Foam Rolling: Kill Or Cure

Thank You for joining Me

Most of us are in this industry to help our clients. Many of my students want to ensure they are doing everything they can to prevent injuries, and improve their clients performance. This desire to help can make it tempting to chase the latest trends and supposed breakthroughs. I wonder if I am the only one who, through my eagerness to help my clients, has become susceptible to various fitness gimmicks. I’ve been caught in the trap of constantly pursuing the next big thing, but now that has changed. For those who stay with me, I will be sharing what I have fallen for and why,  I now question the practices I once endorsed.

If you too, think you may have ever unwittingly followed a trend, only to discover it doesn't do what you once believed, read on. This is for you!

My Experiences

• In 1997 when I qualified to be a personal trainer, I used to see symmetry as a crystal ball for preventing injuries and enhancing performance. ( see previous blog ).
• My days were then spent correcting posture. I thought I was fixing people, preventing injuries and ironing out imbalances to improve their performance. 
• Then just before my son was born it became all about the foot. I had plantar fasciitis and my injury prevention techniques hadn't worked! My new Mantra was "the foot is central to everything". This complex part of the body had mystical effects up the kinetic chain. (I mean it is attached). So, if while you are reading this, you reach your left hand as far as it can go over your left shoulder, your right foot will have flattened into the floor. That's not a magic kinetic chain. You're just attached. The foot is actually pretty simple, but don’t tell "guru Jo" that she fooked that up too. The foot is highly effective at adapting to various surfaces – sand, cobbles, etc. You can find out more on anatomy on Motor Skill Application Specialist (MSAS), the course that gives you 100’s of exercises to help train any client from any background, as well as simplifying the foot stuff. It also provides the tools to actually look at the quality studies i should have been looking at to help with my plantar fasciitis. (But I was on a role).
• I continued with an obsession for assessments, assessing everything, even my Springerdor Chilly. I used assessments that were not even relevant to my clients movement goals 🙈. I relied on static tests like the Modified Thomas Test and Gillet Test, not even reading the literature on how unreliable they are for function. 
• Then it was back to the foot. This time my interest was in Bare Foot Shoes. I bought into Five Fingers (the boat shoe), inspired by reading ‘Born to Run’, and made my husband buy them too!
• Now back to  Biomechanics. I started to look at movement in sequences of bones all connecting. You do need a good eye and understanding of biomechanics in the field as a personal trainer, in order to see and predict movement. However this neglected the nuances and complexities at play when we move. Later on I would discover the importance of the unique person, their skill, their perceptions, and the role of motor learning. I would have also probably  fallen for intrinsic biomechanics too if it had been made up back then.

• But there is more.... The time had now come to experiment with fascial release techniques like FAKTR, taping (guilty of using this on my daughter), and Foam Rolling for Fascial Release. My God it hurt. I believed it was releasing that IT band, and would help with the meniscus injury I was waiting for surgery on. 

• Beyond this, I delved into nutritional fads too. Sugar free diets and paleo perfection.
• I believed in limitless strength, and thought strength could only be gauged through a set of universal exercises. 

Thankfully At this point i was introduced to the FASter process i now teach on Motor Skill Application specialists 

Looking back, I think I thought I was ‘Jesus Jo’, scraping fascia, fixing everyone in Wimbledon with my spoon while I was waiting for my “Faktr tool” to arrive. (I was going to add a bad joke about spooning everyone in Wimbledon there, but I'm not doing that).
Now as I sit down considering an ice bath, (I’ll make sure I tell everyone about it 😂) I realise I must be one of the most gullible on Instagram. But that's ok. It has led me to reevaluate the techniques I once used and in some cases taught.
My perspective changed when Faster introduced me to their process, that I now teach on the Motor Skill Application Specialist ( MSAS) course. This helped me understand the importance of quality research, how to ask the right questions, ensuring my clients needs are always put first.
Although I continue to get things wrong,  this process helps me to move away from being emotionally attached to any particular technique. It helps me to let go of my ego and biases, ensuring I remain open to change.
I want to be the trainer, mentor whose clients’ success is based on this process and not my techniques. It’s about finding better questions, not letting biases cloud my judgement.

​For those who have made it this far, let's ensure we are not killing our clients' performance.

 When looking at improving performance, it's vital we avoid vague terms often used to sell products. To do this, first, we must clearly define what aspect of performance we're focusing on. For example, if we’re looking to improve acceleration in running, it’s crucial to first understand the client's current level of experience, skill, biomechanics, and environmental factors, so we can measure and remeasure this.
​Once the specific area of performance is clearly defined, we can then consider questioning what influences it. In the case of acceleration, this includes:

1. Sequencing: of biomechanics: Ensuring movements are performed with the right order.
2. Power Generation: Generating the appropriate amount of power at the right moments       during movement.
3. Combination of the above: The right Inter and Intra Muscular Contractions with the     appropriate power for task, or Motor Skill
4. Understanding the role of mental state, confidence, experience, anticipation, and competition.
5. Fatigue Management:  Response to various  loads . speeds
6. Feedback: Task driven, video analysis, coaching

Relying on techniques like foam rolling doesn't address these complex and interconnected factors. Foam rolling may offer short-term changes in the perception of range at a joint, but it does not contribute to the nuanced aspects of improving acceleration. The short-term benefits would cost your clients their long-term performance goals.

Having the expertise of being a Motor Skill Application Specialist can be invaluable in this context. Such specialists are equipped with the skills to not only understand and apply the principles of motor learning and biomechanics but also to evaluate research and practices critically, and change when necessary. This ensures that the training methods used are not just based on trends or surface-level solutions, but on a deeper understanding of what genuinely improves performance.

If you’ve been swayed by a fitness gimmick too, please share it in the comments. I’d love to know I'm not the only one! To find out more about the Faster Process taught on Motor Skill Application Specialist. Click on the link below .  

Thank You 
​Joanne

Module One of MSAS

References

These are meant as a starting point andI  highly recommend doing your own research!

• MacDonald, G. Z., Button, D. C., Drinkwater, E. J.,
• Cho, M., Hwang, E., & Kim, J. (2015). The effects of myofascial trigger point release on the power and force production in the lower limb kinetic chain. Journal of Exercise Rehabilitation, 11(2), 74–80.
• Sullivan, K. M., Silvey, D. B., Button, D. C., & Behm, D. G. (2013). Roller-massager application to the quadriceps and knee-joint range of motion and neuromuscular efficiency during a lunge. Journal of Athletic Training, 48(2), 220–229.
• Cheatham, S. W., Kolber, M. J., Cain, M., & Lee, M. (2015). The effects of self-myofascial release using a foam roller or roller massager on joint range of motion, muscle recovery, and performance: A systematic review. International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 10(6), 827–838.
• Behm, D. G., Blazevich, A. J., Kay, A. D., & McHugh, M. (2015). Acute effects of muscle stretching on physical performance, range of motion, and injury incidence in healthy active individuals: A systematic review. Applied Physiology, Nutrition, and Metabolism, 41(1), 1-11.
• Foam rolling and stretching do not provide superior acute flexibility and stiffness improvements compared to any other warm-up intervention: A systematic review with meta-analysis
  Author links open overlay panel Konstantin Warneke a, Gerit Plöschberger a, Lars H. Lohmann b, Eric Lichtenstein c, Daniel Jochum d, Stanislav D. Siegel b, Astrid Zech b, David G. Behm e

Journal of Sport and Health Scienc

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624000061
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095254624000061.