If you’ve been to a gym at any point in the past couple of decades, you’ve probably seen someone crouch down on the floor to do some foam rolling. 

Rolling out our muscles on a foam cylinder has become a pillar of a well-rounded fitness routine. And for good reason: It’s a form of myofascial release, which means it improves the mobility between our muscles and fascia (the connective tissue that surrounds them). When that interface gets a little “sticky,” we might lose some range of motion or start to feel a little achy, according to physical therapist Lyssa Cleary of Athletic Lab Physical Therapy and Performance Training. So by putting pressure on the area, foam rolling eases soreness and pain and improves range of motion, says Peloton instructor Hannah Corbin, who teaches foam rolling classes on the Peloton App. 

But sometimes you’ll see people hopping on a roller before their sweat session, and other times, they’ll roll out as part of their cooldown. So is it better to foam roll before or after a workout? Well, that depends on exactly what you’re looking to get out of your foam rolling session. This type of myofascial release can do a few different things for our bodies, based on the timing we use. 

Here, experts talk us through the pros and cons of both approaches. “Whether your goal is to reduce pain and soreness, to restore motion, or just to lengthen the muscles,” Hannah says, “you have come to the right place.”

Should You Foam Roll Before or After a Workout?

If you’ve got a particularly tight or painful muscle, foam rolling before your workout can help it feel better while you’re exercising, Cleary says. After a workout, foam rolling may decrease delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), she says.

Hannah says that she typically incorporates a little of both. “I like to do some light foam rolling before a workout to mobilize and release those muscles,” Hannah previously told The Output, “and then more targeted stretching and foam rolling afterwards to find the spots that were giving me issues during the workout.” 

Cleary says whether you foam roll before or after a workout largely comes down to personal preference, keeping in mind how your body is feeling that day—and how it typically responds to rolling. “The research is mixed on the effectiveness in different populations,” she says. “So I always [tell] people, ‘This is what we think it does, but try and see what works best for you.’" 

Foam Rolling Before a Workout

So you’ve realized that you feel a little bit better when you foam roll before you get into the crux of a hard workout. But what’s actually going on? And are there any drawbacks? Here’s what we know about how a pre-workout foam rolling session can affect our bodies.

Benefits of Foam Rolling Before a Workout

If you’ve got a particularly tight muscle that’s acting up on you, rolling it out during your warm-up can help to release the tissue. “And that can lead to a temporary improvement in flexibility,” Cleary says. The result? You might not feel quite so stiff while you’re working out. That means you might be able to work through a bigger range of motion and get more out of your training. 

What’s more, the pressure of your body weight against the foam roller also brings blood flow to any areas that you’re rolling out, similar to a massage. This helps to warm up the tissue and get it ready for a workout, Cleary says. 

There’s also a mental component that can’t be ignored. “I like to think of it as a combination of shedding the layers of ‘blah’ for the day and focusing on being able to move the joints freely and easily,” Hannah says. With the right approach, foam rolling can serve as a helpful transition between our stationary, day-to-day selves and our inner athlete who’s ready to get after it. 

Drawbacks of Foam Rolling Before a Workout

Sure, foam rolling can be one way to warm up, since the pressure brings blood flow to your muscles. But you’re going to need a good chunk of time if you want to do that for all your muscles before exercising. “Foam rolling every muscle in your legs on both sides before a workout doesn’t make sense, because it’s really best if you’re targeting each muscle for at least 60–90 seconds,” Cleary says. That tactic would be a pretty time-intensive endeavor, given the number of muscles in our bodies. “The juice isn’t worth the squeeze,” Cleary says.

A smarter approach is to target specific muscles that are particularly stiff and achy, where you feel like you need a little more mobility. Even then, foam rolling by itself isn’t a silver bullet. One 2024 meta-analysis found that the practice was no more effective at increasing flexibility before a workout than other activities that raise body temperature, like walking. 

What’s more, Cleary warns that a good warm-up needs to include more than just foam rolling to truly prep your body to tackle a hard workout. “I would always pair foam rolling with dynamic mobility or bodyweight exercises,” she says. 

She adds that there are also some theories among exercise scientists that foam rolling could potentially reduce muscle performance and strength output temporarily. “But I would only be concerned about that for elite-level athletes,” she says. “For the everyday recreational athlete, I don’t think those negative effects are really going to outweigh the benefits if someone feels like doing the foam roller prior to a workout does loosen up their muscles.”

Foam Rolling After a Workout

If foam rolling is used to help you get loose, warm, and ready for your workout, what’s the point in waiting until afterwards? Well, there’s also something to be said for weaving it into your cooldown.

Benefits of Foam Rolling After a Workout

A post-workout roll session can set you up for a smoother recovery, Hannah says. “Foam rolling after a workout can help reduce the soreness that you may feel in the days to follow,” she says. “It won’t eliminate it, but it will help.”

We can thank foam rolling’s ability to loosen up tissue and bring blood flow to the area for this benefit as well, Cleary explains. “It creates a neurovascular response so that the muscles relax and don’t get as sore,” she says. A few dedicated minutes on the roller post-workout could mean muscles don’t yell at you quite so loudly when you roll out of bed the next day. 

Drawbacks of Foam Rolling After a Workout

If you’re adding a foam roll to your cooldown routine, you need to be prepared to put in a little more work rather than go straight into rest-and-relaxation mode. “Honestly, the biggest downside is that you may already be tired, depending on how taxing your workout was,” Hannah says. “Foam rolling, while wonderful, requires a decent amount of upper body and core strength to execute the moves.” After a super intense workout, you’re more likely to sacrifice good form, thanks to some extra fatigue (but try not to let that deter you, Hannah encourages).

Cleary also adds that, again, rolling every single muscle you used in your workout in order to prevent soreness could take quite some time. “And the jury’s still out on whether or not we’re actually doing anything significant,” she says. 

That said, if you find foam rolling after a workout helps your body feel better, and you’ve got the time and energy for it, there’s no real reason not to do it. As long as you’re foam rolling properly (not over small joints, for instance), Cleary says it’s a safe addition to any cooldown. You can even find helpful foam rolling classes on the Peloton App that can guide you through the motions.

Of course, if you have a serious injury or a health condition such as osteoporosis or arthritis, you’ll definitely want to get your healthcare provider’s OK before trying it.

Should You Ever Foam Roll Before and After a Workout?

There are definitely times where it makes sense to foam roll both before and after your workout. In particular, Cleary recommends this approach to anyone who has chronic tightness or pain in a particular area. “Beforehand, you’re going to loosen that up so that you get that temporary reduction in pain so that you can do your workout more effectively,” she says. “And then afterwards, you’re potentially decreasing soreness and improving your recovery time after exercise.”

But Cleary warns that foam rolling won’t fix the root cause of the problem—for that, you might need to work with a physical therapist to figure out why you’re constantly feeling tight or achy. “If a muscle is tight or nagging you, it’s the body’s way of telling you that it needs a little love in that area,” Hannah adds. But regular foam rolling before and after exercise can at least bring some temporary relief to the area so that you can get in a better workout.

The Takeaway

Whether you foam roll before or after a workout can change what you get out of the practice. Doing it before you exercise can potentially help to loosen up tight muscles so you don’t feel quite so stiff while you’re working out. Afterwards, foam rolling might help to keep that dreaded post-workout soreness at bay.   

The key is to listen to your body, and give your muscles some attention whenever they’re craving a little extra TLC. “Reach for a foam roller when you want to show your tired, hardworking muscles some love,” Hannah says.