What Is the Chirp Wheel?
The Chirp wheel is a specially designed tool to help you roll out your back without beating up your spine.
If you’ve ever used a foam roller, you know that while it can feel good on your back – sometimes it puts pressure on your spinal column in ways you’d like to avoid.
The chirp wheel avoids this by having a specially designed groove for your spinal column that makes the chirp device a lot more comfortable to use – so you can get the benefits of foam rolling without the focused pain.
It’s officially registered as a medical device from the FDA – which is part of the reason why you might want it (but it does come with a higher price point).
Why Use a Chirp Wheel vs. Foam Roller
The main benefit of the chirp wheel is two factors. First, is the custom ridge built into the wheel to make it less of a pain on your back. This is a huge relief as we just mentioned.
The second comes from it’s size. Because it’s larger and more rounded – some customers find it more challenging to do a continuous stretching session on without falling. This is true especially if you already have some other underlying mobility issue.
Be smart and know yourself! We are personally big fans of the chirp wheel – but it isn’t for everyone!
Chirp Wheel & Foam Rollers Compared
A quick pros + cons list of the chirp wheel is below.
Chirp Wheel
Pros
- Bigger stretch
- More Comfortable
- Multiple sizes sold together
Cons
- More expensive
- Harder to balance
What Size of Chirp Wheel Should You Buy?
The chirp wheel comes in three different sizes, a 4 inch, 6inch, and a 10inch wheel. Here’s how you should think about each of these sizes.
While they all have the same basic design – each size comes with it’s own pros and cons.
The 6 Inch Chirp Wheel
The 6 inch chirp wheel size is easiest to carry. I love that it’s portable and easy to use – pretty much anywhere. It’s smaller and has a more noticeable stretch to it.
Retails at $44.99.
The 10 Inch Chirp Wheel
The 10 inch chirp wheel is a sort of “best of both worlds” and does a little bit of both. If you’re stuck and can only get one chirp wheel – this might be a good compromise.
Retails at $49.99
The 4 Inch Chirp Wheel
The 4 inch chirp wheel is the smallest and most portable. It’s new and micro-focused, so it’s specifically focused on your neck. If you find most of your pain is located in your neck – this is the chirp wheel for you.
Retails at $29.99.
They recently began selling a 4-pack which now includes a 12 inch wheel along with a few extras
The 12 Inch Chirp Wheel
The 12 inch chirp wheel is great for getting the most out of it in a single session. While it’s widely recommended to most people – it can be tougher to balance on – and as a result maybe difficult if you already have mobility issues.
Retails at $59.99.
Note that the chirp wheels are individually sold, but can be expensive. Chirp tries to sell the wheels in packages so you can actually get a 4-pack of all the wheels for around $99 – which isn’t that bad of a deal!
That said, if that’s outside your budget, you can buy the individual wheels for anywhere between $29.99 and $59.99.
How to Use The Chirp Wheel
You can use the chirp wheel just as you would any other foam roller. In fact, it works great as a substitute in our mobility routines.
Note that because of it’s size and dimensions – it can be less stable than a traditional foam roller – so be careful to not lose your balance!
Here’s a quick overview of how to use your chirp wheel most effectively – keep in mind that the chrip wheel is meant primarily for your back – not your lower body or arms.
- Place the chirp wheel under your back
- Place your feet solidly on the ground (maybe a good time to wear your toe spacers).
- Reach your arms over your head, behind your head or place them on the ground if you need more balance.
- Keep your spine on the center line of the wheel.
- Relax your back and roll back and forth on the wheel.
- Maintain this throughout the remainder of the movements.
- Feel better & starting moving well
That’s it – it’s pretty straightforward!
Balance with the Chirp Wheel
It’s worth noting that as you stretch more with the larger wheels – they may get more difficult to balance on. The 12 inch wheel provides the most stretch, but may also be wobbly for people that are new to it. The focus one is the most stable, but also provides more pressure and less “stretch.”
Make sure you choose the right chirp wheel for your fitness level, athletic ability and range of motion.
Stretches to use with the Chirp Wheel
Here’s a few chirp wheel movements you can use to start. Be sure to note that these are mostly upper body movements and back movements as the chirp wheel is not designed to be used on. your lower body.:
Start slow and easy with the chirp wheel. While you can use it like you would use a foam roller – for many people – it’s going to take some getting used to – so take your time to break it in.
The Chirp Wheel Warranty
The chirp wheel has a 60 day return policy. Try it out for 60 days and if you don’t like it – they’ll refund your money – not a bad deal!
Even better – they have a 10 year warranty on the products, so if anything happens – they’ll fix or replace your wheel – nice!
You can fill out the warranty form right here – https://warranty.gochirp.com/
If you have any other questions – their customer service team is top notch as well. How awesome is that?
Chirp Wheel on Shark Tank
Chirp jumped to popularity due to it’s presence on Shark Tank. While the founder seemed to upset some of the sharks – he did seem to be able to finally cut a deal.
Here’s the Chirp Wheel on Shark Tank video
Chirp Wheel Alternatives
While lots of people love the chirp wheel – it’s not for everyone. Here’s a few alternatives you can use if you don’t love the wheel or if it’s outside your price range.
We also recommend our other mobility tools and equipment here.
Chirp Wheel Gallery
If you want to see the chirp wheel in action up close – never fear – we have got you covered so you can know exactly what you’re going to get.
-coming soon-
Buying the Chirp Wheel
The chirp wheel is available on amazon, the main site, target and Best Buy. We recommend buying from the official site right here.
Buy the Chirp Wheel Here
FAQs on the Chirp Wheel
What is the Chirp Wheel Weight Limit
The chirp wheel can support up to 500 pounds!
Where can I buy the chirp wheel?
We recommend buying the chirp wheel off of the official site at GoChirp.
What size chirp wheel should I get?
- 4 in – A chirp wheel for your neck.
- 6 in – A chirp wheel for on-the-go.
- 10 in – A do everything chirp wheel
- 12 in – Long stretches at home
That about sums it up!
The Chirp Wheel Summary
We like the chirp wheel and recommend the 6 inch one if you can only buy one. If you can – spring for the 4-pack and you’ll really push yourself to be mobile.
No matter your mobility experience, it’s important to move every day so you can get stronger, recover faster and MoveWell. You can use a foam roller, a lacrosse ball or a chirp wheel – the choice is up to you – but moving is the key.
If you’d like to take baby steps – MoveWell is an online mobility coach designed to help you do your mobility & stretching work every day in 15 minutes or less.
