The foam roller has long been used as a piece of equipment to aid in recovery and reduce muscle soreness.
In recent years, the emphasis placed on recovery in the fitness world has resulted in many higher tech options for athletes. This includes Whoop, Compression Boots, and the vibrating foam roller.
The vibrating foam roller looks and feels like most legacy foam rollers on the market, but adds an element of vibration that increases muscle stimulation.
Below are the 5 best vibrating foam rollers on the market in 2022.
What is the Best Vibrating Foam Roller?
1. Therabody Wave Roller
Overview
Therabody is one of the most recognizable names in the recovery space due to the popularity of the Theragun. They also offer other popular recovery products such as Compression Boots and the Wave Roller.
The Therabody Wave Roller is the best vibrating foam roller of 2022 because of:
- Therabody produces extremely high end quality products
- 5 vibrating frequencies with a 3 hour battery life
- Bluetooth connectivity to the Therabody App for personalized routines
Top Features
- The Therabody Wave Roller is built with high quality materials including high-density foam for noise dampening.
- Dimensions are 12.0 in x 5.1 in and weighs 3.3lbs
- The Wave Roller has 5 different vibrational intensities/frequencies and a 3 hour battery life. The 5 frequencies is the most of any other vibrating foam roller on the list.
- Ability to connect the foam roller directly to the Therabody app via bluetooth which is a unique offering on this list.
Pricing
Bottom Line:
- The Therabody Wave Roller is the top vibrating foam roller of 2022 because of the overall quality Therabody provides, the number of vibrating intensities offered, and the ability to connect to the Therabody app.
- This foam roller does come with a premium price tag at $149.
- Those looking for a budget vibrating foam roller should consider looking elsewhere (Recommendation is the Trigger Point Performance or the FITINDEX).
2. Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe Plus
Overview
The Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe Plus is the best vibrating foam roller option for someone that wants a high quality product, but is not willing to pay the premium price offered by Therabody or TB12.
Key Takeaways:
- 4 vibrating frequencies varying in intensities
- Battery life of 2 hours
- Cordless and rechargeable
- While the battery life of 2 hours is less than the rest of this list, it charges really quickly. In addition, 2 hours of foam rolling is quite a long time for recovery work so there is still plenty of opportunity to use this device for a long time without charging.
Top Features:
- The Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe Plus vibrating foam roller is cordless & rechargeable. It Includes a charger that works on any standard outlet.
- This foam roller offers 4 different vibration frequencies/intensities and the battery lasts up to 2 hours depending on intensity level used.
- The GRID surface provides varying patterns on the surface of the roller and the manufacturer calls out that their goal is to “mimic a massage therapist’s hands”.
- The device is compact at 12 inches long, with a 3.5-inch diameter, and weight of 2.5 pounds.
Pricing
Bottom Line:
- The Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe is the best option for someone that wants a high quality product but is not willing to spend $150+ to get Therabody or TB12.
- This is an excellent quality foam roller that offers 4 different intensity levels and has a sufficient battery life of 2 hours.
3. FITINDEX Electric Foam Roller
Overview
The FITINDEX Electric Foam Roller is the best budget option on this list, coming in at $55.99 (plus potentially a 20% coupon).
Key Takeaways:
- Lowest price on this list at $55.99
- 4 intensity levels, however this product is not as powerful as the other options on this list
- Extremely long battery life (4 hours)
Top Features:
- The FITINDEX vibrating foam roller has 4 different vibration intensities. A key callout is that this budget roller is not as powerful as some of the higher end offerings on this list.
- This foam roller has a 4 hour battery life and weighs just 2.1lbs, so this is a super portable device that would be convenient in your gym bag.
- Dimensions: 15.75 x 5.75 x 5.75 inches
Pricing
Bottom Line:
- As a budget option, the FITINDEX vibrating foam roller is a quality product that checks all of the boxes for a quality recovery session.
- Just like any budget item, you get what you pay for. The most noticeable shortcoming of the FITINDEX compared to the rest of this list is the vibrating power. This is something to consider prior to buying.
4. TB12™ VIBRATING PLIABILITY ROLLER
Overview:
Made famous by Tom Brady, TB12 emerged on the wellness scene and promotes the principles that Brady used to build an all time successful quarterback career that is still going strong while he is in his mid 40s.
One of the key principles promoted by Alex Guerrero (Brady’s trainer) is the idea of “pliability” which TB12 defines as “the state in which your muscles are long, resilient, and move without restriction, enabling them to absorb and dispenses forces”.
TB12 sells several products to improve and enhance pliability, one of which is their vibrating pliability roller. This is a premium quality vibrating foam roller that comes in at the highest price on our list at $160.
