‘The Stick’ Self Massage Tool Reviewed by Technically Running

The folks at MyFiveFinger.com have posted a review of The Stick.  The model they use is the Sprinter Stick pictured in their graphic below.

Picture from MyFiveFingers.com

We have more reviews of The Stick on our website.

New video about “The Stick”

Here is a great video about “The Stick” that I found the other day.  It is professional with some great video editing.

I was not surprised that the video looked as good as it was when I found out that the person who made it – Tim Hacker is a photojournalist.

 

Chasing Atlanta ** Stick 101** Post – Free Giveaway!

This post is a copied post from Leah of Chasing Atlanta.  Leah is a massage therapist and an avid runner in Clarkston, MI, USA.  She is also a huge advocate of The Stick.

As you may have figured by the amount of times I mention it, I’m a big proponent of the self-massage tool known as the Stick. It’s one of my can’t live without running essentials, and I also recommend it to my massage clients all the time. I’ve had the opportunity to work the Stick booth at a few race expos and I thought I’d share a little Stick 101 before getting to the details of my giveaway of, yes, you guessed it, a Stick!

The picture above shows my own Stick family, of which each piece has it’s own role. The gray-handled Sprinter Stick is my go-to Stick for day-to-day maintenance. This is the one I use most often before and after my runs and it’s also the one that I travel with, whether to a local or out of town race or just to the track. The Sprinter Stick is the top seller at expos and is of medium flexibility. The stiffer the Stick the deeper the massage.

Speaking of stiffness, the longer black-handled Stick above is the Stiff Stick, the big daddy, the stiffest of Sticks. This is the one I use when I need some really deep work. It’s the second most popular model at expos and great for those with denser muscle mass and/or those who prefer deeper tissue massage.

The Travel Stick (red handles above) is sort of the red-headed stepchild of my Stick family in that it often gets neglected. This was my first Stick and I bought it before I knew there were other models. The Travel Stick is more flexible and generally doesn’t have enough oomph for me. It isn’t all that much smaller than the Sprinter so it’s size isn’t really an advantage. I tend to use this one only when my muscles are super, super tender. It’s unfortunate, but a lot of specialty running stores and online retailers only carry the Travel Stick and the ill-named, yellow-handled Marathon Stick (not pictured, the softest Stick of the lot). These are the two Sticks we sell the least of at expos. In fact, I’ve never sold one of either.

The smaller black-handled Stick in the picture is my Little Stick. I love this Stick and think of it as the over-achiever of the family. It’s lack of length makes it less than ideal for bigger muscle groups such as hamstrings and quadriceps, but since it’s so short it isn’t very flexible. Consequently, you can do some really thorough work on smaller areas such as calves and IT bands. This Stick is great for on-the-go work. Last week when my calf was in such bad shape I tossed it into my purse and took it to work with me. I also like to stash my Little Stick in my gear check bag so I’ll have it right up to a race and immediately afterwards.

There are longer Sticks available for those who want to do a lot of upper body work and need the extra reach. Of the longer Sticks, the Body Stick is more flexible and the Power Stick is stiffer. The Foot Wheel is a great tool for plantar fasciitis and other foot issues and the Trigger Wheel helps with those pesky shoulder knots and tight neck muscles. You can find out more about these and all the Stick products here.

Before I get to the giveaway I wanted to address one other issue, since it’s the most common question I get at expos: “What makes this better than a foam roller?” The Stick isn’t necessarily better than a foam roller, but they do work in different ways. I have a foam roller also and I love it, but I feel the Stick has some distinct advantages, aside from the obvious portability and contortion issues. A foam roller is great for quads and IT bands, but I find the Stick is better at getting at trickier muscles such as the hip flexors, adductors and tibialis anterior. Also, since you’re using your own body weight with a foam roller the pressure is never really going to change. With the Stick you can use as much or as little pressure as you want.

Okay, giveaway time!

