The Best Massage Guns For Releasing Tight Muscles And Recovering From Workouts - Forbes

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Whether you’re working out at home or the gym, the best massage guns, also called percussive massagers, have quickly become popular tools for improving your musculoskeletal health. Similar to foam rollers, these handheld massagers can help your body recover from a workout by releasing tight muscles and even breaking up scar tissue. They can also be used before you work out to prepare your body for the stress to come, experts say.

“As warm up, the massage can be used to promote blood flow and circulation to warm up the tissue and to simulate the nervous system, prepping your body for activity,” says physical therapist and Bespoke Treatments co-founder Dr. Dan Giordano. “I recommend flushing [floating the gun up and down the muscle] the muscle area for 15 seconds.”

The Theragun G3 was many experts' top choice of massage gun.

Therabody

Such a recommendation can come in handy. Too often, consumers buy a massage gun without clear insight into how they can be used to improve their health. “Many people have these massage guns but don't know how to use them properly to get the most benefit from the equipment,” says physical therapist Dr. Kellen Scantlebury.

Giordano agrees. He said massage gun users should be careful to not dig in, and be sure to float it on the muscle belly. “Too hard or too deep may cause bruising,” Giordano says. Still, both Giordano and Scantlebury say massage guns are worthwhile buys and recommend them to their patients.

If you’re in the market for a massage gun, see the list below for a survey of some of the best percussive massagers out there, picked out with a little bit of help from our experts. The following options all hit the right marks, with nice designs, solid battery life, and varying intensity levels that could help you reduce your risk of injury.

Best Massage Gun Overall

Theragun G3 Percussive

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Theragun G3 Percussive Therapy


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The Theragun G3 was the top choice from our experts. The device comes with multiple speed options to maximize recovery and facilitate both pre-workout and post-workout use. It has multiple attachments to help you decide whether to attack large muscle groups or small and is up to 50% quieter than the previous model, making it less of an annoyance during use. It’s a bit expensive, but if you can get past the price, you’ll find a massage gun that works well in just about every case.

Best For Everyday Use

LifePro Sonic LX Professional

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LifePro Sonic LX Professional


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Sonic’s LX Professional is one of the more versatile options in this roundup, offering nine intensity levels and seven massage heads to let you decide how you want to treat your different muscle groups. The device comes with 12mm depth support, so it won’t go too deep, and you can adjust its intensity level from 1,800 strokes per minute to 3,400 strokes per minute, topping even the Theragun. Best of all, it can run up to four hours on a single charge, so you don’t need to constantly recharge it after use.

Best-Looking Massage Gun

Exerscribe VYBE Percussion


The VYBE Percussion comes with one of the nicest designs in this roundup, complete with a battery indicator, so you can easily tell how much time you have left during use. It has just three massage tips, but makes up for that with six speeds and an adjustable arm to hit the harder-to-reach areas. It offers up to 2,400 strokes per minute and two hours of battery life. However it’s worth noting that this option may be noisier than the other massage guns in this roundup.

Best Massage Gun For Hard-To-Reach Areas

RENPHO R4 Pro


If you want to save a few bucks without losing too many critical features, the RENPHO R4 Pro may be the way to go. It has six massage heads and four speeds that can deliver both soft touch and deep tissue treatment. At only 2.2 pounds, it’s one of the lightest options out there, and since it comes with an adjustable arm, you can easily hit harder-to-reach areas. With only one hour of battery life and 10mm of depth, however, it may not be suitable for those who want extended treatments with deep tissue interaction.

Best Affordable Massage Gun

IntiMD BFGun HyperDrive


If you’re looking for a budget-friendly massage gun, look no further than the IntiMD BFGun HyperDrive. The massage gun comes with four massage heads and six speeds, along with two rechargeable batteries. However, since the battery can last between 20 minutes and an hour, depending on your speed settings, you’ll want to keep those batteries charged. And although it’s designed to be held comfortably, it can be loud, so keep that in mind.

Best Massage Gun For Athletes

Legiral Massage Gun


Massage guns can be used for a variety of purposes, but if you’re an athlete who needs additional strength in your massage gun, consider the Legiral Massage Gun. The device comes with 20 speeds, including a high-intensity option for deep tissue use. Better yet, it has six replaceable heads, so you can quickly get back to massaging if you burn one of them out. The massage gun is cordless and comes with a rechargeable battery that will deliver six hours of working time on a single charge. Best of all, if you don’t like the massage gun for any reason, Legiral will fully refund your purchase.

Best For Quiet Use

Opove M3 Pro


The Opove M3 Pro comes in a variety of colors and versions to match your style (in addition to the camouflage model here, the device is also comes in black, silver, and a muted camo). Opove says the M3 Pro is designed for quiet use and has been crafted to make far less noise than most other options. And with its rechargeable battery in tow, you can count on it to deliver three hours of usage on a single charge. Keep in mind that with four interchangeable heads, you’ll have fewer massage options with the Opove M3 Pro than some other choices. (However over 4,000 five-star reviewers on Amazon don’t seem to mind.)

Most Portable Massage Gun

Apollo Kinetics Massage Gun


Another affordable option, the Apollo Kinetics Pulse Massage Gun won’t break the bank in any way. But even with its cheap price, the device comes with one of the best looking designs in this roundup. More importantly, it’s by far the most portable option, offering a travel case and a weight of just 2.4 pounds with the battery. And since it’s cordless, you can use it wherever you’d like without needing to worry about being tethered to the wall. The device also comes with a 30-day money-back guarantee, so you can return it if you don’t like it.