Beastie Bar OVERVIEW
There are 3 pieces to this ‘system’. Each will be reviewed below.
- Massage Ball + Base
- Beastie Bar™ + Stands
- Double-Track Wall System
Massage Ball – available in two options – Original (clear) which includes 30 firm but flexible bumps, and X-Firm (green) which includes 30 extremely firm bumps. If you are sensitive to pain, choose the Original. If you want to work your entire body (including using the wall system), you will want to pick up both versions of the massage ball. I also recommend to purchase the optional DVD which goes into great detail describing exactly how to use all of these products.
Wall System – comes in either a single-track or a double-track system. I recommend the double-track since you can configure the Beastie Bar™ roller bar for horizontal and/or vertical use. The single-track system can only clamp the Beastie Bar™ for vertical use.
Rumble Roller Beastie Bar™ (and stands) – provides a very intense massage. The Beastie Bar™ is meant to work in conjunction with the Rumble Roller (previous review) but with a more specific focus on pressue points.
MASSAGE BALLS + DETACHABLE BASE
Why this massage ball? The Beastie Massasge Ball was created to overcome the limitations of conventional massage balls. Those limitations being (a) too big, (b) too small, (c) too soft, (d) too shallow, (e) too many bumps, and (f) too few bumps.
The advantages to the Beastie Massage Balls are many. These include (a) uniformly spaced, high-profile bumps for the deepest muscle penetration, (b) precisely engineered flexation of the bumps, (c) latex and phthalate free, (d) detachable base (base can be used as part of the wall system or stand-alone on the ground), (e) won’t permanently deform, (f) won’t absorb sweat.
How well did it work? The clear ball is the perfect firmness for the 1st-timer. Since the bumps on the green ball are so firm, it will take a little getting used to. I recommend starting with the clear, then move up to the green. There is actually quite a big difference in the firmness factor between these 2 balls.
I also highly recommend getting the optional DVD “Jeff Alexander’s SMR Tips for Rumble Roller and RR Beastie.”, which shows many different massage positions in great detail. Most of these positions require laying on the floor and placing the part of your body you want to massage directly on top of the ball. The advantages of the ball is that you can vary the pressure as well as interchange the ball for a harder or softer massage. The ball and base can be easily attached to the Wall System which makes this a very versatile self-massage solution.
BEASTIE BAR™ + STANDS
Why a Beastie Bar™? This is the only massage stick that can be used hands free. It is the only one with aggressively firm bumps to be able to dig into the knots very deeply for a very intense deep tissue massage. Because of the small firm ‘bumps’, it can be used in greater detail on smaller muscles. It is designed to work out knots in your forearms, calves, lower back and glutes, basically, any muscle group can benefit from the Beastie Bar™.
Included in the package is a pair of stands which can either be placed on the floor or secured onto the wall system. These stands firmly grip the handles of the Beastie Bar™ so you can convert it into a massage-type roller. The flexibility of
being able to use this as a roller or massage bar is the exclamation point to this system!
How well did it work? One word…Fantastic! Removing the stands, I was able to give myself a deep tissue massage on my calves, shins, hamstrings, thighs and glutes. I even worked the lower back. Placing on the wall system, I was able to get my traps, upper back neck and shoulders. Next, putting the stands on the ground, I easily snapped in the Beastie Bar™ and rolled out my calves, hamstrings, glutes and neck. Lastly, while sitting in a chair in front of a computer, I placed the Beastie Bar™ and stands on the floor and am massaging my feet as I write this article.
This is truly the best and most versatile massage bar on the market today!
WALL SYSTEM(s)
Why a wall-system? With a wall system, you can work different angles which helps for getting into areas of the body
(such as the trapezius muscles and neck) better than with the massage bar itself. Working against the wall allows you to better control the pressure, and, depending on how hard you lean against the ‘wall system’, you can better moderate the pressure for improved results. With the double-track system, it is easy to quickly orientate the Beastie Bar™ either way. The wall system is also designed to hold the massage ball for pin-point results.
Easy assembly. For the double track wall system there are 2 rails, a top and bottom bracket and 10 screws. To assemble, simply attach the top bracket to each of the two rails and use the provided screws to attach. Now, do the same for the bottom. The 2 remaining screws are used to attach the wall system to the wall. I screwed 2 Twist-N-Lock drywall anchors into the wall and attached the wall system. The whole thing took under 10 minutes from unpacking the box to attaching the Wall System to the wall.
How well did it work? A half-turn of the screws on the provided clamps and I was able to slide the clamps up and down the rails. The Beastie Bar™ stands were easily clamped and the Beastie Bar™ was then snapped into its stands. Next, position the Beastie Bar™ where you want it and tighten the locking screws. That’s all there is to it. As advertised, I was able to massage my neck and traps with variable pressure.
SUMMARY
These are great products and work exactly as advertised. The first product you should purchase is the Beastie Bar™. This
will do 90% of what you need done. You should also get a Massage Roller – like the Rumble Roller (in a previous review). The Rumble Roller works larger muscle groups, while the Beastie Bar™ massage bar works more fine-tuned.
Later, get the Beastie Balls (Original and X-Firm) followed by the Wall System. This will give you 100% of what you need to work out those trigger/pressure points.
I highly recommend these products!
I have always enjoyed bicycling and, through a series of coincidences, became a Bicycle Industry Consultant and Product Tester. I test prototype products for companies and have published only off the shelf production products on biketestreviews.com.
