Fitness, health, and wellness are too often confused with weight, but this belief is both troublesome and without merit. The number you see on the scale is just that: a number, without any insight into anything else. Not your happiness, not your health, not your speed, power, or flexibility—you get where we’re going with [...] The post What Are “Non-Scale Victories” and Why Do They Matter? appeared first on Vitruvian Fitness.

Why Do We Foam Roll? Foam Rolling is good for you! It's like eating your broccoli for your muscles, connective tissues, and nervous system. It helps you move better and feel better. And when you move and feel better, the hard work of working out yields greater results. And when you get past the initial discomfort and difficulty of rolling various body parts (like IT Bands!), it really does feel good. What follows next are many of the very cool and somewhat nerdy things going on when you foam roll mindfully, thoroughly, with intention, and curiosity. Improving Flexibility and Movement Quality Foam rolling, a widely used form of self-myofascial release (SMR), helps improve mobility by reducing excessive muscle tension and promoting better movement patterns. By applying pressure to the muscles and surrounding connective tissue, foam rolling enhances flexibility and range of motion, making it a valuable tool for both performance and recovery. Foam rolling primarily addresses two common soft tissue restrictions: Adhesions – Areas where muscle and connective tissue become less mobile due to poor hydration, overuse, or microtrauma. Rolling encourages better fluid movement and tissue elasticity. Trigger Points – Small, hyperactive muscle knots where fibers stay contracted, limiting function. Rolling doesn’t physically break up these knots but instead signals the nervous system to relax the area. By improving these tissue qualities, foam rolling enhances movement efficiency and joint function, reducing compensatory patterns that may lead to injury. Enhancing Circulation and Recovery Foam rolling promotes increased blood flow, aiding in oxygen delivery, nutrient transport, and the removal of metabolic waste products from muscle tissue. This effect can support faster recovery, reduce soreness, and maintain tissue health over time. Improving Neuromuscular Activation By stimulating sensory receptors in the muscles and fascia, foam rolling enhances neuromuscular control. This can improve muscle activation and coordination, leading to better performance and more efficient movement patterns. Proprioception and Body Awareness Foam rolling provides sensory feedback that enhances proprioception—the body's ability to sense its position and movement in space. Improved proprioception leads to better balance, stability, and movement accuracy, which are critical for both athletic performance and injury prevention. Foam Rolling as a Warm-Up Tool While foam rolling is often associated with recovery, it also plays a key role in pre-exercise preparation. By improving tissue elasticity, modulating neural tone, and increasing blood flow, foam rolling can help prime muscles for activity. This makes it a valuable addition to dynamic warm-up routines, reducing stiffness and enhancing readiness for training. Preventing Injuries Through Regular Use Using foam rolling regularly allows individuals to identify tight or overactive areas before they develop into movement dysfunctions or injuries. Sensitivity in a specific area often indicates excessive muscle tension or imbalance. Addressing these issues early can prevent them from escalating into chronic problems. Optimizing Strength and Performance By reducing unnecessary tension and improving force transmission efficiency, foam rolling contributes to better movement mechanics and overall performance. When muscles function optimally, athletes can generate more power with less fatigue, improving training quality and long-term results. Supporting Posture and Musculoskeletal Health Many people develop muscle imbalances due to prolonged sitting or repetitive movements. Foam rolling can help alleviate excess tightness in overworked areas, promoting better posture and reducing stress on the joints. This is particularly important for individuals who