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Used everywhere from physical therapy offices to pro sports facilities, massage guns have been linked to increases in muscle strength and flexibility, as well as decreased musculoskeletal pain. (1) Generally used to help ... Read more
The post The 9 Best Massage Guns for Recovery, Relaxation and More for 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
Used everywhere from physical therapy offices to pro sports facilities, massage guns have been linked to increases in muscle strength and flexibility, as well as decreased musculoskeletal pain. (1) Generally used to help athletes warm up or recover from intense workouts, the theory behind massage guns is that they mimic a traditional massage, promoting blood flow to specific areas of the body, helping to move nutrient-rich fluids to the point of application.
Given its prevalence in gyms and physical therapy offices, it’s no wonder there’s a wide variety of massage guns and mini massage guns on the market. But not all are created equal, and choosing the right one for your needs can be difficult. So we did the legwork (and armwork and chestwork) for you to test and find the best massage guns for various needs. Here’s what we found.
Best Massage Guns
Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
The Theragun Prime features four attachment heads that are more forgiving than hard plastic, five different percussive speeds, and a battery that lasts for two hours.
Shop Rogue
Product Specs
The four attachments (thumb, ball, cone, and dampener) are firm enough to pack a punch, but soft enough to not make you jump out of your chair if you run the gun over a kneecap. Also, the Therabody app is an excellent companion app, allowing you to customize the speed beyond the gun’s five presets, and providing massage instructions for specific routines. There are guns with more features, and there are some excellent budget picks, but the Theragun Prime offers the best features and power for the price.
Best Budget Massage Gun: Toloco Massage Gun
Toloco Massage Gun
Toloco Massage Gun
One of the most powerful guns you'll find for under $100, the Toloco Massage Gun offers 3,200 PPMs, a 12mm amplitude, and 10 different attachment heads.
Shop Amazon
Product Specs
You will make a few sacrifices going with the budget option — the attachments are pretty hard (even the foam ball), so you’d better have a light touch if you’re sensitive or just really sore. Plus, some user reviews have noted that even the lowest speed setting feels too rough, so if you’re not looking for an aggressive massage, you may want to look elsewhere.
Best Massage Gun for Athletes: Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
The Theragun Prime features four attachment heads that are more forgiving than hard plastic, five different percussive speeds, and a battery that lasts for two hours.
Shop Rogue
Product Specs
Jake testing the Theragun Prime in the BarBend garage
There’s a reason that you see top athletes hammering at their bodies with massage guns all the time. Percussive therapy can increase muscle flexibility and help warm up muscles before your workouts as well as decrease muscle soreness post-workout. (1)(2) The Theragun Prime is an excellent choice for athletes in part because it offers deep amplitude to help you drive deeper into muscles, the triangular handle is perfect for getting those hard-to-reach back muscles, and you can customize the speed anywhere from 1,750 PMMs to 2,400 PPMs.
But what really makes it ideal for athletes is the instruction that comes with the Therabody app. This app pairs with the Prime to allow you to dial in the speed, and it also offers massage directions for anything from weight lifting to just about any type of fitness activity you can think of. There are even instructions for specific issues from shin splints to poor sleep.
Read our full Theragun Prime review.
Best Mini Massage Gun: Renpho Mini Massage Gun
Renpho Mini Massage Gun
Renpho Mini Massage Gun
This lightweight massage gun is extremely quiet at just 40 decibels. Plus, in addition to three massage speed settings, it also offers a heat therapy element that warms up to 115 degrees F.
Shop Amazon
Product Specs
But what makes this massage gun really unique is that it comes with a heating element, which is something that you don’t usually see on massage guns. The heater sits at the opposite end of the massage head and is designed to provide heat therapy, which can increase blood flow to an area to help release buildups of lactic acid after hard workouts. (3) The heat plate has three settings — 100, 107, and 114 degrees F, so you can start light and work your way up to the higher heat.
Best High-End Massage Gun: Theragun Pro
Theragun Pro
Theragun Pro
Therabody's flagship massage gun, the Theragun Pro offers up to 2,400 PPMs with 60 pounds of stall force and a 16mm amplitude. Plus, it works with Therabody's comprehensive companion app, which offers routines for specific sports and injuries.
Shop Therabody
Product Specs
In addition to the Theragun-standard triangular handle, the Theragun Pro is the only Theragun that has a head with an adjustable arm to make it even easier to reach every part of your body. This one also comes with six different heads, including the standard ball, dampener, thumb and wedge. The two more unique heads are the micropoint, with its soft rubber points, and the supersoft, which is a large, soft foam head that’s designed for use on particularly sensitive areas like joints or muscles close to bones.
