I Graduated to an Extra-Firm Foam Roller and I’m Never Going Back
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To this day,foam rollingis one of the most effective (and consistent) ways Irecover. It’s relatively inexpensive and honestly so simple: Your body weight is applied to a cylindrical piece of foam, and that pressure helps loosen your muscles and fascia, increasing blood flow and improving mobility. If you’re looking for an extra-high-density foam roller — as in, it hurts so good — I’d go for the RAD Axle.
It’s firmer and more rigid than any other foam roller I’ve tried, thanks to its EVA foam exterior and hard ABS plastic core. It also features an indented center that cradles my spine, IT bands, quads, and calves. In my testing, I found the Axle’s curved groove to be much wider than theRoll Recovery R4 Body Roller, which I’ve rolled on at my local gym over the years. The Axle also has a diameter of six inches — about half an inch wider than our best overallTriggerPoint— which means that when lying back on the roller, I get a deeper stretch and usually quite a few relieving cracks in my mid- to upper-back region. I love using it before exercise on my lower body, whether I’m heading out for a run or a heated Pilates class, and if I’m feeling sore from slumping over my laptop at the end of a workday, I’ll roll on my Axle to open up my chest and massage my shoulders.
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At 16 inches in length, the Axle is compact and lightweight, so it’s easy to store and travel with, yet I can still use it to roll out my entire body and target all the major muscle groups. It’s also technically convertible: It can be paired with thebrand’s thin massage rod— simply insert the rod through the center of the Axle — to create a targeted deep-tissue tool that reminds me of a beefed-up rolling pin orstick roller. The fact that it converts in this way means someone else can help roll you out in those hard-to-reach areas, such as the upper hamstrings or adductors.
Another thing I love about my Axle isRAD’s mobility app, which gives you free quick-start videos, subscription-based classes, and multiday “challenges.”The Axle is under $60, which puts you on the higher end of average; however, some fancy and specialized models — for example, the ones with super-textured exteriors andvibration technology— will run you $80 or more. And while a more basic foam roller is pretty inexpensive, it’s not always as durable and can lose its shape over time. Depending on how sore I am, I’ll admit that the Axle can sometimes feel liketoo muchpressure, so it’s not a foam roller I would necessarily recommend for beginners. But if you work out often and already foam roll regularly, the Axle would make a solid addition to your recovery arsenal.
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