"Why Is Foam Rolling Painful? Tips for Safe and Effective Techniques"

After you get through that brutal HIIT class or long run, your muscles are most likely going to be sore. Those hardworking muscles were broken down during exercise and need rest to repair themselves. If you don't give your body some TLC and sufficient time to recover, you'll increase your risk of an overuse injury. One solution? That trusty foam roller.

It's become popular to use a foam roller after working out, as you can really hit those trigger points and soothe aching muscles from all angles. Foam rolling is a way to target fascia — aka the connective tissue that surrounds your bones, muscles, and joints — which can get tight. Some gyms even offer specific foam rolling recovery class workouts dedicated to rolling out muscles.

It seems too simple to mess up, right? It turns out that, in some cases, you can actually do more harm than good. There are specific moves and techniques for foam rolling the right way to boost recovery and heal muscles without causing additional pain — or wasting your time.

If foam rolling hurts more than it helps, you may not be approaching the practice safely. Ahead, experts weigh in on the common foam rolling mistakes you might be making and what to do instead.

When it comes to foam rolling, there's a sweet spot in terms of pressure. It's common to use too much or too little — but either way, you won't be able to repair damaged muscle tissue appropriately.

'It may take a while for the muscle you're working on to relax,' says Chris Aronsen, a NASM-certified senior fitness specialist and ACE-certified personal trainer in New York City. 'I prefer a slower to medium speed, as I find it's more effective at releasing tension without causing excess strain,' he adds.

Also, not all areas of the body are equal: Some muscles have trigger points or get tighter than others. Using the same pressure for every spot isn't smart, says Aronsen. 'Some areas you work on may not have much tension, while other areas might have a lot. Apply your pressure accordingly, and remember: Your body will tell you what it needs,' he explains.

It's tough to know what pressure is best. It shouldn't feel comfortable when you're rolling out muscles, especially when hitting trigger points. If you feel no discomfort, your pressure is probably too light. But if you start to feel excruciating pain, you'll want to pull back. Mild discomfort, with steady pressure, is to be expected, says Aronsen. You'll also want to avoid rolling too fast over each section, as there's usually not enough pressure provided.

Although some areas are tenser than others, you don't want to overdo it by staying too long on a given spot. 'Recommended times on any area would be 30 seconds to a minute,' says Susie Lemmer, a NASM-certified personal trainer and running coach in Chicago. 'For 30 seconds, hold the muscle over the roller and apply consistent pressure, then spend another 30 seconds to one minute of dynamic pressure, exploring the fascia,' she explains. Dynamic pressure means you'll be moving the foam roller, as opposed to static pressure where you'd hold it in one place. 'Start with static, then go to dynamic,' advises Lemmer.

A great way to explore the fascia and foam roll effectively is to keep the roller in one place as you twist side to side and then move your body across it up and down the length of the muscle — you move as it moves, says Lemmer.

When you spend too long on one spot, you risk bruising and injury, especially when you do it before a workout on a 'cold' muscle (aka a muscle that hasn't been warmed up through activity), says Lemmer. However, 'you can foam roll a 'cold' muscle much more safely than static or dynamic stretching a cold muscle,' she says. 'In fact, self-myofascial release (foam rolling) is a recommended first step in your warm-up,' she notes.

The risks of rolling out muscles improperly are on par with getting too severe a massage — bruising, most of all. If you get bruised from foam rolling, you'll probably want to ice it. 'And any sort of swelling or loss of function, range of motion, or strength — see a doctor immediately,' says Lemmer.

When rolling a cold muscle, you'll want to ease into it with a softer pressure at first to avoid further damaging the fascia and causing inflammation. Also, if you're moving the foam roller too aggressively over a cold muscle specifically, it can damage muscle tissue and make aches even worse. Instead, you'll want to keep the roller still and shift your body gently to allow the body to generate heat and warm up a bit to loosen tense points.

'Fascia run in all directions, so you want to make sure that you cover all of them,' says Lemmer. First, start by keeping the roller stationary, and twist your limb side to side (like a screwdriver). Then roll the length of the muscle, recommends Lemmer.