A muscle massage gun may look and sound like a power tool, but in fact, it may be one of the best methods for workout recovery. Moreover, it can prove excellent in warming you up, too! This device is the hot new trend that you can observe in more and more gyms and fitness centres.
In the last few years, people have become more aware of the need to increase blood flow in muscles, both while training and recovering. To achieve that, many methods have been used, including vibration therapy, a foam roller, or a standard massage landing. Nowadays, many people turn to massage guns to achieve the best results. Even some celebrities follow this trend, including NBA star Kyrie Irving.
So, are massage guns worth it? And how to use them properly? We will try to provide you with all the necessary answers right away!
What Is a Massage Gun?
A massage gun is a handheld tool used for percussive therapy in various areas of the body. This kind of massage, providing a lot of fast blows per minute, is aimed at penetrating deep into the soft tissue and achieving many health benefits. A massage gun is really powerful and convenient, and you can adapt its use to your particular needs, as you can decide which area to target in order to fight pain, soreness, and tension.
This device works on the basis of the pain gate theory. It suggests that you can ‘fool’ the nervous system in a way to achieve pain relief. During such a pain sensation, the nervous system needs to be properly stimulated and be responsive. You can achieve this by reaching the right frequency of nerve impulses on your muscles with percussion therapy provided by a massage gun.
How to Use a Massage Gun on Particular Areas of the Body?
If you want to use the massage gun correctly, you need to attach a proper head for a particular part of your body. This way, you can target a certain muscle group most efficiently and provide yourself with the most beneficial treatment. Let’s have a look at adjusting massage guns to different muscles with an attachment!
How to Use a Massage Gun on Legs
If you need to take care of the muscle area in your legs, you can use the flat attachment. It is definitely excellent for treating muscle tissue in dense areas of your body. It will help you to relax and speed up the recovery so that you can regain all your strength and be ready for new challenges.
How to Use a Massage Gun on a Neck
When you want to target your neck muscle area with a massage gun, it is recommended to install the attachment used in most promotional photos of this device – the one shaped like a ball. It will be particularly effective at the back of your neck.
How to Use a Massage Gun on a Lower Back
For your lower back, the dual-prolonged head resembling a fork can do wonders! If you struggle with back pain and search for a new solution that will help you, it is one of the ways to boost your efforts.
How to Use a Massage Gun for Knots
If you need to use your massage gun on knots, it is advised to choose the pointy head, resembling a bullet. It proves beneficial if you want to fight muscle soreness in one particular part of your body.
How Long Is It Recommended to Use a Massage Gun?
Bear in mind that the attachments of a massage gun deliver micro-traumas with every percussion blow. Using it for a short time on a particular muscle area helps you to improve your blood flow, and make the muscle less tight, but prolonged use can have negative effects. For this reason, it is always crucial to follow the good practice of not extending the recommended massage time.
To keep it safe and beneficial, after mounting a particular massage gun head, use it in accordance with the following guidelines:
- Muscle awakening – 30 seconds. Before the training starts, a massage gun should be used for up to 30 seconds to activate muscles and nerve fibres.
- Muscle revival – 15 seconds. When you start feeling a bit tired, but you want to continue your fitness activities, you can choose the proper massage gun head for a certain area that gives you fatigue or spasms. Using it for another 15 seconds will provide you with a little boost, helping you to feel less tight.
- Muscle recovery and pain treatment – 2 minutes. When the workout is over (and when you start feeling DOMS), a massage gun can be used a little longer. Namely, you can apply it to each muscle area for up to 2 minutes, always selecting the best attachment for it. You can repeat such a procedure later during the day but remember to have at least a 1-2 hours break before using a massage gun again.
Massage Gun Benefits
Massage guns have become increasingly popular because more and more people find out how good they can be for taking care of your body – especially if you like a long workout. Here some of the most important advantages!
Better Muscle Recovery
If you want to make progress in your fitness activities and feel that your body is constantly improving, you need to add extra work to your training routine now and then. It can be, for instance, doing more reps, lifting heavier weights, or incorporating harder exercises. However, challenging yourself means that you are more likely to end up with sore muscles.
After intense fitness training, it is normal to feel achy and sore, but delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS) can sometimes prolong to around 48 hours and cause a lot of pain and discomfort. For this reason, many people use the massage gun for a few minutes after they stop working out. With this tool, you can quickly improve the blood flow in a painful muscle group. Thanks to such immediate and intense care, your muscles will be more quickly repaired on a cellular level and stop hurting you.
Injury Prevention
When it comes to exercising every day, the probability of getting an injury is quite high. People often get hurt due to muscle cramps and the lack of sufficient recovery before straining the muscle again. Fortunately, as a massage gun can significantly help you to keep good blood circulation even after a challenging workout, your muscles will receive the necessary oxygen fast and recover in a shorter time. This way, the risk of overtraining and wearing out a muscle is smaller.
Muscle Stiffness and Spasms Relief
If you work out very extensively, you may feel muscle stiffness or spasms afterwards. Also, such a spasm can lead to muscle ischemia due to the blood circulation being too weak. As a result, your spasm will be painful to the touch.
Thanks to using a massage gun and its diverse attachments, the right pressure can be applied to the tendons, muscles, and ligaments, making them more relaxed and easing the painful contractions.
Range of Motion Improvement
As a massage gun helps you keep your muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints, and connective tissues in great shape, it contributes to improving your flexibility and extending your range of motion. It is because using this tool on a regular basis enhances the condition of your joints and makes them less prone to sprains and other injuries.
With a wider range of motion, you can gain such benefits as better athletic performance and more effective stimulation of your body’s natural lubricants allowing you to keep the flexibility.
The Bottom Line
The reason why a massage gun is popular among people who like to work out is that when used properly and on a regular basis, it may have many different advantages. For instance, it can help your muscles recover faster, increase your range of motion, protect you from injuries, and treat muscle spasms or stiffness.
Nonetheless, using it requires thorough care and following certain rules. Most importantly, you should always pick the proper head for a chosen muscle group and not overextend the recommended time. If you buy a professional device, such information should always be included in the manual.
All in all, if you search for a new way to improve your workout and achieve better results without feeling too much fatigue and pain, getting a massage gun can certainly be a fantastic suggestion!
