The first step is making sure you foam roll after workouts; the second is doing it properly. "These days, most active people have heard of the benefits of foam rolling or self-myofascial release (SMR). While that is amazing, I still see the majority of people doing it incorrectly," Tucker tells us. "The goal of foam rolling is to alleviate adhesions or trigger points (knots) in the fascia. While it may feel like a nice massage to just roll back and forth over a sore muscle, moving quickly doesn't actually initiate the golgi tendon organ to stimulate, which doesn't have any real beneficial effect on the body."
Determine the areas of your body where you're experiencing tightness or pain. Make sure to foam roll slowly, and hold the foam roller at each trigger point for 30 to 45 seconds to alleviate tension. "When held for long enough on the trigger point, the golgi tendon organ will essentially turn off the muscle spindle activity, allowing your muscle fibers to stretch, unknot, and realign," says Tucker.