Level 3 foam rolling instructor course

This foam rolling instructor course is designed as an ‘add on’ CPD course for personal trainers and as such, it doesn’t result in direct employment opportunities. Most of the students that complete this course are already qualified fitness instructors and personal trainers looking to increase their scope of practice and deliver a wider-range of services to their clients.

Many personal trainers incorporate the foam rolling techniques they master on this course into their one-to-one training sessions. However, many of our group exercise instructors also go on to deliver stretching and rolling classes specifically targeting problem areas with self-myofascial release techniques. We also know that some of our sports massage course graduates are incorporating these techniques into their self-care advice for clients.

This course is designed for fitness instructors and personal trainers looking to learn the evidence-based principles and fundamentals of foam rolling (self-myofascial release) with the goal of delivering safe and effective foam rolling activities to clients (individual and groups).  If you are a qualified exercise professional that has been using a foam roller for some time and you have a firm grasp of the underlying science, then there is no formal requirement for you to complete a separate foam rolling instructor course.

That said, most employers prefer their staff to undertake regular CPD to ensure that what they are teaching aligns with industry standards and best practice. Similarly, if you are using a foam roller with clients, they will likely also want to know that you undertaken quality training in this area. Finally, if a client were to injure themselves in a session taught by you and which uses a foam roller,  you might find that your public liability or indemnity insurance won’t cover you if you cannot demonstrate you are suitably trained.  For this reason, completing a course like this could literally pay for itself.

Foam rolling is a form of self-administered myofascial release, which is why it is often referred to as self-myofascial release. To the untrained eye, this approach might look and feel like the same type of myofascial release that is performed by a trained sports massage therapist or bodyworker, but it’s important to underline that the intent and effects of both of these techniques are very different.

Self-myofascial release largely targets the superficial aspects of the muscle and its connective tissues (myofascia) and can be useful in terms of preparing for exercise and recovering from strenuous activity. It may also  help to target and release tender spots in the myofascia known as trigger points. However, myofascial release performed by a professional therapist can create much more transverse (cross) friction within the tissues, and the therapist can better identify where specifically the restrictions are, helping to deliver better outcomes for clients.

For regular exercisers and athletes alike, self-myofascial release can be a great tool for maintaining good myofascial compliance, helping to improve performance and reduce recovery. However, it should not be confused with professional myofascial release techniques that target the deeper bodily tissues, and/or which are used to treat clients with specific symptoms (e.g., pain or dysfunction).

Foam rolling is just one application of the technique known as ‘self-myofascial release’, or SMR. That said, the foam roller is the most widely used SMR tool that is used to deliver a host of benefits, including reducing restoring muscle balance with overactive (hypertonic) muscles, reducing the sensitivity of muscles, improving the length-tension relationship, improving range of movement, releasing trigger points (tender spots), and generally improving the function of the myofascia, both in terms of muscle tone (activation) and tissue (pliability and movement).

As above, foam rolling is just one application and it’s possible to realise similar SMR benefits with other tools, including medicine balls, tennis balls, hockey balls, or any other soft implement can can apply pressure and roll. Throughout this programme, we’ll show you how to achieve the same effects as a foam roller with other tools also.