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The Best Foam Rollers of 2024

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Credit: Getty Images / автор

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Editor's Choice Product image of LuxFit Premium High Density Foam Roller (36 inch)
Best Overall

LuxFit Premium High Density Foam Roller (36 inch)

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The Luxfit is easy to use and provides a medium-intensity massage. Read More

Pros

  • Hard enough to be effective without causing pain
  • Works as an aid for planks, pushups, and yoga moves

Cons

  • Doesn't offer the deepest massage
Editor's Choice Product image of TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller
Best Compact

TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller

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The TriggerPoint foam roller is firm enough to give a great massage while being cushioned enough not to hurt. Read More

Pros

  • Hard plastic and dense foam gives it lasting durability over puffier foam rollers
  • Firm enough to give a great massage while being cushioned enough not to hurt

Cons

  • Doesn't offer as much stability as larger foam rollers
Product image of OPTP Black AXIS Firm Foam Roller - Full Round, 36 x 6

OPTP Black AXIS Firm Foam Roller - Full Round, 36 x 6

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The OPTP foam roller offers perfect balance of hard-but-not-too-hard and relatively durable material. Read More

Pros

  • Perfect balance of hard-but-not-too-hard, and relatively durable material

Cons

  • A little too soft to give an effective massage
Product image of Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller (36 inch)

Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller (36 inch)

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The Gaiam roller is basic and feels a little flimsy.| Read More

Pros

  • Works well to stretch out muscles and assist with planks and pushups

Cons

  • Feels flimsier than other rollers
Product image of AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller (36 inch)

AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller (36 inch)

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The AmazonBasics roller is a decent starter roller for someone who’s looking for a cheap option. Read More

Pros

  • Decent starter roller for someone looking for a cheap option

Cons

  • Lightweight and doesn't offer the best massage
  • Best Overall LuxFit Premium High Density Foam Roller (36 inch)
  • Best Compact TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller
  • OPTP Black AXIS Firm Foam Roller - Full Round, 36 x 6
  • Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller (36 inch)
  • AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller (36 inch)
  • Yes4All USA Foam Roller (36 inch)
  • What You Should Know About Foam Rollers
  • How do you know which Foam Roller to choose?
  • More Articles You Might Enjoy

Whether you’re a professional athlete, someone who's just starting to work out, or a person acting on the advice of a physical therapist, there are a lot of benefits to foam rolling. For example, self-massage using a roller or ball is a great way access trigger points, achieve myofascial release, speed up muscle recovery, increase blood flow, and relieve the muscle tension that builds up from working out or sitting at your desk all day. But how much foam rolling you need depends on how active you are, and the type of roller you need depends on how you feel.

Editor's Note:

The recommendations in this guide are based on thorough product and market research by our team of expert product reviewers. The picks are based on examining user reviews, product specifications, and, in some limited cases, our experience with the specific products named.

Credit: Reviewed / Bethany Kwoka
Best Overall
LuxFit Premium High Density Foam Roller (36 inch)

My personal favorite of the bunch is the LuxFit Premium High Density. Not only is it incredibly simple to use, it works exceptionally well to massage out my sore muscles and muscle knots, as it's hard enough to be effective without being painful. The roller also offers a great stabilizer for planks and an effective aid for pushups and yoga moves (for those who are interested in multi-purposing their roller).

So while it doesn't offer the deepest massage, going too deep isn’t always what you want. The LuxFit gives a worthy massage to all parts of the body without inducing further pain, and I can see myself reaching for this one time and time again.

Pros

  • Hard enough to be effective without causing pain

  • Works as an aid for planks, pushups, and yoga moves

Cons

  • Doesn't offer the deepest massage

Buy now at Amazon

$46.71 from Walmart
Credit: Reviewed / Bethany Kwoka
Best Compact
TriggerPoint GRID Foam Roller

The TriggerPoint Grid is a fantastic option for those who want a small, light, and durable roller with a hollow core that can access many different muscle groups. Unlike its larger counterparts, this roller is made of hard plastic and dense foam, which gives it a lasting durability over puffier foam rollers. The compact size also makes it more portable than most while still working OK to stabilize side planks if you want it to.

The best part about this roller is the firmness. It offers a varied rolling surface for different levels of massage and is firm enough to give a great massage while being cushioned enough not to hurt. If you’re looking for something smaller than your typical three-footer and are willing to spend a little bit extra, this is an excellent choice.

Pros

  • Hard plastic and dense foam gives it lasting durability over puffier foam rollers

  • Firm enough to give a great massage while being cushioned enough not to hurt

Cons

  • Doesn't offer as much stability as larger foam rollers

$26.36 from Amazon

$26.36 from Walmart
Product image of OPTP Black AXIS Firm Foam Roller - Full Round, 36 x 6
OPTP Black AXIS Firm Foam Roller - Full Round, 36 x 6

The OPTP Black AXIS is a close second to the LuxFit in terms of ease of use, and its perfect balance of hard-but-not-too-hard, and relatively durable material. It's a good foam roller, though a little bit softer than I want it to be. I didn’t get as deep a massage as I would've liked, though I imagine it'd be great for someone newer to foam rolling.

