Whether you come home from a long day at the office with a sore back, wake up stiff, or want to optimize your workouts, foam rollers are one product not to overlook.
Versatile and resilient, closed-cell foam rollers offer value people don’t always recognize until they experience it first-hand. For self-massage, stretching, or exercising, polyethylene foam cylinders can make a big difference in your life.
Available in a wide range of sizes, foam bolsters and rollers can fit virtually any purpose. The greatest benefit of using polyethylene for a roller is the resilience of the material. In 2LB densities and greater, polyethylene rollers of appropriate size are able to support most peoples’ body weight when used as an exercise bolster.
The simplest way a foam exercise roll can be used is as an aid when stretching. Able to support the weight of a body, polyethylene rollers remain firm without becoming too hard. Implementing foam rollers into an after-work or post-workout stretch can give you added range of motion that helps you release stress and relieve tense muscles. Many people spend their days in chairs that cause them to hunch over, or at desks that cram them into a tight space that’s not conducive to proper body alignment. Using a foam roller vertically along the spine, horizontally under the small of the back, or to prop up your legs can relieve tightness and stress from the day by extending your range of motion beyond what simply laying on a padded floor mat allows.
In addition to stationary stretching, many people use foam rollers in a similar fashion for self-massage. The supportive firmness of polyethylene rollers works muscles using your own body weight. Resting against the roller with the area of your body you want to massage and slowly rolling yourself back and forth over it can target muscles and tendons that are sore or tired. The back and legs are areas that are difficult to effectively address when they’re giving you problems, but can be directly targeted with foam rollers. Even if only done sporadically, self-massage can help work out the kinks and knots that pop up in our daily lives. Routinely exercising with foam rollers can also increase flexibility, which helps reduce injuries. Foam rollers help increase blood flow and are a great way to warm up before activities as well.
In smaller sizes, foam bolsters are great for rolling under and between tired feet and hands, and can be a supportive boost behind the knees, under the back, or beneath the ankles when relaxing and unwinding. Being round, a foam back support bolster can also help with balance exercises, as muscles release and contract as you work to keep a position atop the roller.
Foam Factory, Inc. offers a line of polyethylene foam rollers in a 2.2LB density that is firm and supportive, but not too hard to comfortably use. The sizes most useful for exercise and stretching are their 3, 4, 5, and 6 inch diameter rollers, though 1, 2, and 2 ½ inch diameter rollers are also available. Lengths available are 17, 35, and 70 inches, though Foam Factory can cut rollers to any size between 17 and 70 inches if you have a special request. Additionally, Foam Factory can halve rollers to create two hemispherical bolsters with one side flat on each. These are useful for people who want some of the resistance a roller provides against the body, but not in the heights full-sizes offer. It also eliminates the need to balance for those uncomfortable or unable to do so.
If you’re looking for an affordable and easy way to improve your comfort, whether lounging at home, relaxing after work, or recovering from an intense workout, polyethylene foam rollers are a practical and easy way to unwind and feel good.
NOTE: Before beginning or altering a health or exercise regimen please, consult your physician. Foam Factory, Inc. will not have any liability to anyone for incidental or consequential damages or any other liability, injury, loss or damage arising out of or related to our products, even if Foam Factory or an authorized representative of Foam Factory has been advised of the possibility of such damages.
