By Wendy Larkin, NASM CPT, CES, PES, FNS, MMACS
I have owned the HyperIce Hypersphere for a little over a month now. Since I also own the HyperIce Vyper, I was very interested to compare the two products and see which would work best for my clients.
First, the Hypersphere is much easier to transport. It fits easily into my backpack and doesn’t weigh very much. Since I rent space at a few studios, this makes it easier for me to carry around.
Second, my clients found that the Hypersphere was able to get into the “hard to reach” areas. Deep gluteus, hip flexors and shoulders were easier to access and released faster.
My trainer friend, Hannah, had been having a hard time for month with her piriformis. I purchased a sphere for her and immediately she has been able to release the constant hip pain she was experiencing.
Most of my clients will attest to finding that any tight area is hard to release with traditional myofascial release tools. They find that the HyperIce products finally deliver release from tight muscles and do so quickly. The best outcome is that the effects seem to last longer, giving me better ability to apply corrective methods to improve muscle imbalances.
Also, I found that the vibrations on the upper back were tolerated better with the Hypersphere vs the Vyper. Some of my clientele couldn’t handle the vibrations on their upper back using the Vyper. The Hypesphere’s vibrations are a little more direct.
One of my clients, Stephen, had a severe stroke a few years back. His muscles are in a constant state of tension. Since using the Vyper, he and I have noticed marked improvement in his quad tension (which were tight as a board previously). He has both the sphere and Vyper. The sphere works wonders on his upper back and shoulders too.
As for cons: the Hypersphere is very hard. There isn’t any foam padding to give the product a little cushion. For my older clientele, it was too much for them to handle.
In general, my clients use the Vyper starting at calves, the follow with quads, hamstrings and IT bands. The sphere is then used for any small hip flexor areas if there is tightness. Either product works great on glutes. Some clients have a hard time managing themselves on the sphere. Then to finish, most will use the sphere on the serratus, rotator cuff, trap and pec areas. The Vyper is a little too intense for most so this works much better.
The only other con is the on/off button. It needs to be more recessed. I, myself, have been rolling and the floor (or my butt) hit the button and sent the vibrations to another level. I think recessing this a bit more would take care of this issue. It can be very surprising for some of my clients and also make them a little too cautious instead of relaxing into the vibrations to release the muscles.
Overall, I love the Hypersphere. It definitely complements my Vyper. Almost all of my clients use both products before their training sessions.
This article was written by Wendy Larkin. The author’s opinions are their own and Gear Update does not take responsibility for content statements and opinions. You should seek expert counsel in evaluating opinions, treatments, products and services. For more info see our Editorial Policies.
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