experience discomfort from prolonged sedentary behavior. The Psychological and Sensory Benefits Beyond the physical benefits, foam rolling can have a relaxing effect by stimulating the parasympathetic nervous system. As muscles release tension, many individuals experience a sense of relief and improved well-being. The combination of proprioceptive input, deep breathing, and movement awareness can make foam rolling a valuable recovery and stress-management tool. Does Foam Rolling Change Tissue Structure? One arguable aspect of foam rolling is that it "breaks up" adhesions in muscle tissue. Some people says it does indeed. Others say that while it does improve tissue mobility, the main effect is neurological rather than structural. Foam rolling influences the nervous system to decrease muscle tension and enhance circulation, creating an environment where connective tissue can gradually adapt and remodel over time. Some also argue that because you're not stretching or lengthening your connective tissues, you shouldn't bother. But stretching isn't the point and we never said that's what we were trying to accomplish. How to Maximize the Benefits of Foam Rolling To get the most out of foam rolling, consider these evidence-based strategies: Move Slowly – Spend at least 30-60 seconds on each muscle group, applying steady pressure. Breathe Deeply – Deep breathing promotes relaxation and allows muscles to release tension more effectively. Pause on Tight Spots – If you find a tender area, hold pressure there for a few seconds until discomfort diminishes. Use Different Angles – Slightly shifting positions can target different layers of tissue and enhance the effect. Integrate Thoughtfully – Foam rolling should be part of a structured training plan, used before workouts for activation and after workouts for recovery. Choosing the Right Foam Rolling Tools A basic foam roller is often sufficient, but more specialized tools—such as massage balls, percussion devices, or resistance bands—can provide targeted relief based on individual needs. The right tool depends on factors like muscle density, sensitivity, and training goals. Conclusion: A Smart Approach to Tissue Care Strength training and athletic performance aren’t just about lifting heavier or moving faster—they’re also about preparing the body for optimal function. Foam rolling is a simple yet effective method to improve mobility, enhance muscle readiness, and promote long-term resilience.  Many individuals report immediate improvements in movement quality and reduced discomfort when foam rolling is used correctly. However, persistent pain despite proper soft tissue work may indicate a more serious underlying issue that requires assessment by a physical therapist or healthcare professional. Key Takeaways Monitor movement quality and address restrictions early. Apply slow, intentional pressure while maintaining controlled breathing. Use foam rolling strategically as part of a comprehensive training program. Combine foam rolling with strength and mobility work for best results. Train smart, recover well, and maximize your potential.

For decades, the standard advice for managing sprains, strains, and soft tissue injuries has been the well-known RICE method — Re st, Ice, Compression, and Elev ation . This simple and memorabl e acronym has been widely accepted by athletes, medical professionals, and everyday individuals as the go-to strategy for reducing swelling and pain after an injury. However, recent research suggests that while some components of RICE remain valuable, the emphasis on rest and ice may actually hinder the body’s natural healing process rather than support it. Unless you spend countless hours reading about exercise, rehab, and performance, it might be natural to think that resting an injured body part and applying ice is a great way to recover. After all, conventional wisdom tells us that inflammation is bad, swelling is something to be avoided, and pain relief should come first. But what if we told you that your body’s natural response to injury—mild inflammation—isn’t the enemy, and that immobilization might actually do more harm than good?

What having a bunch of friends helping you move has in common with functional training.

