Since it isn't perfectly round, the tube actually rocks, which makes it feel weird at first if you're used to foam rollers. "The Rocker's design was conceived as a way to simplify myofascial massage for users at all different levels of fitness," says Randy Hetrick, TRX founder, explaining that the tool uses pressure on soft tissue to "release tension, enhance blood flow, and reduce stiffness from sore muscles." Unlike the roundness of foam rollers, the geometric design gives you the option to switch up intensity, which Hetrick says adds a technique similar to acupressure for "more focused protocols and improved results."
Compared to a foam roller, using the rocking method feels like a much more hardcore and targeted way to melt muscle soreness. "Traditional foam rollers have a limited ability to modulate pressure and get into smaller areas," says Hetrick. He's right—the Rocker's straight edge can really dig in there, and it's easy to use it as a way to perform trigger point release. "The combo of the different intensity zones plus specific techniques provides ever increasing ways to enhance mobility as you become more experienced and can tolerate more aggressive tissue work."
As I lay on the floor with my quad on top of the Rocker's high-intensity edge, it felt like a knife cutting right into where my muscles get really, really tight—but in a therapeutic way. When I got up and walked around afterwards, it felt as though my body had been pummeled, or like I had just gotten bodywork done. That thing is no joke—it can truly rock your muscles' world.
There's also a lazy-girl method that could replace your foam roller: a rolling pin, which works to push away muscle soreness. And here's why you should consider tracking your recovery.
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