Tip Does Foam Rolling Have to Hurt Search Skip to content Menu Menu follow us Store Articles Community Loyal-T Club Loyal-T Points Rewards Subscribe to Save Search Search The World s Trusted Source & Community for Elite Fitness Training Tip Does Foam Rolling Have to Hurt Turns out more pain doesn' t equal more gain Here' s the latest science by Shawn Wayland December 29, 2017August 18, 2019 Tags Mobility, Tips, Training Less Pain About the Same Gain You roll up to the gym after a long day sitting at work. You know you need to loosen up, but that foam roller is always so painful. Is all that pain worth the increase in flexibility? Do you have to feel like you're destroying your muscle to see the benefits of increased range of motion? This study suggests that less pain equals similar gain. The Study The study looked at eight males and eight females that participated in resistance or aerobic exercise at least three times a week and had no previous foam rolling experience. The subjects underwent a familiarization session on the roller followed by three sessions separated by 48 to 96 hours. Each session began with finding the subjects' maximum rating of perceived pain for that day. They added pressure to the foam roller until the subjects couldn't tolerate it anymore. This value was a 10 RPP. The low pressure rolling trial was about 50% of this force, the moderate was 70%, and the heavy was 90%. Single-leg drop jumps, maximum voluntary contractions for the knee flexors (hamstrings) and extensors (quads), and the active and passive range of motion for the knee extensors were analyzed. The foam rolling for each of the trials consisted of a 4-second loop from the top of the knees to the crease of the hips and back for 60 consecutive seconds. The Results Active range of motion was significantly greater than the second pre-test value following the heavy load foam rolling protocol. Passive range of motion was significantly greater than the second pre-test value following the moderate and heavy load foam rolling protocol. Drop jump performance wasn't significantly different between the foam rolling trials and neither was MVIC. There was a significant correlation between the active range of motion and foam rolling protocols that favored the heavy protocol. What This Means to You You don't need to worry about significant drops in strength or power following foam rolling, and it's a great tool to use before a workout to increase range of motion. Maximal amounts of pressure and pain doesn't seem necessary to get the desired effect from foam rolling either. Lastly, you don't need to spend crazy amounts of time foam rolling to enjoy the benefits of an increased range of motion. Reference Grabow, L. et al. (2017). Higher Quadriceps Roller Massage Forces Do Not Amplify Range-of-Motion Increases Or Impair Strength or Jump Performance. The Journal Of Strength and Conditioning Research. doi:10.1519/JSC.0000000000001906 Get The T Nation Newsletters Don' t Miss Out Expert Insights To Get Stronger, Gain Muscle Faster, And Take Your Lifting To The Next Level related posts Training Tip The Important Muscles You Never Think About Here's how your jaw can affect your posture, performance, and even your hormones. Athletic Performance, It Hurts Fix It, Tips, Training Arianna Hoffman April 30 Training Tip Occlusion Training for Big Calves No, you haven't tried everything to get your calves to grow. Take a look at this extreme method. Calves, Tips, Training Mark Dugdale May 10 Training Tip Do This Before You Press Overhead Most shoulder warm-ups are insufficient. Protect your shoulders with this simple drill. It Hurts Fix It, Training Chris Peil November 8 Training 5 Heavy Lifts To Increase Mobility Think you need to spend more time stretching? You don’t. Here’s how to make gains while gaining mobility. It Hurts Fix It, Mobility, Powerlifting & Strength, Training Dan Blewett February 15