Foam or rumble roller

**marcus300** · 05-08-2015, 04:50 AM

For the last few months I've been doing a lot of rolling with a rumble roller, mainly for an injury and help loosen me up a bit. It reminded me of my power lifting day years ago so I decided to start work on my IT bands, abductors, glutes and spine flexibility and ive been amazed how much this has helped me in my lifts and also get in better position to lift some serious weight. Its taken me some weeks to properly stretch things out including my hips and also ive been working on my core and breathing and its helped me with nearly every power movement ive been doing.

I had a bit of butt wink and this has completely gone in the squat and I am sitting in a better position with relation to power through my body. Ive got lower back issues with bulging discs which ive had for years from PL'ing but things have been going well, been getting some serious numbers up and my body is responding well.

Really worth trying and they are also excellent for relaxing and getting a deep tissue massage.

**NACH3** · 05-08-2015, 05:29 AM

Hey Marcus, I've been using a foam roller/tennis ball/lacrosse ball... So your saying that the rumble roller has worked wonders?! I'm not carrying anywhere close to your size(as most don't) but I know I can get to at least 220... And I need to really loosen up my body(rear delts, hips/glutes - are sore) I've been getting DTM(deep tissue massage) about once every couple wks but she's said multiple times that I'm so tight that when she just puts a little pressure on my gluteus medius it's so touchy as well as my hammies etc... Any suggestions that I can do from the house besides what I am?! Thx

**marcus300** · 05-08-2015, 05:54 AM

Originally Posted by NACH3

Hey Marcus, I've been using a foam roller/tennis ball/lacrosse ball... So your saying that the rumble roller has worked wonders?! I'm not carrying anywhere close to your size(as most don't) but I know I can get to at least 220... And I need to really loosen up my body(rear delts, hips/glutes - are sore) I've been getting DTM(deep tissue massage) about once every couple wks but she's said multiple times that I'm so tight that when she just puts a little pressure on my gluteus medius it's so touchy as well as my hammies etc... Any suggestions that I can do from the house besides what I am?! Thx

Just work that roller and if you can get hold of s rumble one with the knuckles on it it will certainly dig deep and stretch and loosen things up. My whole power movements have been stronger and with the added core strength and breathing its becoming a daily thing

**600@50** · 05-08-2015, 07:17 AM

For some reason I've never gotten much out of the regular foam rollers. But you're right about the rumble roller with the knots. That thing is great. But my old standby is the lacrosse ball. I have those things everywhere and use them all the time. Really concentrated pressure you can target trigger points and tight spots. And as I've gotten older they have helped with some chronic pain from past injuries.

**NACH3** · 05-08-2015, 07:49 AM

Thx fellas much appreciated!

**almostgone** · 05-08-2015, 08:49 AM

I bought one of the large rumble rollers and a.shorter one also. It gets in the tissue better than my wife can by rolling it with a baseball. It takes a bit to get used to, like Marcus said, the knuckles on the Rumble roller digs in deep, but man it is effective.
I went with the "blue" grade in the larger roller and "black" in the smaller roller. I still go for a deep tissue massage periodically, but rolling really has helped also.

**RaginCajun** · 05-08-2015, 08:50 AM

for me, i need a damn mouth piece in when rolling.

FN hurts bad! feels like an ice pick in my leg!

my muscles feel 'crunchy' when rolling. i can see the hump in my leg/upper quad, looks like a tennis ball when rolling over it and hurts like bloody hell!

Marcus, what types of exercises were you doing to help out with strengthening?

**marcus300** · 05-08-2015, 09:13 AM

Originally Posted by RaginCajun

for me, i need a damn mouth piece in when rolling.

FN hurts bad! feels like an ice pick in my leg!

my muscles feel 'crunchy' when rolling. i can see the hump in my leg/upper quad, looks like a tennis ball when rolling over it and hurts like bloody hell!

Marcus, what types of exercises were you doing to help out with strengthening?

Yes it does hurt and once you get at a spot were its really painful I just rest it there and let the tissue relax a bit and then carry on.

I do a lot of bracing when lifting so ive been increasing my core strength but working on my breathing by forcing my diaphragm to push down and expand my oblique's and tense my core, then breath from the stomach upwards instead from the chest, this will activate your core, brace your spine and you will be able to transfer a lot more power through your lifts. Ive also been doing a lot of direct core work to help strengthen up my mid section and using this along side the roller what is releasing my tight glutes and hams and the bracing ive been doing its really improved my lifts a lot. Some kettle bell training, weighted rope sit ups, side bends, plank, boxing, hypers and stability work is the main ones I use. The breathing bracing is a powerful tool when your doing your max its amazing how good it really is. Its a powerlifting tool what I use to use but slowly came out of practise with it so ive implemented it over the last few weeks and boy things are improving.

**RaginCajun** · 05-08-2015, 10:00 AM

Originally Posted by marcus300

Yes it does hurt and once you get at a spot were its really painful I just rest it there and let the tissue relax a bit and then carry on.

I do a lot of bracing when lifting so ive been increasing my core strength but working on my breathing by forcing my diaphragm to push down and expand my oblique's and tense my core, then breath from the stomach upwards instead from the chest, this will activate your core, brace your spine and you will be able to transfer a lot more power through your lifts. Ive also been doing a lot of direct core work to help strengthen up my mid section and using this along side the roller what is releasing my tight glutes and hams and the bracing ive been doing its really improved my lifts a lot. Some kettle bell training, weighted rope sit ups, side bends, plank, boxing, hypers and stability work is the main ones I use. The breathing bracing is a powerful tool when your doing your max its amazing how good it really is. Its a powerlifting tool what I use to use but slowly came out of practise with it so ive implemented it over the last few weeks and boy things are improving.

thanks! i sit on my ass at a desk all day so i think my hip flexors are tight as JimmyJ's anus! also, i think that my ass muscles are really tight, causing a lot of these knotty problems.