Foam Rolling Protocol Calculator

This calculator turns three choices into a per-muscle foam rolling prescription: how long each set lasts, how many sets to do, how many passes per set, and how hard to press. Duration Per Set starts from a base for the Target Area — 30 seconds for quads, hamstrings, back, and IT band, but only 20 for calves — then adjusts for Soreness Level, adding 15 seconds when you report 4 or 5 and trimming 5 when you report 1 or 2. The Timing dropdown then scales that figure: pre-workout rolling is cut to 70 percent (shorter, movement-oriented), while post-workout runs 130 percent for slower, deeper work.

Timing alone decides the set structure too — two sets with 8 faster rolls before a workout versus three sets with 6 slower rolls after — so the post-workout protocol is longer on every axis despite using fewer passes per set. Pressure Level is read entirely off your soreness: very sore prescribes a light touch (level 2), moderate soreness sits at 3, and low soreness allows firm pressure at 4, with one override — pre-workout pressure is capped at Moderate no matter how good you feel, since deep pressure before exercise can temporarily blunt force production. What the engine does not model is roller density, body weight on the roller, or contraindications like acute muscle tears.