Try Alpha BRAIN® for FREE Try Alpha BRAIN® for FREE Learn More
Defranco's Fitness Tips: Myofascial Release Using the Mobility Ball

Defranco Fitness Tips: Myofascial Release Using a Mobility Ball

Written by
March 3, 2015
Updated April 11, 2018

Today I’m going to talk about the differences between myofascial release using a mobility ball and a foam roller with regards to improving mobility and flexibility.

Now you’ve probably seen both of these used and a lot of people want to know which one is better.

Should I use a mobility ball or a lacrosse ball when performing myofascial release?

It really isn’t a question of what’s better or what’s worse. At the Onnit Academy, we like to think everything has a place, but you should be aware of  the benefits of each.

Myofascial Release Using a Mobility Ball

Onnit mobility ballToday I want to specifically talk about the benefits of using a mobility ball for myofascial release compared to a foam roller.

I would use a mobility ball over a foam roller when I want to pinpoint myofascial release in a specific muscle or a small area of the body.

One of those examples (and a prime example at that), is the hip or the piriformis in the lateral muscle.

The piriformis is one of the hip muscles on the side of your body that gets extremely tight on a lot of people.

The piriformis is tough to perform myofascial release on, and if I took a foam roller and rolled over the piriformis it may help, but as you may know, it’s a broad area.

If I use a mobility ball, I could focus right on the specific spot and pinpoint what I want to work on. The piriformis, in particular, can get a lot myofascial release benefits out of the mobility ball.

There are certain muscles where having a smaller implement to really pinpoint the area you need will work better for you. It’s not what’s better or what’s worse, it’s what’s the right implement for the issue that you’re having at any given time.

Defranco's Fitness Tips: Myofascial Release Using the Mobility Ball

 

Joe DeFranco is the founder and owner of the world-famous DeFranco’s Gym (now located at the Onnit Academy in Austin, TX). His gym has been named one of America’s 10 Best Gyms by Men’s Health magazine and one of the Top 5 Most Innovative Gyms in the USA by Greatist.com. For the past 18 years, athletes from around the world have hired Joe because of his remarkable ability to improve strength, speed, flexibility and power. Joe’s training techniques have been featured on ESPN, Spike TV, NFL Network, WWE Network, Men’s Health Magazine, Men’s Fitness Magazine, and in the NY Times best-seller, "The 4-Hour Body". His resume includes NFL players from all 32 teams, MLB players, NHL Players, WWE superstars, UFC fighters, and Olympic athletes. You can learn more about Joe and his training techniques online at www.DeFrancosTraining.com, as well as his membership site www.DeFrancoInsider.com. DeFranco’s caters to serious high school, college and professional athletes that are driven to reach their full athletic potential. Every square inch of the facility is dedicated to getting athletes brutally strong, lightning fast and mentally tough. What you will find with Defranco Training is an incredibly motivating, intense atmosphere; the best training equipment in the world; and some of the most educated coaches in the world!
Free shipping is offered on orders with a minimum subtotal of $100 less discounts. Free shipping is only available in the contiguous U.S. and excludes Fitness and Digital items.
For media inquiries please contact us at media@onnit.com.
With a subscription, you'll get your favorite Onnit products whenever you want at 15% off MSRP. All automatic, worry free, and with our same great money back guarantee.
Cancel or adjust your order at any time, hassle free. Your payment method will only be charged right before your order ships. The discount applied every time is 15% off MSRP or the current sale discount, whichever is greater. For more information, see the complete Onnit Subscription Terms & Conditions and Frequently Asked Questions.

Secure Shopping

We implement a variety of security measures to maintain the safety of your personal information when you place an order or enter, submit, or access any information on our website. We incorporate physical, electronic, and administrative procedures to safeguard the confidentiality of your personal information, including Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) for the encryption of all financial transactions through the website. We use industry-standard, 256bit SSL encryption to protect your personal information online, and we also take several steps to protect your personal information in our facilities. For example, when you visit the website, you access servers that are kept in a secure physical environment, behind a locked cage and a hardware firewall. After a transaction, your credit card information is not stored on our servers.