Foam Rolling Archives

Massage guns have gotten a lot of attention recently among fitness enthusiast and gym lovers. They are seen as an easier and less painful way to massage your tight muscles to relieve pain than the more common foam rolling. But do massage guns really work? In this article, we will review the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun created by physical therapists to let you know what we think!

Use Code JAH3HED8 to get 10% OFF the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun!

Do Massage Guns Actually Work?

Yes, massage guns really do work! In fact, research has found that percussion therapy, the type of massage applied when using a massage gun, can significantly improve your overall strength and performance. They have been proven to help increase muscle strength, explosiveness and mobility while decreasing pain. So, massage guns are an effective tool for helping to improve your overall performance.

How To Use A Massage Gun

Using a massage gun is as simple as applying the appropriate head piece of your choosing, turning it on and letting it do the work by pressing it into your muscles. You can apply more or less pressure by pushing it harder or softer against your self. Or, if you have the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun, you can change the headpiece to a harder or softer one as well as change the speed of the massage to your liking.

Massage each muscle or tight area for no more than 5 minutes at a time, using different attachment pieces as needed to feel the appropriate massage.

Things To Avoid

Just make sure you stay away from hard bony spots, as the massage gun is not meant to be used on bones. Also, as with anything new, start with the softest head piece and the slowest setting before going harder or faster.

Features of the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun

Professionally Made

The Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun is very well made and is the perfect size for athletes of all sizes. It has a simple and sleek design with a hard rubber grip so it doesn’t slide in your hand during use. It’s lightweight and quiet, but still delivers a powerful deep-tissue massages that effectively relieve muscle tension while remaining gentle.

It also comes in a very nice zip-up hand bag that keeps everything organized and protected so you can easily carry it into the gym or around the office.

Powerful

The Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun has 5 adjustable speeds from 2,000-3,200 RPM allowing you to find the perfect speed for your needs. On top of that, it has a powerful motor that reaches up to 200 Nm (45 lbs) of stalling pressure force, which is a lot for a massage gun, and significantly more than other brands. So you will always be able to get the perfect amount of pressure to relieve your tight muscles no matter how big and strong you are.

On top of this, it has an incredibly long lasting battery that gives you over 3 hours of massage time before it needs to be charged again. That’s 18 uses from one battery charge!

Versatile

The Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun also comes with 5 different attachment heads with varying hardness. This allows you to both pinpoint small muscles or sore spots and easily switch to harder or softer attachments as needed.

They even have a personal favorite of mine, their customized metal flat head, which I have found to be the most effective head piece for relieving pain and soreness. It’s perfect for aggressive massages on large muscle groups like quads and hamstrings.

Overall Rating of the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun

Overall, I give the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun a 5 out of 5 star rating! There are no drawbacks to this massage gun that I could find. It is highly effective and easy to use. Plus, its unique stand out features make it the perfect choice for all types of athletes and gym lovers! So I definitely recommend you get one too!

Use Code JAH3HED8 to get 10% OFF the Bob and Brad X6 PRO Massage Gun!

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It takes only a few minutes to learn the proper foam rolling technique to relax your tight tendons and soft-tissues. So, let’s get started now on how to use a foam roller properly to increase joint mobility and decrease muscle pain and stress!

Page Contents:

How Foam Rolling Works
Proper Foam Rolling Technique

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How Foam Rolling Works

Foam rolling works by:

Breaking apart adhesions in the tissue layers (known as self-myofascial release),
Moving fluids through soft tissues,
and overall assisting with Muscle Recovery.

So, you can use it to aid in the mobility of tight tissues or just as a recovery technique.

Foam rolling has become very popular in recent years, but it has been around for decades. As it is an effective tool that helps to mobilize your joints by relaxing the soft tissues and muscles around them if done properly. But, the most important thing you need to know about foam rolling is that it is NOT a fix-all solution.

Foam rolling simply prepares your body to improve joint and muscle flexibility by relaxing any chronically tight tissues around them.

If a muscle is tight, or overactive, it will fight against any stretching you do for it. So, the foam roller can be used to help relax your muscle tissues in order to prepare them for other stretches.

It is what you do after foam rolling that counts!

Stretching Exercises >>

Proper Foam Rolling Technique

Here’s how to use a foam roller properly:

Beginner Technique

Simply roll the foam roller up and down your muscles in a controlled manner to massage the muscle. This is a great way for beginners to start, as it is the least intense.

Advanced Technique

For a more effective self-myofascial release technique, attempt to crush your tissues lightly by rotating on them horizontally using controlled pressure. So, instead of rolling the roller up and down your muscles, keep the roller in place and roll your body side-to-side (perpendicular) along the same area. This will reach down deeper into the tissues.
Then move slightly up the muscle and do the same thing.

To properly break apart adhesions in your soft tissues, stop at points where you feel the most pain and relax the muscle into the roller.

Stay on that spot for at least 30 seconds at a time and breathe deep to let your muscles relax. Then slowly continue rolling over the entire muscle.

If no tightness or pain is felt in a certain area, then either use a firmer tool or move on. You will only feel pain where there is tightness. The same as a massage.

Get our complete How To Warm-Up Properly Guide >>

Choosing a Foam Roller

Foam rolling is most effective with a smooth round object that can roll over your soft tissues; such as a stiff ball or cylinder.

Soft Choices for a Light Massage

Basic Foam Roller
High-Density Foam Roller
Tennis Ball

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Firm Choices for a Deep Massage

4-6″ PVC Pipe
Lacrosse Ball

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It is best for beginners to start with a soft roller, then upgrade to a firm roller. Preferably a solid PVC pipe or something similar.

I know that sounds like it hurts, and it does…at first. But it is the only thing that is truly going to work.

This is because, if the roller is less dense than your tissues, then it will break down and limit the amount of tissue release you can obtain.

Your tight tissues can only be fully released with dense objects that can break apart the adhesions. And anything made of foam just isn’t enough.

However, this also will increase the intensity of the message so you won’t need to use it as frequently. It’s the same as when you do high-intensity workouts, you need more time to recover.

What NOT To Get

When choosing your foam roller, make sure that you get one that does NOT have a bunch of spikes on it or “pressure points”. Though it may feel good, it is not nearly as useful as just getting a firmer object, like a PVC Pipe or Lacross Ball.

Remember, we want to smash over the muscle massaging everything, not just pinpoint it. That is what hand massages are for. And the fancy-looking rollers just don’t do as well.

Get our complete How To Warm-Up Properly Guide >>

How often can I use a Foam Roller?

You can roll out your tissues anytime, from before, during, or after your workouts.

Before, or during, your workouts if you have a tight muscle that is causing pain, or preventing proper technique.
Post-workout or on non-workout days to help with recovery.

However, the same muscles should not be rolled out more than four times per week. And often not multiple days in a row, to allow for proper recovery.

This is because, when you use a foam roller, you are breaking apart your soft tissues, similar to when you workout. So you need time to recover before doing it again.

Get our complete How To Warm-Up Properly Guide >>

How long should Foam Rolling take?

How long foam rolling takes, depends on how tight your muscles are. At first, your self-myofascial release massage may take an hour if you have a lot of tight tissues. If it does, then let it.

Do not rush through this process!

Over time, as your tissues are released and become more relaxed it will take less and less time.

If you have limited time, it is best to focus on the most important areas during the time you have. Set a timer if needed, and go for 10-20 minutes.