HURTS. SO. GOOD.

I'm almost 40 and didn't start foam rolling until I was almost 30 years old. I wish I had known the ins and outs of foam rolling earlier in my life because I truly do believe it could have prolonged my "prime" athleticism but unfortunately I was plagued by some injuries here and there (knee, hip, lower back).

If you've been going pretty hard at the gym or with any kind of running (long-distance, treadmill, sprints, etc) and you are beginning to experience knee pain or discomfort, often it's related to your I.T. band and the tracking of your knee. Foam rolling is definitely something that can alleviate that pain but also make it pain free for future use.

If you're into exercise and/or an active lifestyle but do not own a foam roller you better add to cart and check out.

Lastly the foamy foam rollers are no bueno. don't waste your time. Just like older men, with age/use, they get soft and lose their firmness.

This works well except the foam patterns aren't aggressive enough. I use this primarily on my entire back and sometimes a leg, but I can NOT feel any of the differences in the foam.

*Update* With continuing back issues that may never completely clear up, I've started using this more frequently, and in certain situations where my back starts cramping, I can roll across this while fully exhaled and usually get a couple small pops from my spine. While this may be dangerous for some, it has actually helped me get relief in between chiropractor visits, and lessening the severity of my muscle tightness. When I stretch my back out with this, I usually place it on my bed to lower the aggression some, and give a little more flexibility in rolling across it. My back gently slips everything back into place, and I don't feel crippled after giving my dog a bath. Working in positions that can require me to slightly hunch over usually facilitate my need to use this, but after a few minutes on this, I'm usually pretty good after. My chiropractor is still necessary for other parts that I can't get with this, more up between the shoulder area, but it does give me some major benefit, and for that I'm increasing to 5 stars.

*SIDE NOTE* If you have serious disc issues, talk to a chiropractor before using this, you could hurt yourself worse. I do not have any KNOWN disc issues in my back, and have used a pool noodle with good success to stretch my back. This was just an upgraded version that I don't have to worry about my dogs tearing up or my wife losing.

I have been running 15 to 20 miles per week for years, and I've found that stretching well afterwards is really important for helping me to avoid injuries and recover quickly. In fact, for me it's a lot more important than stretching before I run. The TriggerPoint roller is a great tool, and it helps me to do a much better job stretching. As far as quality, it's a very strong tube, and the foam is firm but comfortable. It's a pretty simple product, but it works!

I did have to spend some time figuring out what stretches work for me using the roller. I vary it up sometimes, but my go-to stretches are:
1. put roller in line with spine and roll left and right
2. put roller across back below shoulder blades, roll forward and back and swing side to side
3. put roller behind neck like a pillow and rotate neck left and right
4. on hands and knees with roller under hands, roll it all the way forward until face touches ground
5. on hands and knees, move one leg straight behind, cross other leg in front of knee, put roller under hands and roll forward

I run recreationally, but like many, I enjoy pushing myself hard and find myself with considerable muscle soreness after really long runs.

Rolling out my legs before, and giving special attention to sore muscles after my workouts, changes everything. Before rolling, my calves would be so sore and tired immediately after running that I could barely walk straight; with this foam roller, I feel more recovered 20 minutes after a workout than I used to 2 hours after. It's not merely superficial pain relief either, I can go from walking with a compensating limp from soreness to walking with vigor after a few minutes with this.

More than that, I've been able to work out considerably more often, and I feel more confident than ever that I'm working out injury free thanks to rolling my ITB and other problem areas before running. In the month after ordering and using this roller, I dropped nearly a minute from my 10k pace - about 5 minutes from my total time.

Be aware that this is not a massage roller. Although I've said it helps with pain relief, rolling with this may hurt a bit itself at first. To call this "firm" is maybe unfair, because its core is completely rigid, covered with a foam layer just thick enough to give it texture and grip so it can be used effectively. The first dozen or so times you use it, you may need to ease your weight onto it and take it easy. However, I found that after a week or so it not only didn't hurt, it felt outright good - I would go so far as to say comfortable thanks to the excellent foam layer. Having used this, I can't imagine hoping for comparable results out of a compressible, all-foam roller.

As for the rest, this roller is simply well designed. It's lightweight, very durable and water resistant (including sweat), the foam layer doesn't look stressed out or cracked from use, even though I live in an extremely, disturbingly dry climate. Nothing is peeling, nothing is deformed, nothing shows even the slightest sign of wear. It's as good as the day I bought it, and I wouldn't hesitate to pack it in my gym bag or trunk without fear of crushing the shape. Top notch, look forward to years of happy use.

I was deciding between a cheap $10 foam roller and the GRID and ultimately chose the GRID. After using it for a month, I believe I made the right choice. I've used many regular foam rollers in the past and they work well for the most part, but will no doubt lose their shape over time.

There's a reason that a lot of physical therapists use this in their office. It's made of higher quality materials than a simple piece of foam and it's also more comfortable. That's not to say this thing is soft and won't work out your tight muscles, it definitely will. But it just feels better against your body.

The only thing that made me nervous before buying was that similar products from other companies have had the inner PVC layer crack. After seeing and feeling the GRID in person, I realize that it's a pretty thick/high quality layer of plastic, not just some plumbing pipe and would probably need 300+ lbs to do any damage.

I've been using this everyday since I bought it for $35 and feel like it's definitely been worth the 25 dollar price difference over the cheap foam.