Move over, foam rollers, because muscle rollers are the new post-workout tool you need. You’ve probably heard the hype around foam rollers and the slew of benefits they offer—but how are they different than muscle rollers? While the two are very similar, muscle rollers are another way to get targeted relief on your body, and also tend to be much more portable, lightweight, and easy to use than traditional foam rollers. Sometimes referred to as massage sticks or muscle roller sticks, casual exercisers and hardcore athletes alike have found these handy tools to be super effective in rolling out tight, sore muscles and improving blood flow before and after physical activity.

Muscle roller sticks vs. foam rollers

While foam rollers typically offer different textures and varying levels of firmness, most muscle rollers have the same firmness, but come in various lengths—so you can choose the length that’s right for your needs (like a stick that’s short enough to fit in your bag if you want to bring it on the go). Another key difference is the way muscle roller sticks are used. Many people position themselves over top of a foam roller and apply pressure on a certain body part (while it rolls on the floor underneath them), but muscle rollers have two handles on either side that you hold onto, and then roll the stick up and down over the area you’re massaging.

Some people prefer muscle rollers over foam rollers because of how easy they are to use, and since most of them tend to use harder materials (in other words, not foam), they can even offer more targeted muscle relief. If you’re interested in trying out muscle rollers for yourself, we’ve rounded up four of the best muscle rollers you can use for relief, below. While we’ve included different stick lengths and materials for you to choose from, the one thing all of these options have in common is that they’re top-rated by customers, so you can trust that they’ll do the job.

Whether you’re looking to speed up recovery and reduce soreness through myofascial release after a tough workout, or you just want to show your body some extra love after a long day,  muscle rollers are a great self-massage tool to reach for whenever you need some extra R&R—and we could all use a little more of that in our daily lives.

Check out our range of Muscle Sticks and Foam Rollers HERE

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