If you’d like to try a gun but are unsure if it’s a good option for you, talk to your doctor or a medical professional. Our editors have also shared which massage guns soothed their legs and loosened their lumbars after some challenging gym sessions. They may look intense, but they’re a super effective tool for bringing tired muscles back to life.
As long as you can tolerate the renpho foot massager, the Vybe V2 Percussion Massager is a good option if you only plan to use it occasionally or want to try out a massage gun before investing in a high end model. Using a massage gun during pregnancy may provide similar benefits to prenatal massage. Research from 2021 suggests that relaxing massage during pregnancy may help to alleviate pain, boost mood, and improve sleep . Finally, talk with a healthcare professional before using a massage gun, especially if you have any medical conditions or take medications. The Renpho R3 is one go-to for Amanda Capritto, a certified personal trainer, nutrition coach, and exercise specialist, who says it’s a great option thanks to its compactness, price point, and specs. The five attachable heads make it easy to target knots in various areas of your body, such as your neck, shoulder blades, or glutes.
It comes with a choice of five massage heads, has the highest battery life on test and moves fluently over skin without dragging. The handle vibrated a lot on the highest speed setting, causing our arm to ache after a while, but this can easily be remedied by turning the power down for a more soothing percussive therapy session. Stall force is the amount of pressure it takes to stall the motor of a device. Stall force is also an important parameter in determining whether a device can perform a percussive massage or if it’s simply a vibrational therapy tool.
Both strenuous exercise andhours of sittingcan cause muscle tightness, soreness, and sometimes even pain. These symptoms may be a result of low oxygen levels and built-up lactic acid in the muscles, Wu says. While it may lack the true portability of a legitimate “mini massage gun”, it doesn’t miss the mark by much. In fact, we think you’ll appreciate the extra power the RENPHO R3 offers over its competitors. Overall, the Renpho R3 is an excellent introduction to massage guns and has delivered genuine deep muscle relief. It comes in a comprehensive kit and it’s pleasant to use too, and though the handle’s angle isn’t perfect for long sessions, that’s really just a niggle.
The renpho massage gun comes with four massage heads and five easily adjustable speed levels, making it great for all users. “I was impressed that the massage gun came with five pressure modes, which is suitable for people of all levels, from beginners to workout pros,” our tester said. It’s long been a known fact that deep tissue massage can help relieve sore muscles, and not just after a workout. Muscles can get just as achy from old injuries, stress or even poor posture. Kneading them deeply breaks down the lactic acid that builds up when muscles get stressed and promotes blood flow for rapid healing. Once upon a time, you had to rely on a masseuse for this kind of relief, but massage guns are portable devices that can be the next best thing.
Small but mighty, it offers percussive massage with high-frequency vibrations as fast as 3200 RPM and boasts a rechargeable battery that lasts for up to 500 uses. Some high-level athletes have the luxury of receiving regular professional massage therapy, but massage guns are a helpful tool available to all athletes, says Peters. When someone administers a massage themselves, they personally feel the percussion and know how much pressure to apply and where to apply it. “By administering the treatment yourself, you get that instant feedback that you can’t get when someone else is doing it to you,” he says. Just about everyone can benefit from the precise, restorative massage that these devices provide, saysDr. When it comes time to use your massage gun for the first time, start slow.
This time around you get three attachments with your Mini instead of just the one that the original had. This refers to how deep the massage gun penetrates the muscle tissue being targeted. Massage gun stroke lengths go from as low as 8 millimeters to as high as 16 millimeters. Amanda is a content writer and journalist with extensive experience in the health, fitness, lifestyle, and nutrition niches. When all’s said and done, the Renpho R3 does a moderately good job of providing pain relief and massaging sore muscles. The carrying case is nice and protective, with dedicated spaces for all of the attachments, as well as the charging cable.
The whole kit feels reassuringly solid and save for superficial wear to the EVA head, there’s little to suggest it won’t pay for itself many times over. The gun itself is stocky and on the portly side for a minigun – it’s closer to a midi, if there were such a category. The composite body is very nicely executed, and the titanium swirl effect looks very classy. Finally, we have the air cushion head, which is for sensitive areas and bony parts. Note that the instructions warn you not to include your head or genitals in that list, though, since it can lead to serious injuries…