Video Review: The Travel Stick Massage Aid

While our workouts are important, workout recovery is where the fitness improvements happen. I know you have heard it all before, it is important to eat well, sleep well, and to allow yourself adequate rest or recovery from your workouts. In my first ever video review, I will discuss one helpful workout recovery aid– The Travel Stick.

Disclosure: I received a travel stick for review.  This portable massage stick is from The Product Shop (an Amazon seller, I will provide links later). I have previously used a foam roller and yoga tune-up balls (Jill Miller’s brand) for the past year or so. Over the past week, I added the Travel Stick to my routine. I find that the Travel Stick is a portable complement or alternative to foam rolling.

My Video Review:

Yes, I promise I will work on better lighting and sound next time, like life blogging is a learning process!

My Written Review (Originally posted on Amazon):

I have used a foam roller for about a year and find it an effective way to assist workout recovery and relaxation. Using a foam roller can be a lot of work, I typically get down on the floor and am in some variation of a moving plank the whole time–side plank, reverse plank and regular plank. A friend had suggested a massage stick is a little easier to use than a foam roller as you can comfortably sit or stand. So I was excited when I received the Travel Stick to review from the Product Shop. As I have used another product with a similar purpose, I do draw some comparisons in the video review.

The Travel Stick is a massage stick that kind of resembles a rolling pin with these rotating beads. Some other reviewers mention a squeak, I guess I am lucky as I have not noticed that in mine. I find the design seems ergonomic and it also seems to be well made as near as I can tell. I was surprised that the stick is quite firm–I am use to using a foam roller which has some give. That doesn’t seem to impact the use as I apply less pressure with a travel stick than a foam roller.

I usually use a foam roller to massage my muscles before a workout as part of my warm up and sometimes in the evening. It aids with recovery from a workout, work or just stresses. It increases blood flow to the muscles, relieves tension and has a number of other benefits.

This travel stick does much of the same. Some benefits of a travel stick include:

• It is small and portable and can be placed in a suitcase or gym bag
• You don’t need to get down on the ground to use it, you can sit or stand comfortably. With my foam roller I am always in plank, side plank or reverse plank to get the right angles and rolling is another core workout. This would be a lot nicer for relaxing in the evening or if you have trouble getting down to the floor and up again.

A Few quick tips to Use:

• Stick with massaging soft tissues such as muscles, rather than bony areas or the spine
• Massage an area from different angles, in the video I massage my calf from three different angles
• If an area feels tender, go slow and spend a little more time on that area
• The manual suggests rolling the area 20 times

I appreciate this massage stick to aid with a fitness routine or just for massage and relaxation. It seems a good value for the price and works well. I am not a massage therapist or fitness professional, this review is based on my experience as a user of this and similar products.

Where To Purchase The Travel Stick, My Foam Roller or Tuneup Balls:

Affiliate links below, if you click these and make a purchase then Feeling Fit, Bit by Bit receives a modest commission. I personally own and use all three (or similar) products. I purchased the foam roller and a similar set of yoga massage balls. I received the Travel Stick for review.

Also On Feeling Fit, Bit by Bit:

• A Detailed Review of the Fitbit One
• How to Measure and Calibrate Your Fitbit Stride Settings 
• iMaze Fitness Dual Heart Rate Monitor Strap Review 
• Workout DVD Review: Physique 57 Classic Volume Two