Pros

  • Perfect balance of hard-but-not-too-hard, and relatively durable material

Cons

  • A little too soft to give an effective massage

Buy now at Amazon

$44.95 from Walmart
Product image of Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller (36 inch)
Gaiam Restore Total Body Foam Roller (36 inch)

The Gaiam Restore roller is, overall, very typical. In other words, it does what it's designed to do. It works out my muscles well enough and it's great for planks and pushups. That said, it produces pretty silly crunching noises at times, and the material feels a bit flimsy like it might lose chunks if I accidentally knock it into the corner of a table.

Pros

  • Works well to stretch out muscles and assist with planks and pushups

Cons

  • Feels flimsier than other rollers

$34.98 from Amazon

$34.99 from Target

$34.98 from Walmart
Product image of AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller (36 inch)
AmazonBasics High-Density Round Foam Roller (36 inch)

The AmazonBasics is another perfectly fine foam roller. It's very basic, and there's nothing really about it that stands out. So while it doesn't offer the best massage, it seems like a decent starter roller for someone who’s looking for a cheap option.

Pros

  • Decent starter roller for someone looking for a cheap option

Cons

  • Lightweight and doesn't offer the best massage

$19.07 from Amazon
Product image of Yes4All USA Foam Roller (36 inch)
Yes4All USA Foam Roller (36 inch)

I wouldn't go out of my way to buy or recommend the Yes4All USA roller, as it's nothing to write home about. It's a standard three-foot roller made of firm, airy material. The massage is OK, but my roller came with a small chunk carved out of it, so I worry about how sustainable it'll be in the long-run.

Pros

  • Gives nice-feeling massages

Cons

  • Material is flimsy and falls apart easily

$18.49 from Amazon

What You Should Know About Foam Rollers

“The harder you train in terms of volume and frequency of training, and the higher intensity you train, the more likely you are to have micro tears or strains in your muscle,” says Pete Viteritti, a sports chiropractor with more than 25 years of experience treating everyone from Olympic athletes to everyday runners like myself. Viteritti is also my former chiropractor, who I saw to treat a running injury a few years ago. These micro-tears happen when the load you’re putting on your muscles exceeds what your muscles can handle. And that’s where foam rolling comes in.

Foam rolling can reduce the cumulative tension in your muscles, which in turn reduces the risk of injury from tight muscles and can restore your regular range of motion if you're experiencing discomfort after a workout. But keep in mind that it’s just a preventative tool and doesn’t fix problems you’re already experiencing. So if you do get injured, please see a doctor, who may advise you to take up physical therapy or seeing a massage therapist.

How do you know which Foam Roller to choose?

“It’s really a personal preference,” says Viteritti. “It’s like vanilla or chocolate ice cream. Some people like chocolate, some people like vanilla. There’s no right or wrong, it's just what you like.”

So when it came to testing, I took his advice. I thought about whether I liked aggressive, deep tissue massages or lighter ones (somewhere in the middle) and if I had a high or low pain tolerance (again, somewhere in the middle). There’s really one key factor when it comes to effectiveness, says Viteritti: “What’s the best foam roller? The one you’re going to use.”

So pick your foam roller based on its overall specs, not what the Olympic-level bodybuilder on YouTube is selling. Get the one you’re going to use on a daily basis.

What Are The Different Kinds Of Foam Rollers?

While you’re thinking about which foam roller would work best for you, it’s good to consider lengths and materials. In general, most rollers I researched and tested were around 36-inches long. This makes them stable when rolling out your muscles and allows you to do any stretch you can find online but can be tough to store in an apartment.

There are a few different materials you’ll find as well, which range from relatively soft to fairly hard. Much like length, it goes back to what is comfortable for your body. The softest is Polyethylene (PE)—the Yes4All roller we tested is made of this material. It’s great for beginners, though not the best quality.

Ethylene Vinyl Acetate (EVA) is a step above PE. It has the spongy feel of the PE foam but enough firmness to get a bit more of a massage. Our favorite compact roller is made of a hard plastic inner tube covered in different densities of EVA foam.

The next step up is the Expanded Polypropylene (EPP), which offers a denser, firmer roller. For context, the AmazonBasics' roller is EPP, and our winner the LuxFit considers itself a Molded Polypropylene. There are also a few more specialty rollers out there. For instance, the Rumble Roller is a proprietary mix of EVA and other, harder materials. This is great for intense athletes, but overkill for most folks. From my experience, EPP works great, while PE is a bit too soft for my muscles.

Meet the tester

Bethany Kwoka

Bethany Kwoka

Contributor

Bethany is a freelance contributor for Reviewed. An avid home baker and aspiring home cook, she reviews and writes mostly about kitchen gadgets (with the occasional fitness review thrown in). Her specialty might be fancy desserts, but she's never met a batch-cooked dinner recipe she didn't like.

Outside of her work for Reviewed, Bethany is a content creator working on clean energy and climate change at a regional non-profit and runs a tabletop game at her local comic book shop.

See all of Bethany Kwoka's reviews

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