Exercises with foam rollers are good for all, whether you are juniors or seniors.
They help tolerate muscle pain and improve the viscosity, which not only recover yourselves after hard working time but also improves your athletic performance and flexibility.
All you need to do is rolling different parts of your body over a tube whenever and wherever at your convenience.
But, do not never jump into purchasing a whatever. Choose the right foam roller or your pain can even worse. That’s why you need to take some training on the best foam rollers first.
What Is The Best Size of Foam Rollers?
It depends!
Foam rollers are available in different sizes specially designed for different parts of your body and for different ages.
Small foam rollers
Small rollers often come at 3 to 12 inches to target certain body parts, for example, the shoulder muscles. Especially, they are useful for seniors who desire to be closer to the ground for better stability.
A half-round roller is also a common choice for leg or foot stretches. It has a half lengthwise of the medium-sized one.
Those having little strength or muscle stone love this type of foam roller since it is flat side down. Just lie in the area of muscle pain and move back and forth slightly to release the muscle tension.
Medium-sized foam rollers
Normal-sized people usually use these standard foam rollers which have a diameter between 13 inches to 22 inches.
They can access a larger area of your body parts such as squads, shoulders, calves, IT band, lower and upper back, or armpit.
The portable size makes it easy to take the roller around – to the work, to the gym, or for traveling occasions.
Long foam rollers
If your body is above the average or you intend to roll over larger areas, such as legs or arm, choose a 24-inch foam roller. Rolling with a long foam roller means you can take advantage of its perpendicular to your muscles without the fear of falling off the ends.
For your back, you even need a longer roller. 36-inch one is the most versatile size available, which provides excellent stability. However, it is a bit bulky to carry outsides.
Top 6 Best Foam Roller Reviews
Best Textured Foam Roller – RumbleRoller
The manufacturer compares RumbleRoller as a massage therapist to provide you with complete care and treatment for common pains as well as help build your mobility and flexibility.
Thanks to its sturdy textured bump patterns, this foam roller gives off a firm, but definitely not too painful, feeling, which massages your sore muscle tissue more deeply than other rollers.
The surface includes a patented series of bumps that get a closer attachment to your tight muscle in multiple directions. The roller dips deeper into the origin of your pain and erodes the trigger points more effectively.
However, you should get familiar with the toughness at first. The non-flat bumps are a bit rough and put more pressure on the tissue. Anyway, it is better to grid and manipulate your tight muscle.
RumbleRoller foam roller comes with three choices of size.
The full-sized 31’’ roller is ideal to access the largest part of your back in one try whereas the bulk measurement is only recommended if you plan to use it in a single location only, like your home.
The mid-sized 22’’ roller is the most suitable for the entire body and the compact 12’’ roller is easily fit on your traveling bag so that you can enjoy the massage on curvature body parts, for example, the shoulder or the neck.
Pros:
- High-quality materials and robust constructions
- Excellent on softening the tight muscles and reducing stress
- Available in various sizes and models
- Waterproof and non-absorbent design
Cons:
- Little painful at first try due to the high density of bumps
- High-priced compared to most of the foam rollers
Even though this textured muscle foam roller is expensive, it is worth your money thanks to its durable materials and its ability to provide connective tissue and deep muscle and massage.
Best Medium Softness Foam Roller – OPTP Pro-Roller
The RumbleRoller is good to dip into the pain source. However, you might give up on the rolling exercises after a couple of times if you are unable to handle the discomfort at first. OPTP foam roller is an ideal alternative, which helps massage your achy muscles effectively at a medium softness.
The medium softness means the roller is firm enough to ensure the massage efficiency without causing unnecessary sores, yet is also not too soft to break down easily.
The low-density design not only lessens tension in sore muscles but helps you to keep a better balance when doing various exercises such as yoga, pilates, or stretching as well.
The materials are another good point as this OPTP foam roller gives off no chemicals odor. It truly makes the rolling experience more comfortable.
Cong at the 36″ miL x 6″ diameter, the foam roller is somewhat larger than the original melt roller, making it not helpful on the neck. Other places like squads, calves, back, or IT Band is acceptable.
