foam roller

A black back roll made in Germany (Clearly moulded on the side) this back roll is surprisingly light given its size and apparent strength. The Roll is made from what appears to be a lightweight plastic with a skin semi rough surface, it’s approximately 12 CM in diameter cylinder with a 3or 4 CM hole running through and is 45 CM long. The surface is very much wipe clean so if it gets a bit sweaty no problems.

Excellent, rock solid roller. I can tell this will last for years, though it is very lightweight. It 's great for working out the knots in my calves after a run - and comes with a handy leaflet with some recommended exercises too. Very good.

I was asked if I’d like to review Blackroll Standard 45 - SS17, and I said yes. The Roller was originally developed to help athletes for self-myofascial treatment, which helps to improve the balance within your body. It involves techniques that stretch out the connective tissue, (it’s found throughout the whole body). It’s made of collagen and creates a structural support. Ligaments, tendons, and the periosteum which is coating on bones), as this can create tightness and lack of mobility, which can lead to injury. The Blackroll Standard is well made, sturdy and it’s extremely firm, so it should last you a lifetime. I store this in the bottom of my wardrobe due to it’s size. When your Blackroll Standard arrives, you’ll find four points on the back of the box in English. You’ll find some illustrated exercises and another paragraph in English underneath them. Also in the box you’ll find an instruction booklet,(which shows you some exercises) and another two product leaflets, but the writing is completely in German so that’s useless unless you speak German. One the side of the box there’s an app you can scan or you can do what I did, which was go and have a look at the website, it shows you all the exercises that you can do which are:- • ABDOMEN • HIPS • TRUNK • UPPER BODY • BACK • ARMS • LEGS When you’ve decided on which exercise you’re going to do, you then place your bodyweight on the roll and then you roll it slowly backwards and forwards 6-8 times. The company says it helps with blood flow and helps you to relax. Personally, I spend about 5 minutes on each exercise every day, (in other words 5 minutes on my right leg and 5 minutes on my left leg, etc.). I’d like to point out something for your own personal safety. If you’re disabled through an illness or an injury, PLEASE ask your doctor first about using this before you purchase it, (it’s no good spending money if you’re not able to use it). It has helped to relive some pain that I have and hopefully it’ll help me even more with continued use. I can personally recommend it.

PROFESSIONAL GRADE ==================== A great product and I've seen them at the physiotherapists. I've been using it almost every day since it's arrived. You can get a smaller one, but this one, the 45, is a little longer and as a consequence is better for men, or women who are broad. LONGER ======== The longer version is better as the complete shoulders lie on the roll. GREAT ====== I've had a back issue for a while now and when I went to the physio recently they said these are good but make sure to use one that's suitable. (some are hard, some are soft.) PILATES ======== I've used this in a class too. COMFORTABLE ============== It gave good comfortable resistance on my upper back and shoulders. WELL ===== Well made and solid. OVERALL ======== No problems with this, I'll update the review if I have any problems.

On first inspection this appears to be nothing more than a plastic cylinder and, indeed, it is. However, there is a little bit more to it than that. The Blackroll has been designed specifically for self-massage of muscle connective tissue; to that end it has dimensions and a specific hardness. Similar foam rollers are used in gyms and by people who are muscle training, in order to speed muscle recovery and repair. I can't speak as to the scientific efficacy of the idea but I can say that it feels great using one of these. There is an app available for iOS and Android which gives a range of exercises and instructions. This is handy as the included paper instructions are solely in German. The app shows you how to use the Blackroll for fascia massage, so that you can get the best results from it. It also shows you can use the Blackroll for strength training and allows you to select a session for Beginner, Intermediate or Advanced and choose the number of exercises to tailor the session length. I use the roll in a quadricep exercise where I squat with my back supported against a wall. My walls are painted with an emulsion that catches on my clothes and leaves white marks; placing the Blackroll between me and the wall allows me to squat smoothly.

My gym has a soft foam roller, which I have been using for the last few months to treat a minor intermittent calf strain. This Blackrock roller is firmer, so I was interested to see how different the effect was doing the same exercise. I thought it might be more uncomfortable, because of the much higher resistance, not to mention the rough surface, but it was fine. (I was wearing a thin pair of jeans, which made the surface more comfortable on the skin.) It probably helps that I’m used to gym equipment and exercise; I’m not sure whether a hard roller like this would suit everyone. (Ask your gym trainer, physio or whoever.) It’s softer than the Blackroll “Pro” roller which I reviewed recently, which is “recommended only for professional athletes”; however some people may want one which is softer still, and there are some options available from Blackroll. The roller is hollow, which provides a bit of give. If you want it to be even firmer, you can buy a “booster” cylinder, but that will cost between £100 and £200, and if you’re into that territory you would probably have bought a hard/extra hard roller in the first place. The booklet has diagrams of a wide variety of possible exercises (see picture). It also has larger annotated photos of other exercises, but the whole booklet is in German so I was not much the wiser. (However, when I emailed customer support they sent me a PDF in both languages – well done CS). There are plenty of sources for roller exercises - there is a Blackrock app, which I didn’t bother with, or you can try Youtube. Another reviewer commented about the rough surface picking up bits from the carpet, so I used the roller on the kitchen floor (vinyl) with an old towel underneath; this worked very well, and it didn’t slide about. The gym manager hadn’t heard of Blackroll before, so I suspect they are increasing their presence in the UK market.

I have a slipped disc, and now a dodgy knee. The physio recommended exercises to strengthen the inner and outer thighs which would help to support the knee. I also do Pilates, and some of the exercises overlap. This roller has helped to do those exercises at home. It’s quite hard, and at times, uncomfortable, so you may find some exercises are easier to do than others. The instructions are in German, so the booklet is no good, really (unless you speak German!). However, there are diagrams on the side of the box which show you what you can do, and also information online. From plank exercises to lying on your side on the roller and moving back and forth, you are able to strengthen the core, back and hamstrings, as well as other muscles. My mum actually uses this one to support her back for now when sitting, and I am hoping to show her a few easier exercises to improve her knees. These rolls come in different sizes and firmness, so it may require some exploration to find the one that is right for you.

This item is basically a super-dense piece of plastic piping with German instructions. It comes in a nice box and seems overall of good quality manufacture, so it have decent perceived value. However, I repeat it is a piece of plastic pipe with German instructions. Now why is it worth the repeat? It's because it costs over £30 and frankly, if I am paying that, then I expect the manufacturer to at least send me instructions that I can understand. I feel this is unacceptably lazy and arrogant. But read on ... OK, on to usage. I read broadly around the topic and felt I could give it a go. I arrived home after walking around the city centre in the rain and also delivering a fairly stressful presentation. I ended up with a bit of a tension headache and a sore back (probably related). So I tried a couple of Blackroll exercises. They were easy and comfy enough and after some minor adjustment of method I felt that my efforts had some success. I felt less tense for sure. It's irritating that there are still only German explanations on the web site, but the best help was the video feature that is actually in English. I followed the upper and lower back exercises. So I am withhold final judgement as to efficacy of the methods as I need more time to assess. It seemed to help, but it was only the first usage. I can comment on the item itself tho, which is well designed and made but very expensive for what it is, and the directions, which are just not good enough unless you speak German! Based on the combination of price and flawed instruction it seems a 3 *** is a fair score at this stage. Of course, if continued use offers me great results then I will revisit that score.