I have up for grabs a Little Stick! Here’s how to enter:

• Become a follower and leave a comment on this post to let me know you have (or let me know if you are already a follower). – Chasing Atlanta
• Also let me know in your comment if you’ve ever used the Stick before. If so, which one?

For a bonus entry:

• Link this giveaway on your own blog, facebook, etc. and post another comment letting me know.

Entry deadline is Wednesday, September 29^th. The winner will be chosen randomly and announced on Thursday, September 30^th.

- Posted by Leah

I will also honor this post by giving away a Little Stick to our Canadian readers.  All you need to do is make a comment on this post about why you “like” The Stick or if you have never used The Stick before, why you think you may “like” the Stick.  Speaking of “liking” the Stick, I also have a Facebook page that you may want to “like”  the Stick!

CrossFit Athletes Prefer a Stiffer Stick

On May 30th, 2010 in Okotoks, Alberta, Canada (my home town) I attended the National CrossFit Championships.  For those of you who don’t know what CrossFit is – “The editors of PureHealthMD writing for Discovery Health Channel found CrossFit “equals better fitness and stronger muscles in a more reasonable amount of time” compared to trying to “build muscle and get in shape by spending 60 minutes or more in the gym several days a week…” Their conclusion was that the program “is a different type of exercise routine …a well-rounded and very efficient way to achieve a higher level of fitness …that does not need a whole lot of fancy equipment, but does offer a nice variety to keep the interest level up and provide the challenge needed to keep the exercise fun.”  For more information on what CrossFit is you can go here.  I was super impressed with the competition as a whole.  The weekend long event culminated with a tire flipping, power lifts and lapping a hockey arena display of power, speed and endurance.  This picture shows just a glimpse of the ladies finals.

I had a small booth spreading the good word about The Stick.  I spoke with athletes about their training, recovery, nutrition and soft – tissue manipulation.  Most of the athletes I spoke with knew how important it was to perform at the highest level they could.  Of course, they were…..they were competing at the National Finals!!

What most people don’t know about these competitions or CrossFit in general is that these athletes work their bodies to exhaustion all the time.  The top athletes  actually training like Olympic Athletes and Professional Athletes.  The training routines are extremely rigorous and often very hard to even finish.  Athletes were actually waiting for me to get there as I arrived a little late from supporting my wife running her 9th half marathon in Calgary, Alberta.  Many of the athletes came over and said how much they loved “The Stick”.  The loved how The Stick helped them with their sore muscles, trigger points and recovery.

These CrossFit athletes were unique in that they were after a Stick that would penetrate deep into their muscles.  Most of the athletes had very thick and well-developed muscles.  As a result, I distributed more Stiff Sticks and Sprinter Sticks than I have at any other event.  I can safely say that Crossfit athletes love The Stick!  In fact, I sold out of all the Stiff Sticks that I had on hand.

The difference between a Stiff Stick and a Sprinter Stick is that the Stiff Stick is longer and more Stiff than the Sprinter Stick.  The Stiff Stick would suite people who are taller who want to get at their back and shoulders as well as their legs and arms.  It is for thick, heavy muscles.  The Sprinter Stick is the stiffest Stick in the short models of Sticks.

For more information about the types of Sticks, you can visit our website. We have a video and a table that explains which Stick is correct for a given body type.

“The Stick” for IT Band Issues

I often look at my stats of my blog and my website.  To date, the most popular posts here on my blog is IT Band Syndrome and Choosing The Right massage Stick.  The most popular FREE DOWNLOAD on my website is Specific Techniques for the IT Band. 

 

This tells me that people are looking for information about IT Band Syndrome.  Please click on the links above to get more information and watch this great video below for more information about how to take care of your IT Band.  There are stretches for your IT Band as well as strengthening exercises for the IT Band.

By the way, when I speak with people about their IT Band issues, almost all of them end up grabbing a Sprinter Stick.  It is because the Sprinter Stick is stiff and can really roll out the IT Band.

