My family and I took a visit to my favorite local running store, 1st Place Sports, and we saw the R8 Massage Roller by Roll Recovery. I’ve played with it in the past, but I never bought it because I’m not the one who holds the purse strings in the family. Haha! I handed it to my husband and showed him how to use it and he was very impressed. He has just started to walk/run, and he started a new season of flag football. Now, he’s suffering from ITB syndrome, tight calves and there’s something wrong with his heel. He bought the R8. 

The R8 Massage Roller isn’t cheap. It retails for $119.  

The R8 Massage Roller is one of the most intense massagers I’ve ever used. If you believe in trigger points and muscle release, this roller is for you. According to Roll Recovery, this roller “was developed to reduce inflammation after workouts, break up muscle adhesions and stimulate blood circulation. It is easy to use, feels great on tired legs and is small enough to take anywhere… The patent pending technology self adjusts to different leg sizes and targets the quads, hamstrings, IT bands, glutes, calves, hip flexors and more.”

My husband has used the R8 massage roller daily, and I’ve had my turn with it. I ran two days in a row prior to using the roller, so this was a good test.

I tell ya… This roller found a lot of trigger points that I didn’t even know existed. I worked my muscles, biggest to smallest, like the directions said. The most painful areas were my calves, specifically the soleus muscles. I had to pull the wheels apart while I rolled because the tension was a little too much. Whew!

I went out for a run earlier today and my legs felt fresher than they should have felt. The only thing that slowed me down was the heat! I got home rolled out my legs. My calves weren’t as painful or as tight as they were yesterday. Good news. I did find more trigger points around my hip flexors and glutes. 

Would I recommend this product? Yes, I would. My legs feel like I rested them for a day. The price is a little steep, but if you think about it, it’s cheaper than a monthly membership for a massage therapist. Still if you can’t afford it, you can get the close results with a foam roller and a lacrosse ball.

I hope you enjoyed this really quick review. I think my husband and I found a good recovery tool. I hope I helped you find yours. If you have any questions, please reply below. Happy running!