The Rolflex: Your Foam Roller Reinvented

Hamstring-Rolflex
Photo Courtesy: Rolflex

By Annie Grevers, Staff Writer. 

Foam rolling. Swimmers have a love-hate relationship with the recovery method. The 18-inch pillar of firm foam, often referred to as “the poor man’s massage therapist” is commonly used by athletes to break up tight fascia, or muscle fibers. It can be a highly effective (and painful) recovery method.

The roller itself is bulkier and far less compactable than a swimmer’s parka…but if it has become a vital part of your warm-up/recovery routine, you’re going to find a way to pack it.

Enter the Rolflex. The foam roller reinvented. Not only is this thing easy to travel with because of its sleek design, but it offers an opportunity to roll out two muscle groups at once. In my swimming days I depended on a foam roller to lengthen my larger muscle groups (IT band, hamstring, lats, calves) and a tennis ball to get the hidden knots (beneath/between scapulas, interior of knees). The Rolflex eliminates the need for a tennis ball, because it can target the broad muscles and the hard-to-reach areas.

Here are the pros and cons of the Rolflex in my humble swimmer opinion:

PROS 

  • Portability. This is the No. 1 perk for competitive athletes because there’s never been a creative way to condense a foam roller. Foam rollers are not heavy, but they take up a quarter of a good-sized piece of luggage and half of your swim bag. The Rolflex easily fits into a swim bag and weighs just one pound.
  • Your forearms (and other areas a foam roller cannot release) will thank you. Perhaps the most neglected area on a swimmer’s body is his or her forearms. If you’re catching properly, there is a lot of water gripped with your forearms during every stroke. Swimmers can glide the Rolflex over their rock-hard forearms to ease them out of their eternally-flexed state. Other hard-to-roll zones which can be rubbed out with the Rolflex include: the elbows, knees, feet, wrists, and hands.
  • Instructional videos. If you receive the device in the mail and you look at it with bewilderment (as I did), you can hop to the Rolflex YouTube channel and watch very brief, descriptive videos on how to use the recovery tool to target pretty much any part of your body.
monica-arm-Rolflex

Photo Courtesy: Ed Chan/VBshots.com

CONS

  • You can’t just lay on it and use your body weight as applied pressure, which – let’s be honest – is sometimes all you have energy to do post-swim practice. You need to use your hands to knead away the knots with the Rolflex. It’s not hard manual labor, but it is a little effort on your part. But Terry Cross, the inventor of the device, designed the Rolflex to be a tool which allows the user to “amplify pressure using the power of leverage”. So although hands are required, this con has a hidden pro– there’s much more control over where and how much pressure is applied.

Overall, the Rolflex’s pros far outweigh the cons. This brilliant recovery tool makes a lot of sense for the on-the-go, perpetually-sore competitive swimmer.

All commentaries are the opinion of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of Swimming World Magazine nor its staff.

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54 Comments
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Shaheen Alghofari
6 years ago

Joe Stott

Amanda Redman Hamilton

Addie Robinson. New &improved roller!!

Kasey Lefebvre
6 years ago

Larry Rackliff

Larry Rackliff
6 years ago
Reply to  Kasey Lefebvre

Yes!!!

Laura Adams
6 years ago

Jenny Adams

Nicky Graham
6 years ago

Tiffani

Fafalafel Van Ha
6 years ago

Noa Rebollo

Noa Rebollo
6 years ago

i need this!

Noa Rebollo
6 years ago

on an unrelated note my bday is this sunday btw

Char-Day Charnholm
6 years ago

Marelle Habenicht

Marelle Habenicht
6 years ago

Aaaaaand into my Amazon wishlist it goes! Lol

Enoch Min
6 years ago

Jenna Campbell

Jenna Campbell
6 years ago
Reply to  Enoch Min

Lol wtf

Finn Lyon
6 years ago

Lin Tozer

Bree Deters
6 years ago

Russ something new for you ???

Russ Man
6 years ago
Reply to  Bree Deters

Nope!

Russ Man
6 years ago
Reply to  Bree Deters

Plus, you can’t compare my quad to hers! ??

Badreddine Loulidi
6 years ago

Amar Zaidi turfu

Joey Moffitt
6 years ago

Elsa Bock

Susie Kunz-Saddoris
6 years ago

Sydnie Saddoris

Sydnie Saddoris
6 years ago

Where do I get one

Cissy Garcia
6 years ago

Susan Garcia I need one!

Mitch Brown
6 years ago

Thomas Snook Charlie Rose this looks like pain

Kylie Youmans
6 years ago

Austin Stephens

Austin Stephens
6 years ago
Reply to  Kylie Youmans

I have a friend with something similar to this and borrowed it for a week or so. It prettyyy nice!

Nadia Gagliardi
6 years ago

Simon Gagliardi

Emma Persika Persson
6 years ago

Filippa Dihle

Kallie Farley
6 years ago

Rachael Zarlinski this one may be harder for you to cuddle with at sleep away meets but it looks heavenly

Rachael Zarlinski
6 years ago
Reply to  Kallie Farley

Oh hell yeah

Arjan Hanse
6 years ago

Larissa Brak

Larissa Brak
6 years ago
Reply to  Arjan Hanse

Wauw die lijkt mij handig :-p

Emma Bysouth
6 years ago

Kim Mortimer

Emily Allanson
6 years ago

Jamie Anderson Alyssa Andrews woaaahhh

Alyssa Andrews
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily Allanson

Man I need this

Jamie Anderson
6 years ago
Reply to  Emily Allanson

Ooooo

Sterre Mooiweer
6 years ago

Lonne Dijkhuis ?

Lonne Dijkhuis
6 years ago

Oh yes??

Sterre Mooiweer
6 years ago

Die moeten we hebben ?

Lonne Dijkhuis
6 years ago

Hele dag rollen?

Tanya Chapman
6 years ago

Courtney Chapman

Mary Brodbeck
6 years ago
Reply to  Tanya Chapman

This looks interesting

Frank Elenio
6 years ago

Kate Kaduboski Anne Warren we need this!

Lynne Slonaker Montgomery

Rachel Montgomery
Katie Montgomery

Katie Montgomery
6 years ago

Oooooh

Rhiannon Rae
6 years ago

DJ Poulin

Rachel Sitarz
6 years ago

Caleb Warden Mickschl need this for leg day

Caleb Warden Mickschl
6 years ago
Reply to  Rachel Sitarz

Hahah use a foam roller

Dani Navarrete
6 years ago

Mariana Navarrete omggggg ve esta hermosura

Kelsey Freddy Parsons
6 years ago

Katrina Parsons

Karyn Suffredini Price

Michael – for A1?

Michael L Price
6 years ago

I like it

Alexandra Froissart
6 years ago

Noémi

Noémi Girardet
6 years ago

Oh le kiffe!!!

Vinicius Keidi Kawamukai Rios

Paulo Ignacio Jr.

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