Pros:
- Softer density for your comfort
- Stand up well for tear and wear
- Durable enough for heavy-set athletes and trainers
- Neither latex nor chemical odor
Cons:
- Not bendable to save storage space
- A bit large for neck and upper
All in all, if you looking for a gentle massage, especially for leg muscles, and good-balance roller, OPTP offers you a good choice.
Best Grid Foam Roller – TriggerPoint
Using a grid foam roller is an interesting experience as it is designed with different patterns and foam densities to vary the pressure on specific muscles at one time. And, if you are ready to try a grid roller, take a look at this TriggerPoint.
The 3D multi-density exterior over the roller targets the painful muscles in different dimensions, helping tolerate the sore and increase the blood circulation. Such rigid construction also allows the roller to stay in shape even on repeated use.
Exciting enough, there are free online training videos included so that you can save money on hiring professional trainers. All foam rolling best practices from experts are available at a glance.
The standard TriggerPoint roller is 13 inches long and 5.5 inches around – a portable size to take anywhere. More surprisingly, such a small roller can handle 500-pound weight limit thanks to its durable materials.
However, this tool is not large enough to roll the upper back or to perform long-surface movements.
Pros:
- Grid design to simulate various types of massage
- Compact construction to take around
- Large weight limit
Cons:
- A bit hard density that causes small pains
- Not ideal to access large parts of the body
In short, the TriggerPoint Grid Foam Roller is extremely durable in spite of its small size. What’s more, it is a helpful treatment on your tension vertebrae.
Best High-density Foam Roller – Yes4All
For those gaining few benefits from the soft rollers yet also not being ready for textured ones, Yes4All high-density foam roller is the best choice.
This rolling tub has a significant density expanded polypropylene (EPP) that allows greater pressure on tight muscles and tissues so that you can blow away your pain easily.
The thicker design also keeps the roller in shape no matter how dynamic you put onto the roller. Honestly, you can use this roller for years for various exercises such as yoga, weight training, CrossFit, or bodybuilding.
Yes4All roller comes in three colors and four sizes so you can choose a preferred one based on your purposes and your sizes. For example, pick the smallest version (12’’) if you want to take it along to the work office, to the gym, or on the traveling occasions.
A small notice: Be sure that you are strong enough to keep balance on this roller as you might stumble on rolling due to its high-density diameter.
Pros:
- High-density structure for deeper massage efficiency
- Lightweight and portable
- Rich in colors and sizes
Cons:
- Hard to keep balance, especially for the senior
In general, this roller still a good choice. The price is affordable and the quality is good in the long term.
Best-in-budget Foam Roller – LuxFit
The next roller on today’s list is LuxFit Firm High-Density. As its name, this tube is both high-density and firm to provide an extremely deep massage to knock out the pain.
The most exciting point of this LuxFit foam roller is its significantly low price when it comes to high-quality features.
Feel free to perform any kind of rolling exercises or under any part of your body since the roller will not change in shape thanks to its molded polypropylene foam technology. The flat and firm surface gives you comfort and massage at the same time.
This roller is available from small to long sizes (12’’; 18’’; 24’’ and 36’’), yet the color is only black. It is better if there are multiple choices as colors affect your mood when doing exercise.
Anyway, these standard sizes are popular for any rollers to meet their needs on various parts of the body and the stabilization.
Pros:
- High-density and firm design to not hurt you during exercises
- polypropylene technology to enhance the durability
- Flexible in sizes
- Cheap price
- Free online instructional videos
Cons:
- Lack in color
- Hard to keep balance, especially for the senior
Compared to its price and quality, this LuxFit roller is almost nothing to complain. The limited color is just a small addition and about keeping balance, you will quickly learn the skills on frequent practices.
The Runner-up Grid Foam Roller – 321 Strong
Here comes another grid foam roller to consider. Ranking the second place does not mean 321 Strong tube is not worth your money.
Now you can enjoy the professional massage right from home using the 3 unique zones of the 321 Strong rollers.
The thumb zone works as the fingertips and thumbs of the therapist, the finger zone is in place to flush tissue as it does with the mimic human finger, and the palm zone provides a gentle massage exactly like the palms of professional therapists.
Even better, the solid core EVA materials make the roller lightweight for traveling and remain in shape for a long time.
