Rolling To Recovery

As mountain bikers you’re probably not as familiar with the dreaded foam roller as trail runners, but you should be! And there’s no need to fear it either – it’s good for you. We put the Trigger Point Grid 1.0 Foam Roller, TP Massage Ball and the Nano X Foot Roller to the test.

Being able to relieve the aches and strains of your tired or sore muscles on your own without the assistance of a massage therapist or a physio is essential to avoiding injuries. That’s where Trigger Point comes in but not just by selling you the products to work out the knots in your muscles, they also provide you with the know-how to do it (or if you already have a foam roller – the know-how is what you’re after).

Here’s how Trigger Point aim to empower active people to manage their own therapeutic care:

Keep reading to find out more about the individual products and how they can help you treat your aches and pains. Or visit the Full Stride website to read Tammy Reader’s Biokinetics columns on injury prevention and treatment, or stay with Full Sus and read Raasay Waters’ columns on Exercise Therapy.

Grid 1.0 Foam Roller

Trigger Point Say:

The GRID foam roller is designed to replicate the feeling of a massage therapist’s hands. These distrodensity zones enable you to self-address locations of your body that are causing discomfort.

Full Sus Review of the Grid 1.0 Foam Roller

The tool runners love to hate but can’t go without, foam rollers have become a must have home treatment tool, along with a yoga/exercise mat. Trigger Point’s Grid 1.0 is a very sturdy foam roller; 15mm of medium density foam covers a plastic tube which won’t start to distort until over 150kg is placed on it. The lines, blocks and smooth sections of the roller surface are designed to mimic the feel of a masseuse’s fingers, fingertips and palms.

The solid construction and the pliable foam combine to provide a pleasant massage, which can become a little painful (as it should) when you start working through a tight knot in your muscle. If you’re more masochistically bent, give the Grid X a try as it has a firmer foam for deeper tissue massages.

RRP: R750

Nano X Foot Roller

Trigger Point Say:

Designed to increase flexibility and relieve minor muscular aches and pains associated with the foot and forearm. Available in two densities, regular and the extra-firm NANO X for intense relief.

Full Sus Review of the Nano X Foot Roller

While the Grid 1.0 Foam Roller and TP Massage Ball are both very relevant to mountain bikers, the Nano X Foot Roller might be more of a runner’s tool as it’s designed to sooth your plantar fascia (the sole of your foot), but can also work on other narrow areas like your forearms (or if you are particularly slight your upper arms and calves too). You might not need the Nano X as much as an avid runner might, but after a long day in uncomfortable shoes – like stiff carbon soled XC shoes – there’s nothing your feet will appreciate more than a roll on a Nano. The Nano X features Trigger Point’s firmer foam and really goes to work on any tightness in your plantar fascia, while the normal Nano which we didn’t test should be a little less aggressive as it features the same density foam as the Grid 1.0 we tested.

RRP: R550

TP Massage™ Ball

Trigger Point Say:

Our Performance Therapy™ products help restore and maintain the body’s natural athletic ability to move freely. TP Massage™ Ball use[d] to manage minor aches and pains. [It is a] convenient size for travel and portability.

Full Sus Review of the TP Massage Ball

The TP Massage Ball is a brilliant little tool. It’s slightly irregularly shaped to allow you to really hone in on a sore point in a muscle and seems to be a cork ball which Trigger Point have had covered with fabric to provide a bit of give. It is perfect for working out the knots in your upper back by positioning the ball against a wall and rolling against it – pin-pointing the painful area. Or use if by hand and push/roll it over the tight areas in your major muscle groups of your arms and legs.

RRP: R375