People have written and printed hundreds of reasons why the foam roller is beneficial. A simple web search will lead you to articles of 10, 12, and sometimes 15 reasons why it’s important to foam roll. The scientific research gets technical in it’s explanation, and I don’t want to bore anyway to death, so I am going to simply break down “5 Reasons to Foam Roll.”

Removes knots caused by inactivity (those of you that aren’t exercising and are sitting most of the day) and by repetitive motions (running, weightlifting, biking, sports). Those knots prevent muscles from operating properly which will eventually lead to a gang of issues.
Increased Range of Motion (ROM). When tight muscles are being used they can cause surrounding muscles to become tight as well. This is an example of a chain reaction starting within the body. We want that optimal ROM for better performance in the gym and for our activities.
Helps reduce muscle soreness and promotes recovery. After exercise foam rolling helps recovery by removing knots. It also minimizes the risk of knots forming during the following days of recovery.
It increases blood flow and muscle temperature. Foam rolling is a great primer for workouts. You want your muscles warm before you start training. Understand: even though rolling reduces tightness and increase ROM, you don’t want roll for too long since it can affect the muscle’s ability to contract. So don’t let your phone or conversations with gym friends let you get carried away.
Relaxation and psychological benefits. This is a no brainer. We all could use some relaxation and good brain power. Focus rolling on areas for up to 90 seconds.