a high quality affordable and effective tool that takes away your post run relaxation worries

After long periods of training or competition, runners often experience muscle stiffness and tension. Effective stretching can help muscles transition from a tense, contracted state to a relaxed, extended state more quickly, aiding in fatigue elimination and maintaining muscle elasticity.

However, stretching alone is not enough to fully relax muscles, as it cannot eliminate muscle knots.

What are muscle knots?

They are adhesions formed in the fascia within soft tissues.

Muscles are surrounded by fascia both inside and out. When fascia becomes tense and muscle fibers become entangled without proper relaxation and smoothing, adhesions form. These adhesions create a fragile, less elastic (non-stretchable) cluster, leading to what we call muscle 'knots,' which are specific points on the muscle surface that are particularly painful when pressed. This is where foam rolling comes in handy.

(Fascia adhesions)

Benefits of foam rolling

Effectively relaxes muscles, eliminating muscle tension and spasms;

Improves the flexibility and elasticity of muscles and other soft tissues, reducing muscle strains;

Releases myofascial tension, eliminating trigger points that cause pain and softening adhesion scar tissue;

Promotes blood circulation and lymphatic return;

Exercises the body's balance ability;

By relaxing muscles, it reduces joint pressure, effectively alleviating cumulative joint pain.

How to choose a foam roller?

Question 1:Should you choose a long or short one?

Choose a short one, generally30-45centimeters.

Question 2:Should you choose a hard or soft foam roller?

Generally, choosing amoderately softfoam roller is more suitable.

Question 3:Should you choose a smooth surface or one with ridges/bumps?

For runners,a smooth surfacefoam roller is sufficient, or a mixed type with some bumps and smooth areas.foam roller.

How to use a foam roller

1. Roll each area for30-45seconds, repeating3-4times.

2. Rolling muscles should not be excessively painful, as too much pain can trigger reflexive muscle contractions, reducing relaxation effectiveness. Aim for a feeling ofrolling sensationormild pain. We recommend alternating between limbs rather than rolling both legs simultaneously.

3. If a particular point is especially painful during rolling, you can applysustained pressureon that point with the roller. This means the roller doesn't always need to roll; sometimes sustained pressure on a pain point is another way to relax.

4. After each run, combiningstretching with foam rollingis the best way to eliminate fatigue and relax muscles.

Here are 9 golden foam rolling exercises for post-run relaxation. Learn them quickly!

01Calf relaxation

Point your toes upward to relax the gastrocnemius muscle in the calf, or cross your legs to increase weight and enhance the effect.

02Outer calf muscle relaxation

Point your toes outward to relax the outer part of the calf muscles.

03Front calf muscle relaxation

Support yourself with one foot and both hands, with toes pointing inward, to relax the front calf muscles, including the tibialis anterior, which is not easily stretched but responds well to foam rolling.

04Inner thigh relaxation

Place the foam roller at an angle and roll along the inner thigh.

05Outer thigh relaxation

Outer thigh relaxation: The iliotibial band on the outer thigh is a crucial structure, and its tension is a major cause of runner's knee pain. Stretching this area is often ineffective, but foam rolling works well.

Enhanced outer thigh relaxation: If you can tolerate it, you can place both legs on the roller simultaneously to increase the intensity.

06Front thigh relaxation

Front thigh relaxation: Kneel on one knee and use it as a pivot to roll the front thigh.

Enhanced front thigh relaxation: Place both legs on the foam roller and roll back and forth along the front thigh.

07Back thigh relaxation

Back thigh relaxation: This exercise generally provides mild relaxation and may not be as effective as stretching.

Enhanced back thigh relaxation: If you place one leg over the other to increase weight, the sensation will be more intense.

08 Gluteal relaxation

Cross one leg over the other, and relax the gluteal muscles on the side of the crossed leg.

09Back relaxation

The back is also a common area of tension for runners, and foam rolling the back is very comfortable.

Tip:For more training exercises, refer to '2020 Runner's Diary.' This book also contains 366 running tips, one for each day, to help you improve a little every day!

-END-

The above content is from

'2020 Runner's Diary' and 'Injury-Free Running'

Published with authorization from People's Posts and Telecommunications Press

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