The Theragun Pro also has some great technological features, including one you won’t find on other guns. It pairs with the excellent Therabody app, which allows you to customize speeds and choose from a library of routines based on activity, injuries, and ailments. Other Thera guns do this as well, but the Pro also can display routines directly on the gun’s OLED screen, so you can follow a routine without looking at your phone. Bottom line, this is a top-tier massage gun in just about every way. If you can swing the cost, this is the one to get.
Best Massage Gun for Runners: Hyperice Hypervolt
Hyperice Hypervolt 2
Hyperice Hypervolt 2
This massage gun comes equipped with five different attachments, and three different speed settings. The battery is meant to last for three hours, and it can be paired up with the companion app via Bluetooth.
...
Click here to view the article.
The post The 9 Best Massage Guns for Recovery, Relaxation and More for 2023 appeared first on BarBend.
Used everywhere from physical therapy offices to pro sports facilities, massage guns have been linked to increases in muscle strength and flexibility, as well as decreased musculoskeletal pain. (1) Generally used to help athletes warm up or recover from intense workouts, the theory behind massage guns is that they mimic a traditional massage, promoting blood flow to specific areas of the body, helping to move nutrient-rich fluids to the point of application.
Given its prevalence in gyms and physical therapy offices, it’s no wonder there’s a wide variety of massage guns and mini massage guns on the market. But not all are created equal, and choosing the right one for your needs can be difficult. So we did the legwork (and armwork and chestwork) for you to test and find the best massage guns for various needs. Here’s what we found.
Best Massage Guns
- Best Massage Gun Overall: Theragun Prime
- Best Budget Massage Gun: Toloco Massage Gun
- Best Massage Gun for Athletes: Theragun Prime
- Best Mini Massage Gun: Renpho Mini Massage Gun
- Best High-End Massage Gun: Theragun Pro
- Best Massage Gun for Runners: Hyperice Hypervolt
- Best Handheld Massage Gun: Theragun Mini 2
- Best Massage Gun for Travel: Hyperice Hypervolt Go 2
- Best Massage Gun on Amazon: Toloco Massage Gun
Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
The Theragun Prime features four attachment heads that are more forgiving than hard plastic, five different percussive speeds, and a battery that lasts for two hours.
Shop Rogue
Product Specs
- Top Speed: 2,400 Percussions Per Minute (PPMs)
- Stall Force: 30 pounds
- Amplitude: 16mm
- Attachments: 4
- Price: $299
- It comes with five preset speeds, but you can customize the speed with the Therabody app.
- The 16mm amplitude is longer than most massage guns, meaning the massage head extends farther out from the gun to drive deeper into muscles.
- All attachments are fairly soft, which is great if you accidentally hit a bone.
- There are quieter models on the market. This one tops out at 69 decibels, which is about the same amount of noise a washing machine makes.
- $299 might put off athletes who are on a tight budget.
The four attachments (thumb, ball, cone, and dampener) are firm enough to pack a punch, but soft enough to not make you jump out of your chair if you run the gun over a kneecap. Also, the Therabody app is an excellent companion app, allowing you to customize the speed beyond the gun’s five presets, and providing massage instructions for specific routines. There are guns with more features, and there are some excellent budget picks, but the Theragun Prime offers the best features and power for the price.
Best Budget Massage Gun: Toloco Massage Gun
Toloco Massage Gun
Toloco Massage Gun
One of the most powerful guns you'll find for under $100, the Toloco Massage Gun offers 3,200 PPMs, a 12mm amplitude, and 10 different attachment heads.
Shop Amazon
Product Specs
- Top Speed: 3,200 PPMs
- Stall Force: 35 pounds
- Amplitude: 12mm
- Attachments: 10
- Price: $49.99
- You’re going to have a hard time finding a more powerful massage gun for under $50.
- The 3,200 PPM top speed is one of the highest we’ve seen.
- There are 10 different massage heads to choose from.
- The amplitude isn’t the deepest you’ll find on this list.
- You can’t customize the speed on this gun, you’ll have to stick to the seven preset speeds.
- The attachments can be too firm for some people.
You will make a few sacrifices going with the budget option — the attachments are pretty hard (even the foam ball), so you’d better have a light touch if you’re sensitive or just really sore. Plus, some user reviews have noted that even the lowest speed setting feels too rough, so if you’re not looking for an aggressive massage, you may want to look elsewhere.
Best Massage Gun for Athletes: Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
Theragun Prime
The Theragun Prime features four attachment heads that are more forgiving than hard plastic, five different percussive speeds, and a battery that lasts for two hours.
