Full Disclosure – I received a free FRoller (From Robb McCoy of F.I.T. Challenge) in exchange for a review of my experiences with it – trust me, this is unbiased and free schwag won’t influence me to talk good about a crap product.
Happily, this isn’t a crap product.
Price: $49.95
What is the Froller?
It’s a bodystick – essentially. A flexible bar with rollers that you use to self massage your aching, sore, tired muscles. The essential part that separates the FRoller from the more common bodystick though – the magic part – is that the rollers are cold. Frozen. Like – just grabbed them from the freezer frozen.
And it feels SOOOOO good. Research shows that cold therapy – that being the application of cold in the form of anything from a full on ice bath to a simple ice pack – helps reduce the blood flow to an area, which in the case of sore muscles (the dreaded DOMS – Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness), something I’m sure we all have faced more than a few times, can reduce the pain and soreness. It’s worth noting that while much of the research indicates that cold therapy doesn’t speed up healing, it does reduce the pain.
Rolling though – that can help. Put the two together, and I certainly noticed a “feels good” difference.
How does it work?
The FRoller is pretty small in size – roughly the same length as the red handled “travel” sized body stick you may already be familiar with. It has roughly the same amount of flexibility too – but it’s trick is in it’s 6 large rollers. Each one contains something – gel maybe – that freezes. You simply drop the whole thing in your freezer, or pop a handle off and drop the rollers in by themselves. It doesn’t take long to get to temperature – and once it does, you simply roll it just like a normal body stick. They stay cold for a good amount of time, and you drop them right back in the freezer when you’re done.
Does it work?
I suspect this will be subjective. My wife can’t stand the cold, and wouldn’t use it. I love it for my legs and calves after a run, and wish I had a freezer at every place I go to run. Alternating between it and my regular body stick, I don’t know I could give you a definite, long term, physical and beneficial difference between the two – but when I’m actually using it there is no question that the FRoller feels awesome.
I actually moved it from my home freezer to the freezer at my Crossfit gym, and let everyone there know they could try it out and give me feedback – it’s still there – feedback has been great – I don’t know I’m going to get it back 🙂
At it’s price point, it’s expensive in comparison to the more common body stick – but you’re supporting a local business, and getting something unique, that definitely feels good to use. Recommended.
