The Only Foam Roller I Trust to Relieve Tension in My Always-Tight Upper Back and Shoulders

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I’m a big fan of foam rolling to release muscle tension, but I find it’s usually more effective for my lower body than my chronically tight upper back and shoulders. That’s mainly because the sore muscles in those areas, especially around the shoulder blades, can be hard to hit in just the right spots. Flat foam rollers don’t always reach those upper-body nooks and crannies, while the raised points on grid rollers can be too intense or put pressure on the wrong places (ouch!).

But as a fitness writer, I know there’s a wealth of research showing using a foam roller can improve muscle soreness, flexibility, and performance. For instance, 20 minutes of foam rolling on a high-density roller immediately and 24, 48, and 72 hours post-exercise was found to enhance recovery and reduce muscle tenderness due to delayed onset muscle soreness, according to a 2015 study1 in the Journal of Athletic Training.


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My quest to find an effective way to foam roll my upper body took a new turn when I tried the GoFit Revolve Roller, a roller with adaptive massage rings you can switch up to create a unique variety of ridges and patterns designed to target even hard-to-reach muscles. Could this latest innovation be a solution for my ongoing upper body tightness?

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