Have you ever used some sort of lumpy or textured self-myofascial release tool and thought to yourself, “If the grooves were just a little bit deeper,” or, “If only those notches were an inch more apart”? Or maybe you’ve spent all sorts of time trying to tape lacrosse balls into different little atom-like shapes. Well, all that is a thing of the past if you’re using the enso Muscle Roller from Evofit.
The benefits of regular foam rolling and self-myofascial release are pretty well established at this point. But just as no two human bodies are made the same, neither are any two therapeutic tools. In general, certain myofascial release devices are good for certain things. So we all end up with a crate somewhere full of what looks like a crazy collection of dog toys.
Thankfully, Evofit figured out that a myofascial tool could be a dynamic device, instead of a static one. They designed the enso to be highly customizable and to fit the needs of any body on any given day. The idea is that you can use the same device on all different parts of your body by putting it into different configurations.
Configurations? What? It’s a foam roller, right? Well, no, to call the enso a “roller” really isn’t accurate. Simply put, the enso is an aluminum tube and eight foam discs. The tube is 13” long and has thirteen equally spaced grooves. Of the eight discs, four are 4.5” in diameter and four are 5” in diameter. The discs also have a solid core, so you don’t have to worry about crushing them.
So the magic part is that you can slide as many of the discs onto the tube as you want, and place them in any of the grooves. You could put on one disc and have a fine-edged tool. You could put two bunches on and have the perfect tool for working the tissue on either side of your spine (put the tape and lacrosse balls down). Or you could put two groups of the discs on either end of the tube and be able to roll both your legs at once.
There are a large number of ways you can set up the enso, and thankfully, there is also a large amount of information on the enso website. Here’s a sample video showing how you can use the enso in multiple ways on your quads:
The full-sized enso roller only weighs about two pounds, so it’s quite portable. But a travel-sized version of the enso roller is also available. It retails at $69.00 and is only eight inches in length, with six of the adjustable foam rollers.
Now, I know that $89.00 for the full-sized enso might seem like a lot. But particularly for those of you who haven’t yet spent a lot of money on self-myofascial devices, the enso isn’t that expensive when you consider its customizable nature will probably keep you from having to buy a few different foam rollers and other things. For those of you who already have a lot of balls and rollers, consider that the enso will make your gym space, living room, or man cave more elegant by letting you stash all the clutter and stick with just the enso and maybe one or two other tools.
I personally love the enso. I spend a lot less time digging through the dog-toy crate and a lot less time trying to contort myself into the perfect position on my generic foam roller. Instead, I get to work exactly the tissues and muscles I want to work at exactly the intensity and pressure I want. And I promise you, if you show up at your gym with this, everyone is going to think you’re the coolest kid on the block (or maybe just the nerdiest jock, but that’s not really so bad either).
The enso Muscle Roller is available for $89.00 at EvofitForLife.com.
