The best fitness recovery gadgets

Many of us take part in post-pandemic health kicks and go back to the sports and fitness regimens we enjoyed before COVID-19 went crazy. Since then, many of us (raising hands) may have exercised themselves excessively.

Unfortunately, a few minutes of post-workout stretching isn’t always enough to relieve the pain and pain of a 5K excursion on the sofa. While several popular massage gadgets have been on the market over the past few years, the pandemic has created many people looking for ways to recover without having to meet with a massage therapist in person. These gadgets may not be in the hands of professionals, but they may be useful. We have investigated and tested all of the following picks, including percussive therapy guns, compression therapy technology, and even some analog accessories that do not require charging.

about me

I’m not an athlete, but over the years there have been several chapters on my fitness journey. I have a black belt in judo and am currently trying to complete a backflip. I sweat five times a week in HIIT and strength training classes. And for all these things, I have my own particular pain and pain, especially in the knees, neck and shoulders.

When testing some of these devices, I used them daily for over a week. Depending on the type of recovery gadget, you should spend at least 15 minutes targeting hard areas alongside stretching. I’ve been using some of these accessories like Foam Roamer intermittently for years.

Basics

Foam roller

There is no vibration function here. Roll slowly sideways using a cylindrical foam (which may be plastic or rubber). I personally enjoy some relief from knee problems (combined with recovery exercises and guidance from my physiotherapy) and found that it helps to loosen the tight quadriceps. did.

The great thing about foam rollers is their versatility. There are exercises for the shoulders, back muscles, iliotibial band (IT) band, and all other parts of the leg. Many rollers come with basic diagrams to try out, but you can also follow many YouTube videos. Just search for a specific narrow area.

If you are new to fascia training, we recommend this from Trigger Point. It’s softer and more muscle-friendly than some of the plastic molding options.

Buy Foam Rollers on Amazon-$ 35

Trigger point massage ball

These stiff massage balls, usually the size of a tennis ball, provide a trigger point massage to help tackle the scapular knots and tight corners of the gluteal muscles. Place the ball on a yoga mat (or carpet) and use your weight to apply force and place the problem area on the ball. Reliefs don’t stop at the floor. Try placing the ball between your back (or shoulders) and the wall. There are several guides online, but this set of balls with different levels of stiffness should ensure that you feel the pressure at the right level.

Buy a massage ball on Amazon-$ 17

Strengthen

This recommendation is from my colleague Valentina Palladino. He loves this bolster to improve her yoga habits. Bolsters are solid pillows of several shapes and sizes that help many yoga practitioners maintain proper posture in certain movements due to inflexibility and minor injuries.

According to Valentina, “I don’t stretch as much as I absolutely need, but this bolster, which I originally bought just for yoga practice, is useful when I sit on the mat for 10 minutes after running. I’m mostly on my back. It can be used for stretching and a bolster can be placed in the lower back to get a gentle spinal decompression.

She adds: “There are dedicated back stretchers that can be purchased to do the same, but I’ve come to prefer bolsters because of the comfort of their support and their versatility. I’m still specific during yoga sessions. It is used as a tool to gain a deeper understanding of the movement of the body and provides additional support in sitting poses. “

Buy Bolster on Amazon-$ 40

Percussive therapy and massage gun

But should we jump on something a little more powerful and expensive? While there is established evidence that manual hand massage can help relieve pain, there is no supporting data on the many benefits claimed by percussive treatment devices.

For some companies and devices, some claims (such as improved performance and range of motion) are supported by small studies, while others (such as decreased cellulite and faster muscle recovery) are supported. Is not …

Dr. Kelly Starrett (and CrossFit’s founding mobility expert), Hyperice’s athlete performance advisor, told Engadget: Vibrations, percussion instruments, and even heat can help us feel better. “

My own experience tracks this: using it with a narrow area targeted approach feels good and you prepare your body before training without exercising yourself too much Can help you to.

If you’ve seen Instagram ads, you already know that there are plenty of massage guns to choose from, but we chose two of the most prominent players in the field, Theragun and Hyperice. HyperVolt series.

Theragun Prime

We’ve mentioned the benefits of Theragun Prime earlier, but it’s the company’s unique triangular design that helps make the device stand out. It provides multiple ways to grab Theragun and help target more tricky parts of the body. As one of the more premium massage devices, you get 16mm amplitude (usually hit only on devices over hundreds of dollars) and speeds up to 2,400 percussion / minute.

In addition to the standard ball, Prime comes with three additional attachments: a cone, a damper with a flat head, and a thumb attachment to help you dig deeper.

Therabody’s latest family of percussive therapy devices is quieter than the older Theraguns and most competitors, but certainly not.

Buy Theragun Prime on Amazon-$ 289

HyperVolt 2 Pro

The HyperVolt 2 Pro has a more traditional design, but I prefer its dial to switch between different speeds. It also comes with additional head attachments such as fork attachments, flat wedges and cushioned heads.

It’s a premium flagship Hypervolt, so it offers the fastest speeds (faster than Theragun Prime). However, it’s quieter than Prime, but it’s a little harder to move to difficult narrow spaces without the help of someone else.

These devices are generally safe for most use cases, but check your company’s safety guidelines page. If you are pregnant, have had recent surgery, or have existing symptoms on your skin or nervous system, it is advisable to consult your doctor before use.

Buy HyperVolt2 Pro on Amazon-$ 399

Hyperice Hypersphere

Hyperice also combines its vibration technique with the targeted relief of the massage ball. The Hypersphere (and HyperSphere mini) includes three levels of vibration and an easy-to-understand LED display to measure battery life and strength levels. In addition, the shape adds a variety of versatility, as you don’t have to reach for relief where you need it.

It also has a rubber coating that helps it stay in place when not stretched or massaged on a yoga mat. In particular, the smaller minis have more powerful motors and are comparable in size to lacrosse balls. Despite having about the same battery life as a more powerful motor, it’s more affordable than a larger model. Most people think the Mini is a better option, but the larger Hypersphere I found worked well on the hips and chest as it lifted the body further off the ground to increase the target pressure.

Buy Hypersphere on Amazon-Buy Mini for $ 99 Hyperice-$ 74

Therabody Recovery Air

The company behind Theragun, Therabody, has branched into several additional recovery products. The company also offers vibrating foam rollers and balls, but the Recovery Air series is quite different, using controlled compression to gently massage your feet and arms.

The RecoveryAir system is divided into a lower body (foot to waist) and upper body system, but “trousers” seem to be the best device to massage some of the largest muscle groups in the body. They feel especially good after intense squat sessions and long runs.

Therabody may not be accustomed to compression therapy, but its science and research has continued for decades, with medical compression garments used to treat post-WWII conditions until the 1950s. ..

AirRecover compresses your feet and stimulates your body’s circulation. This is a quote from a Therabody spokesperson. “Press on the toothpaste tube.” It’s a relaxing feeling. AirRecover repeatedly presses on the feet, calves, knees, knee tendons, and thighs. You can adjust both the strength of the compression and the length of the massage for up to 1 hour. Compared to massage guns and static tissue massages, it’s a bit lazy and you can let AirRecover do the work for you.

Hold down Netflix and relax on the sofa or your favorite chair. However, its ease of use is expensive. It’s $ 1,299. It’s quite expensive compared to the other devices included here, but it’s also a very different experience and one that steers itself.

Buy Recovery Air Pro at Therabody-$ 1,299