Gravity Fx Fitness

I’m going to do a product review of two different self massage tools – the Stick and the Tiger Tail.  I’ve used both of them and am also a massage therapist, so I’ll try to give you my professional opinion.

Frequently I am asked how often someone should get a massage.  I usually tell them it depends on what the problem is, but ideally if you are exercising regularly and fairly intensely, once a week.

I realize that most people don’t have the time and/or finances for this, especially in today’s economy.  Many hard training athletes will often use some form of self massage in their warmup, whether it is a rolling massager like the Stick or a foam roll.

Foam roll massage uses very deep pressure and can be pretty painful the first week or so, even with big, strong athletes.  I sometimes use a massage ball or tennis ball for some deep tissue work, but I will leave that for another article.

I use both of these devices prior to lower body exercise or flexibility work such as flex band stretching.  Massage prior to stretching will get better results.

Expert strength coach Mike Boyle gives this analogy – if you have a knot in a rope and you pull on both ends of the rope, the knot gets tighter.  Muscles will behave similarly if you don’t relieve the excess tension in the muscle before stretching.

The Stick has individual rollers which conform to the shape of your muscles and can be used at different speeds and you can vary the pressure to meet your needs.  Tiger Tail has a single roller that provides a little more firmness if you prefer deeper pressure.

It is also smaller, making it convenient for taking it with you in your workout bag, though they are both very portable.  I like both of them and would recommend either one.

The Stick is used in sports training centers and by athletes at all levels.  Hard training individuals need some type of massage to help keep injuries to a minimum and increase the tissue quality of the muscles.

Having a flexible muscle with lots of “knots” isn’t good and trying to stretch a muscle with knots without massaging them first isn’t wise.

My advice is to use some form of self massage and then get a professional massage as often as you can.

You can find both of these items at PerformBetter.com – click on Flexibility and Recovery.

Learn how to be pain free and make your body unbreakable.

Get moving!

Brian

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