Even with the beneficial cross-training effects of training for Triathlons your muscles still get sore and tighten, particularly during the hard weeks of training and after competition. I’ve found that the piece of kit I use the most is my Trigger Point roller – the ‘TP Quadballer’. It looks a bit like a rolling pin with padding and two skate board wheels on either end (see pic) but is amazing at getting rid of any stiffness and tension in my ITB’s, Calves and Quads. In fact, I know of an Elite Triathlete who uses a household rolling pin to release her ITB’s but that’s definitely not for the faint hearted.
Trigger Point have a number of different rollers but I’ve found the Quadballer to be the most versatile. I originally bought it because, like many Triathletes I know, I suffered from tight ITB’s (Iliotibiol bands – the inch or so wide strip/band that runs down the outside of your thighs) and I’d had an ITB injury that had pulled me out of competition a few years back. By chance I was at a running shop (Pro-Feet in Fulham) to get some orthotics when the girl in the shop showed me the TP Quadballer. She warned me it was going to hurt when using it on tight muscles for the first time… by hell she was right, it killed – just like a burly Sports Masseur digging their elbows into your legs! But, now I use it before and after every training session and race as part of my stretching routine and couldn’t live without it. I also have a foam roller but hardly ever use it now as I find that the TP roller gets much deeper and more effectively into the muscle tissue.
If I come back from a long run and my ITB’s (especially my left ITB) and calf muscles are feeling tight, I lie on the floor and roll my ITB’s and calves along the roller… it still hurts but that’s only in the muscle areas that need attention. As soon as I get up from rolling my muscles, 9 times out of ten the tension has gone! For those of you that are sat behind a desk for most of the working week and find that you stiffen up as the day progresses, a quick 2 minute roll on your Trigger Point roller works wonders.
Trigger Point Performance says that their products are specifically designed to support the massage associated with Trigger Point Therapy, Myofascial Release Therapy and other forms of massage therapy. I found that before I used the TP Roller, the only way I could really get rid of the building tension and stiffness in my ITB’s and my Calves was to go to a Sports Masseur. But, at £30 a pop, that was becoming an expensive business. Now, as long as I stretch and use my TP roller on a regular basis, I find I have to see a Sports Masseur once in a blue moon, and that’s with 8 to 12 hours training a week.
How to use the Quadballer
Video tutorial.
Rating: 10/10
Pro’s: Portable and quick & easy to use before or after a training session/race. Instantly eases muscle tension.
Con’s: Can hurt like hell when you first use them on tight muscles (but gets easier the more you use).
Stockists
Trigger Point rollers are not the easiest to find in the shops . You can buy them online from their site at www.tptherapy.com or in the UK at www.runners-edge.co.uk. The TP Quadballer is around £40. I bought mine from Pro-Feet in Fulham, London, (www.profeet.co.uk). If you happen to be passing by, pop in and give the Quadballer a try. I’m sure they’ll be more than happy to watch another hardened Triathlete grimace as they roll their ITBs for the first time.