Key Takeaways:
- Highest price on this list at $160
- 4 intensity levels and 3.5 hour battery life
Top Features:
- The TB12 vibrating pliability roller is a premium product and made of top quality materials. TB12 describes this as “professional-grade foam exterior”.
- This vibrating foam roller has 4 different intensity levels allowing you to customize your recovery routine dependent on intensity level needed and part of the body.
- The TB12 vibrating pliability roller has a 3.5 hour battery life and weighs 2 pounds, so this is also ideal for someone who wants to travel with their vibrating foam roller or take it to the gym.
- Dimensions: 5.9 inches x 12.2 inches
Pricing:
Bottom Line:
- TB12 is one of the leading brands in the recovery and mobility space. They offer high quality products to improve “Pliability”, which is one of Brady’s key principles.
- With the name TB12 and Tom Brady comes a hefty price tag, as the TB12 Vibrating Pliability Roller is the most expensive device on our list at $160.
- This is a very well built product that will last a long time. It is light weight (2lbs) and has a long battery life (3.5 hours), so this would be a good vibrating foam roller to keep in your gym bag.
- Bottom line, if you are looking for a premium product from a premium brand, the TB12 Vibrating Foam roller is a great piece of equipment. With that said, it does not offer the same level of features as the Therabody Wave (no bluetooth connectivity, 5 intensities vs 4) which is roughly the same price range.
5. Hyperice Vyper 2.0
Overview:
Along with Therabody, Hyperice is one of the most recognizable brand names on the recovery scene. Along with the Vyper 2.0 vibrating foam roller, they offer a wide variety of recovery products including the Normatec Compression boots and the Hypervolt percussion massager.
The Vyper 2.0 is at the higher end of the price spectrum on this list at $150 and is a high quality product. However, it is lacking some of the features offered by Therabody in the same price range.
Key Takeaways:
- Premium pricing at $150
- 3 intensity levels and 2 hour battery life
Top Features:
- The Vyper 2.0 is described by Hyperice as “an eco-friendly high-density polypropylene foam for maximum vibration transfer”.
- This vibrating foam roller has 3 intensity levels (low, medium, and high) and a simple one touch control to cycle through the different settings.
- Coming in at a 2 hour battery life, this is tied for the lowest battery life vibrating foam roller on the list. As called out with the Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe Plus, 2 hours is still a significant amount of recovery time all things considered.
- This product is TSA approved which means you are allowed to carry it on an airplane. It is slightly heavier than other options on our list coming in at 3 pounds.
- Dimensions:12 inches x 5.8 inches
Pricing:
Bottom Line:
- Hyperice is a leading brand name in the recovery space and the Vyper 2.0 comes with a premium $149 price tag.
- The Vyper 2.0 has less features than other vibrating foam rollers within this price range, most notably:
- 3 intensity levels versus the 5 offered by the Therabody Wave and 4 offered by the TB12 Vibrating Pliability Roller
- No bluetooth connectivity or app like the Therabody Wave
- 2 hours of battery life versus TB12’s 3.5 hours and Therabody’s 3 hours.
- Bottom line, Hyperice is a premium brand and builds top quality products. The Hyperice 2.0 is an excellent vibrating foam roller, but for a similar price you can get a more advanced product in the Therabody Wave.
What Is a Vibrating Foam Roller?
- The foam roller is one of the most recognizable pieces of recovery equipment on the market and can be found in gyms all throughout the country. It is a lightweight tube of compressed foam that is used to roll along the body’s muscles to increase flexibility, reduce soreness, and eliminate muscle knots.
- The vibrating foam roller takes the original foam roller and adds a vibrating element to add additional stimulus to the muscles. It is like the original foam roller on steroids.
- Vibrating foam rollers are used to increase recovery, reduce muscle soreness, and improve mobility/flexibility.
Summary:
- Vibrating foam rollers are like the original foam roller on steroids. The addition of vibrational therapy helps increase recovery after working out and reduce muscle soreness.
- The best vibrating foam roller on the market is the Therabody Wave which has 5 different intensity levels, a 3 hour battery life, and bluetooth connectivity to Therabody’s app for customized recovery sessions.
- For those not willing to spending $150 on the Therabody Wave, the Trigger Point Performance GRID Vibe Plus is the second best option. Coming in at $100, this is a quality product that offers 4 intensity levels.
- For the budget shoppers, I recommend the FITINDEX Electric Foam Roller which is available on Amazon for just $55. At the time of this writing, their was also a 20% coupon available. While the FITINDEX is not quite the quality of other options on this list, it is significantly cheaper and would appeal to anyone not wanting to spend a ton of money on their vibrating foam roller.