SHOULD I ROLL OUT MY MUSCLES PRE OR POST-WORKOUT?

Author: JOCEE LONG, DPT

This blog post is in response to a community question submitted via Instagram. 

Should I be rolling out my muscles pre-workout or post-workout?
In a nutshell, I think foam rolling post-workout is more ideal. Some research suggests foam rolling from 10-20 minutes post high intensity exercise can reduce delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and enhance post-exercise muscle recovery. 
When and why would you roll before exercise?
The research suggests that short bouts of foam rolling 1 session for 30 sec - 2 minutes does not enhance or negatively affect muscle performance but may positively change the perception of fatigue. Rolling can have short term effects on increasing joint range of motion, however since there isn’t enough evidence, exact amounts of how much is too much has not been determined. And since we know stretching too much pre-workout can have negative effects on muscle performance, if you choose to roll before your workout try to keep your pre-workout lower extremity rolling session under 2 minutes. 
Big picture.
Research really only supports foam rolling for decreasing delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and potentially giving short term benefits with changes in joint range of motion. Are you foam rolling for stiffness in your muscles?  My question is, why are your muscles chronically tight in the first place? Healthy muscles are meant to be worked and shouldn’t be getting ‘tight’ after normal or even intense workouts. So if you feel like you have to roll out to feel good after a workout, you might want to chat with a physical therapist about possible movement dysfunctions you have that are likely causing the muscle stiffness in the first place.