The Top 5 Massage Guns

 

If you’re looking to speed up your recovery from exercise and help ease DOMs or muscle tightness stopping you from performing at your best, you might be in the market for a massage gun. Before you buy, find out what the benefits are to using one and which product is the best massage gun available in the UK.

 

What are massage guns?

Massage guns are a product used to perform percussive therapy on yourself. Also known as a percussion massage gun, their name reflects the intensity at which pressure is applied to your muscles. They generate rapid bursts of pressure at a frequency of about 22-40Hz and a depth of about 16mm. 
Simply put, when applied to your muscles, they pound them at a short sharp rate to create the feeling of a deep tissue massage.

 

What are the benefits of using massage guns?

The exact mechanics behind how massage guns help your muscles haven’t yet been confirmed. However, the muscle-relaxing effects are likely brought on by a mixture of sensory and neuronal responses to the pressure. They also increase blood flow to the target area, helping to carry the right nutrients to it and prevent blood pooling.
Blood pooling happens when intense exercise is followed by immediate rest. The body has been working hard to pump enough blood around and if exercise stops suddenly, excess blood can remain in the muscles and result in dizziness or fainting. That’s why cooling down is an important part of your workout and the use of massage guns after exercise can help you do this. They work to remove excess blood from your muscles and the waste products that come with it, relieving soreness and swelling.
A muscle massager gun is usually used immediately after exercise to prevent blood pooling or much later on tight or tense muscles. However, as it helps increase blood flow, it can also be used before exercise on a gentle setting as part of a targeted warm-up.

How do you use a massage gun?

The best selling point of a muscle massager gun is that they’re self-administered. Without having to schedule a visit to an expensive sports masseuse, you can use one to give yourself a vigorous massage. The type that hurts but in a good way.
They’re simple to use. Just hold the end of the gun about 1 inch away from the area you’re trying to target. Press or hold the on button and let the muscle massager gun do the rest of the work. You can hover over the one area until you feel tightness reduce, or you can move slowly up and down the target muscle group to reduce the intensity on a single spot. 
Between 1-2 minutes is plenty for even your largest muscle groups. Within this time, tension will start to ease, muscles will start to feel looser, and blood flow will increase to that part of the body. The sensation will be intense, but it shouldn’t be overly painful. If in doubt, stop and reassess. 

 

Why do athletes use massage guns?

Athletes are under constant pressure to keep training and performing at increasingly high standards, often with little rest in between. The biggest thing that gets in their way is the body’s need to recover. Any approach or product that helps to speed up muscle recovery will be adopted by athletes. 
As research builds into the effectiveness of muscle massagers and deep tissue massage guns, there are even more reasons for athletes to use them. The effects on reducing DOMs and speeding up recovery times make them very appealing to those who need to back to back train without being sidelined by muscle soreness.

 

Do massage guns really work?

There are lots of products on the market claiming to aid and improve fitness performance. Some are unnecessary marketing tactics trying to get you to spend money and others are beneficial bits of kit. Most massage guns aren’t cheap, so it’s important to understand if they really work before investing in one.
Also known as vibration therapy massage guns, these high-frequency, high-intensity tools emulate the type of massage you might receive from a sports physiotherapist or professional masseuse. If that’s something you think you might benefit from, then this could be a product worth purchasing. 

 

What is the best massage gun UK?

We’ve collated massage guns UK and their reviews to give you an understanding of the best options. If you’re looking for something to ease tension in tight muscles, here are the best places to start:

 

Theragun Mini 

In a smaller size and at a smaller price than other models. It weighs less than 1.5lb and features QuietForce technology, making it easily portable. With 3 different speed options, you can tailor your massage to suit different areas of tightness. It’s not quite able to match the power of its full-sized counterparts, but that’s to be expected from such a small device.

 

Hyperice Hypervolt 

The Hyperice Hypervolt like most models, its interchangeable heads let you pick the sensation you want depending on the muscle group you’re targeting. The built-in pressure sensor guides your application, so you can get the right feedback on how hard or soft you’re going and adjust the speed accordingly. Additional benefits of the Hypervolt massage gun are that it’s lightweight and quiet when in action. It’s known for being easy to use, so you can get going straight away. It carries up to two-hours of battery life and is portable, meaning you can carry it around too. 

 

Theragun Elite

The Theragun Elite boasts high power and smart technology. With Bluetooth enabled, the gun can be paired with the Therabody app and used to deliver customised recovery routines based on your activity data. It has a large speed range, a force meter, and 4 adjustable heads so you can get exactly what you're looking for from your massage. Another great thing about Theragun products is that they all come with a sharp-looking carrier case included.

 

Hyperice Hypervolt + 

As the name suggests, the Hyperice Hypervolt + is a newer version of the original and includes some additional features. As well as bringing all the benefits of interchangeable heads, an in-built pressure sensor, easily adjusted speed, and a quiet vibration, the Hypervolt + is now Bluetooth connected too. It pairs with the HyperSmart app meaning you can pick a routine and have the gun itself guide you through a recovery-focused program where the speed adjusts automatically. The Hypervolt + is also 30% more powerful than its original, fitted with a 90W high-torque motor.

 

Theragun Pro

At the very top of the price range comes the Theragun Pro at £549 RRP. It can do everything the Theragun Elite can, but also has a couple of key additional features. Wireless charging lets you recharge your massager gun much easier and the 6 different attachment heads mean you can get exactly what you want from it. It also has 33% more torque, so if it’s increased power you’re after, the Pro might be worth its price. Massage gun reviews mention that the adjustable shaft on the Theragun Pro makes it more ergonomic, easier to use, and much quieter than previous versions.
If you’re deciding whether to invest in a massage gun, key considerations include what you’re using it for, how often you’re training, and the intensity of your exercise. For those looking to speed up and improve their recovery between sessions, it might be the product to help you do that. Purchasing a percussion massage gun UK isn’t a straightforward decision, but hopefully, this rundown of the best options in the market can help inform it. WIT Fitness have a large range of muscle massage guns UK, including Hypervolt massage guns UK and Theragun massage guns UK. Plus, with our great prices and frequent offers, there’s something to suit all price ranges.