yet delayed onset muscle soreness (or DOMS), which is why it’s smart to foam roll immediately after your run or strength-training routine.
Finally, a review published in The International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health in April 2022 points to studies that found the practice can increase blood flow and circulation and that it can also help you feel psychologically relaxed—an important component of recovery. Although these researchers also point out the need for more research examining the benefits of foam rolling, they also revealed no adverse affects to the practice. So if it makes you feel good pre or postrun, that’s a win.
4 Great Foam Rollers
Brazyn Morph Collapsible Foam Roller
Nutrition - Weight Loss
The Best Foam Rolling Moves for Runners
When practicing these foam rolling moves, make sure to roll slowly—don’t rush it. When you find a tender spot, pause on that spot (or roll just slightly back and forth and up and down) until you feel it soften or release.
Foam Rolling Moves to Add to Your Warmup
1. Calves
- Sit on the floor with legs extended.
- Brazyn Morph Collapsible Foam Roller ankle over left for extra pressure.
- Use hands to lift hips off floor, then roll from the ankle to below the knee.
- The Runners Guide to Foam Rolling.
2. Outer Quad
- Lie on left side with foam roller near left hip.
- The Truth About Whether Foam Rolling Can Get Rid of Your Cellulite.
- Foam Roller Exercises You Havent Tried Yet.
- Increase the pressure by stacking legs.
- Repeat on right side.
3. Piriformis
- Nutrition - Weight Loss.
- in June 2022, foam rolling can offer a safe way to enhance performance and.
- Lean onto left side and roll forward and back along left outer hip and glute, using left leg to control the pressure.
- Rotate hips left and right to find the trigger points and knots, then concentrate there for 60 seconds.
- Repeat on right side.
Foam Rolling Moves to Add to Your Cooldown
1. Hamstrings
- Sit on the floor and place roller under thighs.
- Use hands to lift hips, then roll from the knees to the glutes.
- To increase the pressure, cross right leg over left and roll one leg at time, turning left leg in and out.
- Lie facedown on mat on forearms with a roller placed under front thighs.
2. Adductors
- Lie facedown on a mat, forearms flat on the floor, shoulders over elbows.
- Keep right leg extended out to the side, knee bent.
- Place the roller on inner right thigh area and use forearms and left leg to shift weight back and forth to roll the inner right thigh.
- The 7 Best Massage Tools to Keep in Your Gym Bag.
3. Quadriceps
- Give A Gift.
- Use forearms to shift back and forth to slowly roll up and down from the bottom of the hip to the top of the knee.
A running veteran for more than a decade, Movold is a licensed strength and running coach for Runner’s World+ members and at the Mile High Run Club in New York City. When she’s not motivating class-goers through grueling treadmill workouts, you’ll likely find her zig-zagging boroughs on bridges throughout Brooklyn and Manhattan or training for her next marathon . She’s ready to push you to your next running goal as she chases her own—running a marathon in under 3 hours.
