My son wants to get one of these and I’d never even heard of them so can anybody on here recommend one?

I got a cheap one (£8) from TKmax a few years ago after they were reccomended by my masseuse. I use it a couple of times a week especially after a long or hard ride. It can be painful at the beginning but after time it gets easier and I find it can help with muscle soreness and overall recovery. It is also important to drink water while and after rolling to flush out all the toxins.

Got one from Aldi a few weeks ago,really does make the world of difference.

Any particular brands. A physio friend said they were great but hasn’t got back to me with a recommendation.

It’s just a piece of foam or a tube with foam in the outside.
Start with a solid foam one, as you get used to that get a firmer knobbly one.
It won’t matter what brand it is. Cheap and cheerful..

No brands that I know of, they all seem to be made pretty much the same. Really effective though!

They’re amazing, you think you’re supple and then get on one of these and it hurts like hell and you want to stop. Keep on it and a few weeks later it doesn’t hurt anymore – I find them great for dealing with DOMS or specific tightnesses.

IMO ignore the ‘get a cheap one’. I did that and it broke within a couple of months. Don’t forget, you’ll be putting your full weight on it when using it properly. I’m only 75kg…

The Grid is generally reckoned to be the best one going. Usually £40+ but currently at Wiggle at 50% off…

Got a 66fit trigger point one and it is really good, if extremely painful.

That being said I am using it on IT band, and def not putting full weight on it. Would wake my son up with the swearing.

What does the Grid one do that a regular one from Amazon doesn’t ?

He’s saying he wants one of the stick ones, the 66fit ones look good.

Ones with a plastic former / pipe in them last better as they don’t deform so much. Foam ones just go soft (except the expensive ones). The knobbles on them are generally useless as they just deform under pressure. Mine cost £15 off ebay, use it every day.

I have both an expensive grid one and a cheap foam myprotein one.
I prefer the cheap one, it deforms more and so gets into all the little areas.

I prefer the cheap one, it deforms more and so gets into all the little areas.

I use a £2 rubber LaCrosse ball for that, brilliant for pressure point release when some random muscle goes into spasm..

I’m starting to find the pain you experience when unspasming a muscle though physio work, foam rolling or dry needling quite addictive.

This and This

Be warned – they HURT

+1 on the ball front, I use a hockey ball. Glutes for me. Ouch!

any good links into exercises with these ?

I used “the grid” one at the local hospital and it felt so good. Was going to get one but spotted the cheap ones at Aldi, not actually used it yet though.

Argos do a 3 in 1 roller with a small inner one you can use on legs etc.

[/quote]any good links into exercises with these ?

http://www.sport-fitness-advisor.com/self-myofascial-release.html

^^^^ I had an old cheapo one buy can’t find it, so may order the grid – sore knees and physio says roller is good…. just need to find some decent online guides…

EDIT – cheers footflaps 🙂

I have one similar to the More Mile Beast one – was £15 in TK Maxx (different makes).
really good – was on a stock foam roller, but IT band and other problems are really attacked (glutes and so on).

+1 for the hockey ball (tennis ball if you’re not wanting too much pain).

I also got one called “The Beast” needless to say I don’t subject myself to it too often. We now have gentler 66fit foam one it gets more use.

Grid ordered, useful STW post indeed 🙂

ordered from ebay, looking forward to seeing if it will help.

Love my foam roller, £20 Amazon. I’m trying to train my 45 year old body for a marathon.
I’ve found that squats, lunges, reverse lunges and deadlifts have done more for my ITB than the roller though.

Just came across this:

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25992660

Is there a code for the 50% off grid wiggle one?

The all foam ones are nice esp for the back but i feel like a waste of money as after not much use its collapsed and has become landfill. Got a harder textured black one from physio supplies. works better for the legs. There is a book total foam rolling techniques.

Albanach – no, its back up at £35, I paid £20 for it last week, I guess they’ve become popular again and price gone up accordingly..

This was surprisingly good for the money:

http://www.argos.co.uk/static/Product/partNumber/3383724.htm

Definitely a big leap up from my foam one, the colour is just a bonus.

I also found having a longer roller to start with helped as you can do both legs at once to reduce the pressure if it is particulary painful.

These exercises are great for upper body mobility:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q7sBMicSn14

Sports direct £10

So they’re a real thing then, not snake oil? In my mind I’d bundled them in with yoga mats and bullworkers 😕

So they’re a real thing then, not snake oil?

Yep, just about every Physio or S&CC I know both uses one themselves and recommends one to all their clients.

Ape – one of the tools thats got me walking again after collapsing in september.
They work – they f*@£$£$£%@&(*()!_)(*&*£@^ hurt – a lot but they work.
Get that and a hockey/dog ball for glutes/IT band as well and you’re set.
The roller bar I linked to further up is effective as someone else can do it or when you’re sat on the sofa, etc.

Ok cheers, I’ll check them out.

For the skiers, I can recommend a hollow one as you can pop it in the ski bag with your skis through.

i’ve been using one on my back for a week or so due to a separated shoulder – feels great to use it after doing my rehab stretches.

i mentioned to my physio a friend was using a hockey ball and she almost freaked out – they’re too hard she says – you need that little bit of give, otherwise there’s a very good risk of doing genuine damage to yourself.

just putting it out there.

she also said the smooth ones are best, if you’re new to it, as nobbled ones can hit the wrong spots, if you don’t really know what you’re doing.

Dog ball from the Range – 99p the exact thing my physio told me to go and buy!