The 7 Best Foam Rollers for Working Out the Kinks
I’ve used many of these, and whether you’re looking for light pressure or vibration-assisted myofascial release, one of them will do the job.
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Soreness can afflict any athlete, but few things make you ache in the back, legs, and butt like a day on the pedals. A foam roller allows you to give yourself a targeted massage, with studies showing that rolling before and after an activity can both help improve performance and reduce soreness post-workout.
There are many options if you’re looking for a foam roller to add to your stretching routine, but very few stand out from the crowd. Below you’ll find a guide to what to look for in a foam roller, as well as our recommendations for the seven best foam rollers in different categories.
The Best Foam Rollers
- Best Overall: Lululemon Double Roller
- Best Budget: Amazon Basics High Density Round Foam Roller
- Best for Travel: The Original Worm Portable Massage Muscle Roller
- Best Cork: Scoria Natural Cork Foam Roller
- Best Texture for Deep Rolling: RumbleRoller Original Textured Foam Roller
What to Consider
Firmness
How firm your foam roller is determines how deeply or gently it will roll out your muscles. Some are made of a soft foam that has lots of give, and, while this reduces their pressure on sore muscles, they can be a good option for people who want to roll out their back but have more limited mobility, as the roller will squish down to provide a gentler curve for the spine. Other rollers are quite rigid and are for more intensive massage.
Smoothness
Some foam rollers are perfectly smooth, while others have raised bumps or ridges designed to dig into muscles more deeply and provide myofascial release—the relief of tension in muscular connective tissues—to knots and other sensitive spots known as trigger points. Smooth rollers are best if you’ve never used one before, as the raised features can be painfully acute for beginners. But with experience, you may find that smooth rollers are too gentle and only bumps will get the job done.
Vibration
More and more foam rollers come with the ability to vibrate. While they tend to be significantly more expensive, they can be worth it if you have especially pesky tight spots—studies indicate that vibration can help reduce muscle soreness after exercise. But if you don’t have the budget for it, don’t sweat. A normal foam roller is still highly effective.
Shape and Size
While the vast majority of foam rollers are of the pretty standard design—a tube about the length of a shoebox and roughly as big around as a softball—there are variations for different purposes and preferences. Common formats include:
- Standard rollers approximately 2 feet by 6 inches
- Shorter, smaller varieties for portability
- Double length for wider backs
- Spherical (or with spherical sections) for feet and pinpointing knots
How We Selected
As a lifetime athlete who appreciates a good roll, I’ve used and owned foam rollers in all forms. To ensure that I’m up to speed on the most current advancements in foam rolling technology, I’ve tested the latest from top brands in the industry, such as Lululemon, RumbleRoller, and Hyperice, and compared my findings against those from past Bicycling guides and reviews from both experts from other publications and online customer feedback feedback on Amazon. The recommendations below span a range of forms, budgets, and needs and are the best foam rollers for cyclists.
Nick Hilden is a writer, globetrotter, and jack-of-many-talents who has written gear reviews for the likes of Runner’s World, Popular Science, Men’s Health, Thrillist, the Daily Beast, the Los Angeles Times, Greatist, and the Manual, and his lifestyle, culture, and tech writing has also appeared in Scientific American, Afar, Salon, Vice, Healthline, and many others. Before entering journalism some 15 years ago, he worked as a bartender, brewery manager, sound engineer, recording and touring musician, cook, teacher, and in a variety of other trades. These days, he lives all over the world, performs music sporadically, and spends a lot of time thinking how to best improve his Honda Element conversion.
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