These deep tissue massage tools might look like some sort of torture device! But they are far from that. Foam rollers are flooding the market now, but a quick look at the RumbleRoller and you can tell there is something different. With it’s foam extrusions and verrsatility you controll the agressiveness of the massage.
We gave the RumbleRoller® and RumbleRoller Beastie® a try for the last month and this is a review of what we think of them.
What is Myofascial Release
According to Wikipedia Myofascial Release is a soft tissue therapy for treating skeletal muscle immobility and pain. It’s an alternate to medicine, helps improve blood flow, flexibility, and strech in muscle groups.
RumbleRoller®
The RumbleRoller is available in two sizes, both a 5 inch diameter and 12 inches long, and a 6 inch diameter at 31 inches long. Additionally the foam roller is offered in two densities. The blue RumbleRoller is a softer more forgiving and the nobs flex a bit. The black RumbleRoller is very firm and provides an easier way to dig into deep stiff tissue.
We have used just about every foam roller on the market, from fancy top name rollers to PVC pipe wrapped in a camping sleep pad. And nothing offers the uniqueness of the RumbleRoller. It stands out with it’s knobbed design, and put’s it in a class of it’s own. The RumbleRoller the diameter of the roller and knobs are calculated to be the correct length and size to maximize tissue massage.
While the RumbleRoller may look intimidating or painful at first, it’s very easy to control the pressure and activeness of the roller. One of the greatest features of the RumbleRoller is that with its design you can work in two directions, while most form rollers only work in one direction. For example by resting your glute on the roller you can use your resting foot to rock back and forth in a front to back movement. However, you can also rock side to side. The numb act as little fingers as you move over the top of them stretching muscle tissue and loosening up the muscle from all directions.
RumbleRoller Knobs
The offset knobs on the foam roller are really what sets the RumbleRoller apart from other foam rollers. The knobs are really what makes this one of the top foam rollers on the market today. Not only does the roller compress the muscle but the knobs work as massaging fingers to pull and push the muscle tissue from side to side as the roller is ran over and rocked across.
The Blue vs. The Black
The blue Rumble Roller is a softer density so the knobs give a little more and it’s a little easier on the muscle tissue. The black roller is very firm and would be recommended for someone with very tight or dense muscle that have a hard time releasing the pressure, or an advance foam roller individual that knows exactly have to control their weight on the device. We tested the blue roller and found that it is very adequate for meeting most individuals needs as a tissue relaxer.
RumbleRoller Size
The RumbleRoller comes in two lengths a 12 inch and a 31 inch. The 12 inch is great for packing away in a suit case or in a small location in your home. It’s a little small for working some areas of the body like the back and pectoral muscles. However, the convenience of the smaller roller is nice to have.
The larger 31 inch roller is what you should choose if money and space is not an issue. It provides the most stable platform for working tissues anywhere on the body. Additionally, it’s very convenient to adjust and move while your rolling, or for switching from one muscle group to another.
A Word of Caution
There are imitation RumbleRollers on the market that offer a less reliable roll, and are often too soft to allow for a consistent motion. Be sure you are purchasing your RumbleRoller from an authorized retailer to ensure you are getting a quality roller that will last for years to come.
Final Words
The knobs set the RumbleRoller in a class all it’s own. If you are serious about tissue management in-between workouts and want a quality long lasting foam roller then our number one suggestion would be the RumbleRoller.
RumbleRoller Beastie®
The RumbleRoller Beastie is a hand held roller that acts very effectivly as a replacement for a foam roller or as an addition to foam roller. The RumbleRoller comes in a soft and firm density with additional bases, hook (for back) and roller stands to help manipulate and control the Beastie Ball during tissue management.
The balls are about 3 inches in diameter with perfectly spaced and length knobs (similar to the original RumbleRoller). The balls can be used by hand, in a base, or in a Beastie Bar, or with a hook.
The RumbleRoller Beasties was a surprise to us, while we though they were a bit of a gimic for RumbleRoller to just add an additional product to sell. However, we quickly found that these little demons were perfect for so many cases. For example, we were recently traveling and didn’t want to pack the RumbleRoller in a suit case and just tossed in one of the RumbleRoller Beastie that took up almost no room in the suit case.
When traveling we did a substantial amount of walking and found ourself reaching for the Beastie each night to loosen up the quad muscles and IT band. It was a nice alternative to packing the large roller with us and felt that we were recieving the same effects as the RumbleRoller.
The Beastie is a bit more difficult to use than the RumbleRoller and requires a bit more physical work to dig deep and cover large muscle areas. However it’s great at really pin pointing knots and other problem areas.
The Final Words
If your on a budget and can’t afford the Rumble Roller and would like something portable, the Beasties are bar none the best hand held massage tool for tissue management on the market. The spikes are just long enough but not too long. This is a win win for athletes looking for self-myofascial release in the palm of their hand.