However, this roller is only available in small size (12.75 x 5.25-inch diameter) in spite of a wealth choice of colors. It means you had better use it to access small muscle groups and pain points rather than the upper back.
There is also a 4K eBook along with the package so you can follow best techniques to take the most advantages of this foam roller.
Pros:
- 3-zone surface to dip into the source of pains
- Compact and lightweight design
- Rich in color
- 4K instructional ebook
Cons:
- Limited to size
- Not ideal to access large parts of the body
Loaded with features, 321 Strong foam roller help to improve circulation, relieve muscle pains, and increase your mobility.
Benefits When Using it?
The roller looks simple and shimmies on a piece of foam. But how can it work so good to tolerate your pain and why do trainers all over the worth recommend you to have at least one rolls:
It is due to the following excellent reasons:
- Break up and relieve tight muscles using putting deep compression between layers of muscles/tissue and the surroundings
- Improve the circulation as lactic acid is broken down and blood flows into the accelerated muscle during the workouts
- Support different workouts from yoga, pilates, weight training, CrossFit, or bodybuilding
- Work for all ages as long as you choose the right type of rollers and do the right exercises
- Save time, money, and space since you just need one small tube at home, at the office, on the car for traveling.
- Reduce the stress and lighten your mood. Once your muscle is softened and the pain goes away, you will feel more comfortable and healthier.
Which to Consider on Choosing Foam Roller?
Believe it or not, picking the wrong rollers or follow the unsuitable exercises can result in worse pains. On the contrary, choose the right and you can see the improvements in your whole body after a couple of times.
So, here comes several tips for purchasing the best foam roller.
Get the right size
As mentioned above, foam rollers come in different sizes from the small, medium, to long size. Each of them targets different parts of your body.
So, before jumping to buy any roller, think about your purposes first. For example, the small tubes are for narrow-to-access parts such as neck or shoulder muscles. The medium is ideal for squads, shoulders, calves, IT band, or armpit and for traveling around. The long size is to get entire the body.
Pick the right type
Besides the size, what kind of surface is also necessary to consider. In this post, Nogii introduces four foam roller types.
Types | Advantages | Disadvantages |
Textured rollers |
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Medium-soft rollers |
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High-density rollers |
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Grid rollers |
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Best Choice
Nogii have given reviews on the best foam roller of each type. But which is the No.1 out of these best?
LuxFit Firm High-Density is our pick!.
This tube comes as one of the cheapest rollers at its high-quality level. The size is flexible in four choices so you can choose the best for your workouts. Not to mention, the high-density surface provides an effective treatment to your muscles yet not causing too much pain.
Another thumb up is the free online videos included so that the users can follow the best practices without spending much on hiring professional trainers. The customer services are also really good.
How To Use A Foam Roller?
Now that you are ready to invest one foam roller, feel free to take note four most common exercises to treat your pains the proper ways.
Calves
Sit straight on the floor with a foam roller under your calves and hands behind to support your weight. Get your legs’ back rolled up and down along the roller from your knees to your ankles.
This exercise is to reduce the fascial restrictions and enhance the mobility of your ankle.
Hamstrings
Please put the roller under your right leg while bending your left knee so that your left ankle is over your right ankle. Your hands are behind you to support the weight. Roll along with your right knee to your right butt cheek several times before changing legs.
Hamstrings are helpful to get rid of stress on your low back and loosen up your upper leg at the same time. That way, you can boost the hip flexibility.
Quads
You have to lie face down on the floor with the roller under your hips. Then, lean on your left leg and roll from your hip to your knee for a while before switching to the right leg.
By accessing multiple muscle layers, quad exercises boost the knee’s mobility and decrease tension on your kneecap and upper leg.
Back
Many people have problems with their low back due to the tight connective tissue. This exercise is a simple solution to relieve the pain as it boosts the activation of muscles and reduces the unexpected tightness.
All you need to do is sit down the floor having the roller on your lower back. Place your hands behind to support the balance. Then, bend your knees slowly to move the roller up and down your back.
Final Word
Nogii call it for today and hope that you can pick your most suitable form our best foam rollers reviewed. If you have any questions, feel free to leave it below. Nogii will come back with more information so that you can make a very right choice.