Why, When, and How to Use A Foam Roller OCTOBER 29, 2018 · BY LANCE WATSON While nothing can quite replicate a good sports massage, you can enjoy many of the same benefits at home (or between massages) with a foam roller. In recent years, foam rolling has gone mainstream. Once a self-massage technique used only by professional athletes, coaches, and therapists; foam rolling is now an everyday practice for people at all levels of fitness . There’s a reason for the popularity of this self-massage technique: it’s simple and it works! With the (usually foam-based) cylindrical muscle rollers now widely available in a variety of designs and firmness levels, there’s never been a better time to start. Here’s what you stand to gain if you haven’t tried foam rolling, and how to do it better if you’ve already started. What is foam rolling? Foam rolling is also called myofascial release . But what is fascia? And why do you want to “release” it? Fascia is the thin tissu