Reboot Your Movement: The Power of Pressing Reset Our tagline is Move better. Get stronger. Feel Great. That's what we do. In that order. So when it comes to getting stronger, the most visible aspect of strength training is weight-lifting. The concept of progressive overload — increasing intensity, volume, loads, and other variables— is what makes you stronger. However, lasting progress starts with moving well first . High-quality movement leads to high-quality results. That’s why we incorporate two separate but complementary systems into our programming: The Functional Movement Screen (FMS) and Original Strength’s "Pressing Reset" into our programs. The gist of the FMS is to identify what we do well, what we don’t do well, remove or improve the not-so-good, and add more of the oh-so-great. We include the FMS in every new client’s onboarding session and every program is designed only after we establish a baseline movement capacity. The FMS tells us what needs improvement. OS Resets are one of the ways we achieve those improvements. In this post, let's dig deep-ish into Pressing Reset as a foundational tool for better movement. What is "Pressing Reset?” Pressing Reset is a system developed by Tim Anderson from Original Strength that ”reboots” your body's natural movement patterns—the ones we developed as babies—to restore reflexive strength, coordination, and mobility . These simple, yet powerful movements (like diaphragmatic breathing, head nods, rolling, rocking, and crawling) help improve the function of your neuromuscular system, allowing you to move with less effort. Movement is a continuous loop of sensory input, processing, and action. Your body senses the world around you (through vision, touch, balance, and proprioception), your brain interprets this information and sends signals to your muscles, and you move. Each movement creates new sensory feedback, helping your brain refine and improve coordination over time. At its most fundamental level, the way we move is controlled by our nervous system. When it functions optimally, we move smoothly and with little effort. When it doesn’t, we struggle with stiffness (neural inhibition), poor coordination (inefficient movement organization), and pain (pain). Let’s break it down. Stimulating The Vestibular System The vestibular system , located in the inner ear, is responsible for detecting motion, balance, and spatial orientation. It has direct connections to the central nervous system (CNS) , influencing how we perceive movement and how our body maintains posture and stability. Purposeful movement—especially head and body repositioning—can sharpen this system, improving coordination, posture, and balance. When we Press Reset, we influence the vestibular system by performing controlled movements that change head position and spatial orientation. These movements provide sensory input to the semicircular canals and otolith organs in the inner ear, which detect rotational and linear acceleration. This information is then relayed to the brainstem and cerebellum, which integrate it with visual and proprioceptive feedback to enhance balance, coordination, and movement efficiency . As a result, movements become better organized and posture improves which lead to better exercise outcomes. The Role of the Vagus Nerve and the Autonomic Nervous System In addition to influencing the vestibular system, Pressing Reset can also influence the autonomic nervous system (ANS) via the vagus nerve. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the body, extending from the brainstem down to the abdomen and is a key regulator of the parasympathetic nervous system. It helps control involuntary bodily functions such as heart rate, digestion, and respiratory rate, playing a crucial role in promoting recovery, relaxation, and homeostasis by counterbalancing the stress-driven sympathetic nervous system. Essentially, it regulates the balance between rest and digest and fight or flight. Movements like diaphragmatic breathing, rocking, and rolling stimulate the vagus nerve, helping to calm the nervous system, reduce inflammation, and speed up tissue healing.(1) Stimulating the vagus nerve through resets has the additional benefit of speeding up recovery from injuries, reducing inflammation, improving neuroplasticity, and other cool neuromuscular adaptions.(2)(3) How We Use It at Vitruvian Fitness At Vitruvian Fitness, resets are a key part of our training philosophy. Here’s how we integrate them: Movement Prep Before Training: Resets help prepare the body for movement, reinforcing good posture and control. Done with intention, resets help prepare you for your workout so you move more easily and efficiently overall. During Rest Intervals: Resets are great to use as active recovery between big lifts that require extended rest intervals. We can also use resets to "course-correct" when form breaks down, improving movement quality in real time. For Recovery & Longevity: Performing resets at home between workouts can accelerate recovery and improve daily function. The Resets: Simple and Powerful They are so simple, even a baby can do them! Actually, that’s who we learned them from. Breathing – Lips closed, tongue pressed to the roof of the mouth, inhale and exhale through the nose. Practice this method of breathing throughout all the resets. Head Nods and Turns – Lead with your eyes, then your head, while breathing properly. Rolling – Move your body in various directions while maintaining controlled breathing. Rocking – From a hands-and-knees position, shift back toward your heels and return. Connecting the X – Engage cross-body movement patterns like: Cross Crawls – Alternating opposite hand-to-knee taps. Crawling – Move across the floor with contralateral limb coordination (like a baby). Marching and Skipping – Add cross-crawls for enhanced coordination. The Golden Rules of Resets: Always breathe correctly. Never move into pain or discomfort. Follow rules #1 and #2—no exceptions! Watch a demonstration of each of the resets on our YouTube Channel.