The Sprinter Stick

 

I will be creating more resources such as videos and blog entries about this subject so check back often!!

How Speed Skaters Might Use “The Stick”

During the Edmonton Marathon, I met two high end speed skaters!  The first was a young up and comer who has been training at the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Alberta.  Her family has been involved in speed skating for quite a number of years.  Her dad happens to be a coach as well.  They ended up picking up a Sprinter Stick.

This made sense to me because speed skaters have large, dense muscles.  The Sprinter Stick was the perfect stick for her because it is stiff and short enough to fit it into her training bag.

The other speed skater I met was Crystal Phillips.  If her name sounds familiar it is because she is competing against the very best in the world.  Crystal is a Canadian speed skater who is not only training for Canada, but she also has Multiple Sclerosis (MS).  I did not know that she was dealing with MS until I met her for coffee.  She is a remarkable young women.  Here is a little exert from an article written about her efforts with the MS Bike Tour a couple of years ago:

“After successfully organizing a team for the MS Bike Tour for the first time last year, Crystal Phillips is looking forward to making this year’s team an even bigger success. Diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis herself only a little over a year ago, the 21-year-old speed skater is determined to not let the disease get her down and hopes this Bike Tour, which is a two-day 180-km trip from Airdrie to Olds and back, will help build more awareness of MS and will help raise as much money as possible for MS research.”

To read the most up to date information on Crystal click the title - Canadian speed skaters support upcoming MS Bike Tour

Crystal is still team captain for her team called ‘Team Tazza’  for the MS Bike Tour. 

Interestingly enough, she stopped by my booth and said she uses The Stick all the time.  She told me she mainly uses it for warm-up.  Being that she is an amazing athlete, I assumed she would be using the Sprinter Stick as well.  I was wrong.

Crystal showed up the next day to compete in her race and she again stopped by my booth and showed her Travel Stick.  I was shocked to hear that she only uses the Travel Stick.  I though for sure she would be using a stiffer stick like the Sprinter Stick, Body Stick or even the Stiff Stick.  She explained to me that she and other speed skaters love to use the stick to warm-up and stimulate their muscles before they trained or raced.  So, the Travel Stick was perfect for the job.  She was not looking to do any deep soft tissue release because she would see a therapist for that. 

I think this makes a lot of sense for a person in her position.  She has access to physiotherapists and massage therapists, so she uses The Stick as a warm-up tool.  I suggested she she also use it as a cool-down tool and a tool for soft tissue work in between visits to her therapists.

Crystal is a great example of how speed skaters or other athletes can use The Stick! 

 Go Crystal Go.

 

I should also mention that Crystal is part of Clean Air Champions where their mission is to improve air quality by working with respected athletes to motivate and educate Canadians to adopt practices and lifestyles that enhance both environmental and personal health.

 

 

Choosing The Right Massage Stick

This post is a follow- up from a post I created called “The Different Stick Models“.  In that post on Jan 31, 2008, I created a video that explained the different models according to length and flexibility.  A gentlemen by the name of Van wrote a comment saying “Could you make a video helping folks to choose “which” model to buy? This is a great video which shows all the different models, but I’m still confused by ‘which’ model I should buy. For example, provide comparisons on the sprinter model versus the marathon model, compare the body to the stiff stick, etc, to help people choose the right stick for them.”

I will create a video, but let’s first get the basics down first.  We need to keep in mind that body types, height, weight and muscle density vary from person to person.  That is why there are so many different models. 

When I speak of muscle density, I am referring to how heavily an individual is muscled.  For example, do they have the body of The Incredible Hulk or they built like a long and lean Marathon Runner?

