Every so often you come across a product and wonder to yourself how you coped without it! For me this is exactly how I have felt over the past two weeks whilst product testing the Pulseroll vibrating foam roller.
Note: I was gifted this product to test, all views presented are my own and have not been endorsed or influenced by Pulseroll.
My fall and all the subsequent aches that came with it, gave me the stark realisation of the importance of recovery. I already stretched, rolled and had the occasional sports massage, but often still felt like I was running on tired, worn out muscles. Also, I found myself returning from long runs so exhausted I perhaps didn’t stretch off as much as I should. When I heard of the Pulseroll vibrating foam roller through word of mouth I couldn’t wait to do some more research and give it a go.
The product:
The roller comes in black, blue or limited edition red and retails between £99 – £114.99 (including a 1 year warranty) on the Pulseroll website.
The roller itself has four vibration speeds, beginning quite gently and becoming much more aggressive to get those tighter, deeper knots. It is approximately 32cm in length, weighs about 1kg and has a battery life of up to 240 minutes.
The roller boasts benefits to recovery via increased blood flow, removal of lactic acid, reducing next day soreness and rapid training recovery. The benefits are endorsed by a wide range of athletes, from professional weightlifters to tennis players.
Putting the roller through its paces:
I can honestly say I’ve been blown away by the Pulseroll vibrating foam roller. I have used it after every long run. The roller comes with a handy how to guide to help you make the most of the product. I particularly targeted my calves which seem to be eternally tight, my glutes, my quads and my IT band as I had been experiencing some tightness after crashing down on the pavement two weeks ago. My boyfriend has been using it on his forearms after gripping olympic bars and really rates it too.
The best bit is: it takes the effort out of rolling. You simply position the roller in the area you want to focus on, shift around a bit if you need and let the vibrations do the work. No more flailing round on your living room floor trying to roll backwards and forwards over the same painful knot whilst avoiding clipping your feet on the furniture. The differing power settings also mean it is much more gentle than traditional foam rolling as you can start on a more gentle setting and sink into the roller whilst upping the intensity to really target the deeper knots. Also, since you don’t need to roll round in every direction, you can target more difficult areas e.g. the abductors.
The fact I can now foam roll without excessively rolling round is a revelation in itself, as it means i can get the recovery I desperately need after those exhausting long runs without tiring my body out. I’ve used it after runs, but also before bed, using the roller on my upper back before getting into bed is just so relaxing, and really helps improve sleep! I’ve found that my recovery is quicker, even over longer and longer distances and muscle soreness is greatly reduced. Plus it is more more pleasant than regular rolling (I promise!)
One final benefit I’ve found is the roller helps with stretching and warming up. I’ve been using the roller before my crossfit sessions to help mobilise myself ready for some lifting and noticing some improvement in the depth of my squats.
The drawbacks? In all honesty- whats not to love- something that helps my recovery gets a massive thumbs up from me. However, I did use the roller in the gym several times and got some very funny looks from other users. Obviously as you don’t need to roll, you spend quite a lot of time lying there and one gym user actually asked me if I knew how to foam roll!
When you first start using it if you don’t apply enough pressure the roller can bounce away, but as soon as you’ve become a bit more familiar it really is very simple. My top tip would be to ease in with the lower intensity sessions and then ramp it up if needed- don’t just place it on the floor, whack the intensity onto the top setting and let go of the roller, because that really is a daft thing to do!
Overall verdict:
I would really recommend the Pulseroll vibrating foam roller for both running and weightlifting. The benefits to my recovery have been incredible. I am currently training for my first marathon and have started upping the distances for the first time. Having the roller has made my life so much easier and I have much less muscle soreness. It is so versatile and can be used for warm ups and cool downs. If the roller isn’t for you, there is also a vibrating massage ball for even more targeted recovery. To view all the products please visit their website
This Bunny Runs 