UKC

Can anyone recommend if they are worth using after training, and if so which type? There seems to be a big array of them but I feel spending a lot of a piece of foam would be silly!

In reply to John Newbiggin:

If I use mine regularly I avoid ITBS and if I don't I don't, simple as that for me. The more vicious ones with "cogs" on them seem even better having given them a to at the gym but maybe it's best to start on the plain ones. Whether they are of any use if you're not particularly prone to ITBS I couldn't say

In reply to John Newbiggin:

I have a trigger point roller, a standard foam roller and a rumble roller.

For general ITB and quad massage I would advise the trigger point, brilliant and I use it all the time. The rumble roller is pretty severe and best for hamstring / glute work but be careful as it can bruise you.

Foam rollers are fine, but make sure they are not too soft otherwise IMO they are a waste of time and money.

My foam roller became redundant the day the trigger point arrived.I use the trigger point 95% of the time and the rumble roller the other 5%

Hope that helps.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

Cheers guys!

In reply to John Newbiggin:

Yeah get one and prepare for the pain!

Seriously, they are really good but take it easy on your first go otherwise you'll be in tears

In reply to John Newbiggin:
I have a kind of blue foam roller with rubbery pointy bits on the end. I cant remember what its called and it was a gift so dont know where it was from.
So, fairly useless information there but something like i just described does exist and does the job pretty well. Its easy to use yourself but better for someone else to pummell you in difficult places like your hamstrings.

On googling... Its this one http://www.rei.com/product/800901/pro-tec-athletics-roller-massager

In reply to John Newbiggin:

Depends what you want to do with it and where you want to hammer. A tennis ball and hockey ball are far better for areas such as hip flexors and golf balls are the best things for your feet. Check out mobilitywod on youtube and see what you want to attack. Foam rolling and all this myofascial release stuff has been a massive breakthrough for me - sometimes normal stretching just won't do it.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

I use mine on my calves. But before I bought one I used a wooden rolling pin which actually worked OK. But the sticky out bits (technical term) on the roller made it more effective.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

Mine cost me about £10 from Amazon, nothing fancy just a plain bit of foam.

In reply to mattrm:

Yeah I have a plain foam one that cost about £20. It's great! Really seems to help prevent stiffness and soreness when used straight after excercise. I use the roller for all over prehab, you can do back and legs in 5-10 minutes, and an assortment of pointier harder things for any hotspots. Would recommend.

Are foam rollers good for relieving tension in your back (after climbing)?

In reply to Mr Fuller:

I tried using a golf ball on my feet recently, but got fed up with it flying away. I replaced it with a short length of 1" diameter steel bar I happened to have, and just rolled back and forth on that. Seemed to help, and it stayed put.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

I bought my 90cm roller from Amazon for my bad back.

I mostly use it to open up my upper back and shoulders. It was instrumental in removing my man boobs. I never realised that my pecs were so tight that they were pulling my shoulders forward and resting on the roller allowed my pecs to stretch and shoulders to drop back to help with posture.

The roller is awesome for breaking knots in my back

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B009ABLT14/ref=oh_details_o04_s00_i00?ie...

In reply to John Newbiggin:

I got a blue foam one from TK MAXX for £12. It deformed very quickly even with my 58Kg. Upgraded to a hard black Knobbly one for £19. from the same shop so the cheap one was false economy. I use it three or four times a week and find it beneficial.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

I think they are great, but I'd start on a softer one.. build up to one of the nobly ones.. you can still get a good massage from them anyway.

In reply to John Newbiggin:

Yup I use a plain one at the moment but might actually progress to a knobbly one... funnily enough, I use a rolling pin at times to just iron out those ITB's!

In reply to mbh:

A 2m length of rope with a knot in the middle is pretty good - can get it in position a lot easier than a ball - using one on my back

In reply to John Newbiggin:

cheap foam rollers are a false economy - too soft. As other have noted, unless you have plenty of "padding" rumble rollers can be too painful.

As alternative to tennis/hockey ball - try a lacrosse ball, rubbery (so doesn't slide) but had so does the job. Cheap too.

Cheers
LD

In reply to Lurking Dave:

In addition to roller for ITB and hamstrings I use a lacrosse ball for the deep buttock muscles and a tennis one for more tender areas like hip flexors, and a bottle of frozen water and tennis ball for the foot. Seems to do the job

P