Categorized by muscle density: (Note: Sticks are listed from shortest to longest)

• Heavy, dense muscle = Sprinter Stick, Stiff Stick, Big Stick
• Medium, average muscle = Travel Stick, Original Body Stick, Power Stick
• Light, lean muscle = Marathon Stick, Flex Stick

Let’s now explore the rigidity of The Stick.  Basically, every Stick has the same components; handles, spindles and a core.  The core is what makes The Stick stiff or flexible.  The term “standard” refers to a Stick that has a medium flex to it.  A stiffer Stick will give a deeper massage with little effort.  Think of a wooden spoon compared to a plastic spatula.  The wooden spoon offers very little flexibility, where as the spatula can contour to the substance (muscle) a little easier. 

Categorized by rigidity: (Note: Sticks are listed from shortest to longest)

• Stiff Models- Sprinter Stick, Stiff Stick, Big Stick
• Standard Models - Travel Stick, Original Body Stick, Power Stick
• Flexible Models- Marathon Stick, Flex Stick

Note:  Any Stick can be made more stiff my sliding one of your hands onto the spindles (choking up)!

Now we will categorize by the length of The Stick.  The longer models are made for taller individuals.  A longer model also allows for greater ease of movement for working on back muscles.  The longest models are meant for people over 6’2″.

Categorized by length: (Note: Sticks are listed from flexible to stiff)

• Long Models – Flex Stick, Power Stick, Big Stick
• Medium Models – Original Body Stick, Stiff Stick
• Short Models – Marathon Stick, Travel Stick, Sprinter Stick

Here is a comparison chart:

Short Models	Rigidity	Common Usage	Addition Info.
Marathon Stick	Flexible	Lean muscles	Adults,Children,Seniors
Travel Stick	Standard	Average muscles	Great for travelling
Sprinter Stick	Stiff	Heavy muscles	Short and stiff
Medium Models	Rigidity	Common Usage	Addition Info.
Original Body Stick	Standard	Average muscles, full body	Very versatile
Stiff Stick	Stiff	Heavy muscles, full body	Stiff and powerful
Long Models	Rigidity	Common Usage	Addition Info.
Flex Stick	Flexible	Lean muscles, full body	Tall people
Power Stick	Standard	Average muscles, full body	Tall people
Big Stick	Stiff	Heavy muscles, full body	Tall people

I hope this helps!!  To say the least, it is The Original Body Stick that can easily meet the needs of the average person.

Original Body Stick

Please feel free to contact me @ www.thestick.ca or leave a comment below.

A Personal Trainer Using “The Stick”.

Here is a video of a personal trainer using a Stick.  It looks like he is using the Sprinter Stick.  I like the way he explains how he concentrates on the different muscle groups in his lower leg.

 

The Different Stick Models

I am on a video kick now!!

I have just created a video explaining the different Stick models.

Understanding the Science Behind Exercise?

To truly reap the benefits of exercise, training and recovery, I think it so important to have background knowledge in the basics of Exercise Science.

There has been countless text books, articles and studies completed on this subject.  In fact, the topic of Exercise Science is the basis of University grants and study programs.  Many Universities have Human Performance labs.  There are also countless training facilities that study human exercise at the highest level imaginable.  Not to mention the labs in the animal world as well.  Studying the effects of exercise is big business!!  How do you think the Elite Athletes of the world and their coaches get their information and training tips?

How is your knowledge?  Where do you go for advice?  What is your background in exercise?  Even though I have a Physical Education Degree, teach Sports Medicine, manage an Athletic Department and have numerous coaching and sports medicine related certifications and courses under my belt, I am always updating my knowledge and understanding of Exercise Science. 

I have provided a link to a great (short) article I found that briefly speaks of “The Science Behind Your Workout”.  Basically, the article gives the basic information of these topics:

 

1. The Principle Of Individual Differences
2. The Principle of Overload
3. The Principle of Progression
4. The Principle of Adaptation
5. The Principle of Use/Disuse
6. The Principle of Specificity

It is so important to understand what is happening to your body when you are breaking down muscle tissue and building it back up.  The Stick can help!

The Sprinter Stick