A Review: BodyGlide WarmFX

BodyGlide sent out a tweet asking bloggers to review their new product a couple of weeks ago, and I'm excited to have been selected to help out. I absolutely can't live without the BodyGlide anti-chafe stick and have been a fan of the company for years. Note: I received the WarmFX product from BodyGlide, but I was not otherwise compensated for this review and all opinions are my own.

Here are my thoughts.

The Product: BodyGlide WarmFX anti-pain balm
The Goal at-a-glance: Heat therapy to jumpstart activity and to recover faster

BodyGlide recommends using the product for minor pain and soreness from tired, achy, strained muscles and joints. As an endurance athlete it's not unusual for me to have a sore muscle somewhere in my body at any given time, so I have had plenty of opportunities to test this product.

First impression: The product comes in an easy to open plastic package just like other BodyGlide products. The lid on this one is red, so no mistaking WarmFX for your regular BodyGlide. (Good thing, because I'd imagine having heat in your chafing spots is less than ideal...) It has a distinctive scent, but it's much less potent than other products I've tried. The scent went away quickly after I applied it too.

Application: I love how easy it is to apply all BodyGlide products, and WarmFX is no different. It comes in the nice deodorant-type packaging that allows you to put it on without getting your hands sticky. This is a HUGE bonus. The more you apply, the hotter it gets, although I never felt like it was too hot to handle.

During the Run: I applied WarmFX pre-run to my left knee, where I have been fighting tendonitis off an on since a bike injury last August. The knee isn't super painful, but I tend to feel soreness there when I've been increasing mileage. It often feels better once I begin running and get warmed up, although that can take a couple of miles.

I applied WarmFX to the sore area pre-run, and it really did help my knee to warm up more quickly. I realized around the end of mile one that it hadn't been bothering me, and I completely forgot I'd applied WarmFX until then. I love that it's not sticky and strong smelling - there are many product out there that don't let you forget you applied it.

After sitting down for drinks with the running group after the run, I did start to feel soreness again. I'm not sure how long it is supposed to last overall, but at that point I'd had it on for about 1.5 hours. Then again, it did what I needed to warm my knee up for the run and that's what counts.

Recovery: I tested WarmFX in the same spot on my knee for post-run soreness as well. Again, I'm thrilled that it is not sticky and strong smelling because I could wear it out and about with normal clothing. I could feel the warmth as before, but I don't believe it was quite as helpful to my knee for recovery. As a side note, I've been using heat on that spot at the recommendation of a sports rehab therapist, but the heating pad works better for this particular case.

That said, I also used it for recovery on normal calf soreness/tightness (as opposed to the knee, which stems from an injury.) On my calf muscles, I felt the warm effect much more and it began to help my calves after a just a few minutes. I didn't stop feeling it in this case either. I put it on around 9 pm and wore it overnight, and I truly did feel a difference in the calf tightness in the morning. Yay! I'll keep using it for this purpose.

Overall: I find WarmFX to be helpful and plan to continue using it before the run to help warm up muscles and for recovery on my tight calves. I love the easy of application, the non-stickiness, and the easy-on-the-nose scent. I like that it doesn't get too hot to handle, which I've had happen in the past with other products.

Thanks for this opportunity BodyGlide, and keep making great products!