Staying at Home Not Torture Enough? Try This Foam Roller Set
I mentioned in this post that my aches and pains have been a bit more noticeable since we started this quarantine. I decided that since I was trapped in my house and bored anyway, I would make a greater effort to foam roll more. Foam rolling sucks, just ask anyone who has ever done it, but the worst part is that it totally works and is beneficial if you have any chronic pain. I have a 36” roller from Amazon that I love because I can lay on it longways and have my entire spine supported. It’s not as easy to use in a cramped space (basically this just means I can’t watch tv in my den while foam rolling my hips), but it’s a super affordable option if you want a versatile roller. My aching joints were making me very cranky, though, and I decided I needed a much more elaborate torture device to keep everything mobile and pain-free. So I got this monstrosity:
It’s a whole rolling torture SET. And it’s GREAT.
The roller itself is covered in little nubs that really get in there and attack your knots and aches. I’ve found that it helps me to warm up with my other roller before moving to this one, but it’s not strictly necessary. Then theres a strap, which has handles sewn all through the length, so you can get a really deep stretch wherever you are in your flexibility. Then there are the two roller balls. one is a spiky one that’s for use on the soles of your feet, and the other one is a “double lacrosse ball,” which I have no concept of. I’m not a coastal WASP and truly have no idea what lacrosse is. Does this refer to the size? Weight? Firmness? This remains unknown and I don’t care. But this little double ball thing is good for putting on either side of your spine. I like to lay on my back with this under me either between my shoulder blades or on my low back. Finally, the piece I may love the most, the deep tissue massage stick. Particularly because a lot of my pain is around my hips, knees, and the limb-y bits in between, it’s SO nice to be able to really target those areas with this stick. Plus I can control the pressure, which is harder to do when you’re using all your body weight on a foam roller. I like to leave the stick in the kitchen and I roll it around myself while I wait for the kettle to boil or the oven to preheat.
Another great thing about this little set is that it’s also got built in storage. The two ends of the roller unscrew and you can put almost all of the extra props inside. I tend to keep them out of the roller, because I have the space and because if you leave the balls in there and then roll, you hear them rolling around inside the roller and that annoys me. Another, albeit small, annoyance is that you can’t fit ALL the props inside the roller at once. The deep tissue massage stick doesn’t fit in the roller at all. But it’s also a very low profile tool and like I said, I like to keep it in my kitchen anyway.
If you’re new to foam rolling and want a lot of stuff in one go, or if you’re looking to up your torture quotient in an already established rolling regimen, check out this set. When life is uncertain, stay flexible.
