Foam Rolling and Massage Gun Use During Warm-Ups Reduces Power, New Study Finds
Though useful, there's a time and place for these tools, and it isn't before you need to be explosive.
Does that fancy little massage gun or foam roller do any good as a warm-up, or are they actually hindering performance? This study dug into the nuance, revealing that the hype around these pre-workout rituals has far outpaced their helpfulness. Sigh.
Key Points
Aim
Researchers investigated whether massage guns and foam rollers improve athletic performance during warm-ups, comparing their effects against a dynamic warm-up alone. Sixteen trained athletes completed three separate testing sessions, examining how these popular recovery tools impact jump height, sprint speed, and mobility before intense exercise.
Study Design and Methods
The researchers used a rigorous randomised, crossover design where all participants tested three different warm-up conditions separated by at least 48 hours. Each session included a standardised dynamic warm-up followed by either 12 minutes of foam rolling, 12 minutes of massage gun treatment (using a Hydragun at 53 Hz), or no additional intervention as the control.
Performance was assessed through multiple validated tests, including countermovement jumps (measuring power and reactive strength), repeated jump tests, 20-meter sprints, and ankle mobility measurements. The study also tracked perceived muscle soreness and fatigue levels.
Findings
The results revealed performance decrements rather than improvements. Both massage gun use and foam rolling significantly reduced countermovement jump height by moderate amounts compared to the control condition, with effect sizes of -0.36 and -0.29, respectively. Jump reactive strength was similarly impaired, showing even larger negative effects for massage gun and foam roller use.
Sprint performance was specifically compromised by massage gun use, with athletes running significantly slower 20-meter sprints compared to the control condition. However, foam rolling did not significantly affect sprint times.
The study did identify some benefits, particularly for foam rolling, which modestly improved left ankle mobility by less than one centimetre and significantly reduced perceived muscle soreness compared to the control condition.