Shop Rogue
Product Specs
- Top Speed: 2,400 PPMs
- Stall Force: 30 pounds
- Amplitude: 16mm
- Attachments: 4
- Price: $299
- This gun’s triangular handle makes it easy for athletes to massage hard-to-reach places.
- The companion app can provide massage instructions for specific sports.
- At 69 decibels, it won’t be obnoxiously loud if used at the gym.
- It’s not the biggest massage gun, but it’ll take up a good chunk of space in a gym bag.
- At $299, you may be reluctant to let your gym pals borrow it.
There’s a reason that you see top athletes hammering at their bodies with massage guns all the time. Percussive therapy can increase muscle flexibility and help warm up muscles before your workouts as well as decrease muscle soreness post-workout. (1)(2) The Theragun Prime is an excellent choice for athletes in part because it offers deep amplitude to help you drive deeper into muscles, the triangular handle is perfect for getting those hard-to-reach back muscles, and you can customize the speed anywhere from 1,750 PMMs to 2,400 PPMs.
But what really makes it ideal for athletes is the instruction that comes with the Therabody app. This app pairs with the Prime to allow you to dial in the speed, and it also offers massage directions for anything from weight lifting to just about any type of fitness activity you can think of. There are even instructions for specific issues from shin splints to poor sleep.
Read our full Theragun Prime review.
Best Mini Massage Gun: Renpho Mini Massage Gun
Renpho Mini Massage Gun
Renpho Mini Massage Gun
This lightweight massage gun is extremely quiet at just 40 decibels. Plus, in addition to three massage speed settings, it also offers a heat therapy element that warms up to 115 degrees F.
Shop Amazon
Product Specs
- Top Speed: 2,800 PPMs
- Stall Force: Not Listed
- Amplitude: 6mm
- Attachments: 4
- Price: $59.99
- Weighing just over half a pound, this is one of the lightest massage guns you’ll find.
- Unlike most massage guns, this features a heating element.
- At under 40 decibels, this massage gun is quiet enough to use just about anywhere.
- There’s no battery indicator, so you don’t know how much charge you have left.
- The amplitude is lower than you’ll find on most massage guns.
But what makes this massage gun really unique is that it comes with a heating element, which is something that you don’t usually see on massage guns. The heater sits at the opposite end of the massage head and is designed to provide heat therapy, which can increase blood flow to an area to help release buildups of lactic acid after hard workouts. (3) The heat plate has three settings — 100, 107, and 114 degrees F, so you can start light and work your way up to the higher heat.
Best High-End Massage Gun: Theragun Pro
Theragun Pro
Theragun Pro
Therabody's flagship massage gun, the Theragun Pro offers up to 2,400 PPMs with 60 pounds of stall force and a 16mm amplitude. Plus, it works with Therabody's comprehensive companion app, which offers routines for specific sports and injuries.
Shop Therabody
Product Specs
- Top Speed: 2,400 PPMs
- Stall Force: 60 pounds
- Amplitude: 16mm
- Attachments: 6
- Price: $599
- The on-board screen walks you through specific routines without having to look at your phone.
- At 60 pounds, it has a higher stall force than most massage guns.
- The soft foam head attachment is perfect for massaging sensitive areas or muscles close to bones.
- It’s quieter than its predecessors.
- It’s $599 price tag puts it at the top of the price range for massage guns.
- It doesn’t have replaceable batteries, as earlier iterations did.
In addition to the Theragun-standard triangular handle, the Theragun Pro is the only Theragun that has a head with an adjustable arm to make it even easier to reach every part of your body. This one also comes with six different heads, including the standard ball, dampener, thumb and wedge. The two more unique heads are the micropoint, with its soft rubber points, and the supersoft, which is a large, soft foam head that’s designed for use on particularly sensitive areas like joints or muscles close to bones.
The Theragun Pro also has some great technological features, including one you won’t find on other guns. It pairs with the excellent Therabody app, which allows you to customize speeds and choose from a library of routines based on activity, injuries, and ailments. Other Thera guns do this as well, but the Pro also can display routines directly on the gun’s OLED screen, so you can follow a routine without looking at your phone. Bottom line, this is a top-tier massage gun in just about every way. If you can swing the cost, this is the one to get.
Best Massage Gun for Runners: Hyperice Hypervolt
Hyperice Hypervolt 2
Hyperice Hypervolt 2
This massage gun comes equipped with five different attachments, and three different speed settings. The battery is meant to last for three hours, and it can be paired up with the companion app via Bluetooth.
...
Click here to view the article.
