Hey guys it's Ashley here from Precision Wellbeing in North London. Today I'm
going to update a video that I did a long time ago
and it's a review about foam rollers. Now when I did that video before there was
only a few rollers on the market at the time, but since then there's been loads
of other rollers released. So I thought now would be a good time to just update
that video and go through what I think is worth investing in and what I think
is perhaps a little bit too expensive for its its value. So the first type of
roller that you can buy I don't actually have here and that's because I don't
really think is worth buying at all and that is just a really basic white low
density foam roller. It's about the same kind of firmness as one of those
swimming noodles that you can get at the pool. The reason I don't really like them
is because they're a bit too soft and they would deform very very quickly
after maybe a few weeks of use. So although they're really really cheap, to
be honest they're not really worth wasting that money on anyway. But the
next one I do think is worth buying if you're just getting into foam rolling, it
is a really basic high-density foam roller. Now this one has the grooves cut
along its length. I believe that that is for when you are lying on it vertically
like so, so that your spine can go down the groove in the middle. You can get
them without these grooves and to be honest it doesn't really matter either
way. Most of the time when you're rolling on a roller you'll be going
perpendicular to rather than parallel with. So this is a really good entry
point for most people. They come in different lengths; this is the long one. I
believe it's 90 centimeters but you can also get them
somewhere around 60 centimeters or 50, something like that. They will retail for
around about 10 to 20 pounds depending on the length and you can get them from
Amazon. The next type that I really like is one of these. It's a hollow plastic
insert with a kind of foamy outer layer. This type comes in loads of different
colors, loads of different patterns and will usually retail on Amazon for around
about 13 pounds. Most of these rollers will have these
nodules and an area of like a flatter wider padding. The theory I believe is
that these nodules are supposed to simulate a therapists thumbs digging
into you and the flatter area is supposed to simulate a therapists palm. Personally
though, I don't really feel much difference when I'm rolling over them.
But I like these anyway because they're solid and you'll get a good a good
rolling session out of one of these and there are only about thirteen pounds. You
can of course go for a branded roller which is the Trigger Point Therapy
roller, it's the grid, the grid roller. This also comes in different lengths. This is
the shorter of the two. This short one I believe is around about thirty pounds
from Amazon and again you can see it's got an area of the wide flat, the smaller
thinner and tiny little nodules. I personally also don't think that you can
feel much difference between the different areas so all you're really
buying is the flat with the foam and you're just buying into the brand. So if
I was going to choose between the two, the cheaper one or the branded one I
would go for the cheaper one to be honest. It's about half the price and it
does the same thing. Following on from that if you want to get a bit more
funky you could get something like... oops!
Following on from that if you want to get a bit more funky you can get
something like the Rumble Roller. This is the Rumble Roller Original and it's the
blue version. It comes in blue and black and the blue one is the softer of the
two and the black one is a really firm roller. This really does feel like the
nodules are getting into your muscles so if you wanted a roller to get deeper
into the muscles then a Rumble Roller is a really good option. The Rumble Roller
comes in three different variations in length, this is the medium. I think this
is about sixty centimeters, it comes in a 90 centimeter or I think a 30 centimeter.
As you go shorter they become thinner and as you go to the longer one it
becomes a bit thicker. These will retail on Amazon for around 50 to 55 pounds
for the medium it will become more expensive for the longer one and
slightly cheaper for the shorter one. I'm not sure how the price compares between
the blue and the black but I think it's around about the same. Another product
from Rumble Roller that I think is really good is the Rumble Roller Gator.
This one has really small flat nodules on it. The theory behind this one is that
these nodules are supposed to grip your skin and you're supposed to move across
the roller rather than rolling on the roller and what that's supposed to do is
as it grips the skin is supposed to stretch the fascia underneath. I must
admit I was a bit skeptical when I first heard about this so I I tried it and it
feels like it is doing something. As to how effective it really is I'm not sure
at this point but you can really feel it gripping so if
if you want to work more superficially then the Rumble Roller Gator would be a good
option. These will also retail on Amazon for around about 52 to 55 pounds. The
Rumble Roller Gator only comes in the one size and that is about the same size
as the Rumble Roller Original. Now all of these rollers are great. I have these
in the clinic because I think they're really worth buying but the problem with
all rollers is that they're so broad that they only get into the big muscles
such as your calf your quad your glutes your lats and the erector spinae down
the spine. If you want to get into the smaller areas such as your rotator cuff
your neck muscles your hip muscles or your hamstrings then you're going to
need to get yourself some massage balls. Now I know the hamstring is not a
smaller muscle but I personally don't find that the roller is that effective
because the hamstring is such a meaty area and it's too far away from the bone
to really get a good sensation with the roller so that's why I suggest using a
ball. When it comes to massage balls I personally recommend either a lacrosse
ball or the Fitness Mad Trigger Point Massage Balls.
I like the smooth ones personally because I find that the spiky ones are
just a bit too sharp and uncomfortable when I'm rolling on them. A Lacrosse
ball is a fairly cheap way to start it's made of rubber, absolutely solid and is
really grippy so, will not break, will get a really good effect into your muscles
and will grip the skin really nicely. But if you want to go for something with
slightly different variation in firmness then these trigger point balls from
Fitness Mad are really good as well. They come in three different firmnesses,
the blue is the softest and the grey is the hardest.
The blue is a bit firmer than a tennis ball and the black is pretty solid so
these are also really really good and these will retail on Amazon for just
under 10 pounds. So if you're looking to get into rolling or rehabbing your body
getting over any injuries or want to just improve your overall movement and
function I would definitely recommend getting yourself a foam roller of some
sort and a massage ball as well. If I was on a budget and I wanted to get just
one or two things I would suggest one of the basic hollow insert rollers from
Amazon and a massage ball of your choice. If you wanted you to spend a little bit
more money and go for something else then I would recommend the Rumble Roller.
Hopefully guys you found that review helpful. I just want to point out that I
have not been paid or asked to promote any of these products. All of these
products that I've shown you today are what I have in the clinic so that's what
we use on a daily basis. If you found this video helpful give it a thumbs up,
if you have any questions put them in the comments section below and perhaps let me
know what rollers or massage balls you like to use. Subscribe for more videos
because there are more videos coming up very soon so in the meantime guys take
care and I will see you soon bye bye.