SMR: What it is, and why it's awesome

As defined by Wikipedia, Self Myofascial Release (SMR) is a type of soft tissue therapy for the treatment of skeletal muscle mobility and pain. You may have heard the more common terminology, “foam rolling”.

SMR is something we can all do at home. It is a self-massage to release muscle tightness or trigger points (aka “knots”) utilizing a foam roller, a lacrosse ball, a tennis ball, or even your own hands.

Tightness in your muscles can stem from a plethora of things: sitting at your desk too long at work, a long run, or a grueling day at the gym. Our bodies are adaptation machines, and will adapt to anything we throw at it. For the most part, this is a great thing. On the flip side, our bodies also learn to compensate for our weaknesses… therefore leading to imbalances (and tightness) in our bodies.

SMR is a deep compression. It helps to break up, and relax, those tight muscles and the adhesions formed between the muscle layers. By doing SMR, you are allowing blood flow to return the restoration of healthy tissues. By doing SMR, you are helping your body keep (or restore) its flexibility and mobility. Restoring flexibility and mobility, releasing these trigger points, helps to bring back proper movement patterns and pain free movement… which, of course, leads to enhanced performance.

How do I foam roll?

A common misconception about foam rolling is that you simply roll over your muscles, back and forth. However, the proper way to foam roll is to roll over your muscles until you find a tight/tender area. When you have found that tight area, stay on that spot for a minimum of 30 seconds (up to 2 minutes), until that tightness dissipates. Then, move on to the next area.

SMR is a great recovery tool. Use it before your workouts, after your workouts, and on rest days. Your body will thank you for it.

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