I was already six months into my health-kick when I learned about massage guns – and let me tell you, I was really frustrated that I discovered them too late!
A massage gun is an excellent way to soothe the aching muscles and target specific areas right in your own home. As someone who has had some experience choosing the right massage gun, here’s what I want you to know:
Vibration or Percussion?
The primary difference between massage guns would be how they produce the power needed to massage the muscles. Vibration devices are just that – they vibrate and the resulting vibration causes the massaging motion.
Percussion devices on the other hand move in a forward-backward motion. Think like the arms of a boxer who jabs back and forth – this is what percussion massage guns do to produce the relaxing effect.
The difference between the two has to do with amplitude. Amplitude applies only to percussion types, specifically on how far the head would travel as it punches forward.
A higher altitude simply means that you’ll experience a deeper massage. This is perfect for serious athletes or those who already have layers of muscle and therefore need high amplitude to really press on the sore spots.
If you’re a beginner like me, however, the vibration type would be enough. It will give you just the right amount of massaging power to relax the muscles after a hard workout. If you want to deepen the massage, you’ll just have to manually push the massage gun deeper.
Revolutions Per Minute (RPM)
RPM is a specification that is present in both vibration and percussion massage guns. As the name shows, it’s all about the speed of the head of the gun. If it’s a percussion instrument – how fast does the head jab back and forth? If it’s a vibrating type – how fast is the vibration?
The good news is that RPM is often adjustable so this shouldn’t be a problem. Generally, the guns come in RPMs of 2000 to 3200 with a higher RPM also allowing for a finer or more intense massage.
My first massage gun was a vibrating type and had an RPM of 2000 and it already worked perfectly. Today however, some affordable units already have a maximum RPM of 3200.
Design and Attachments
If you’re using a massage gun on yourself, you’d obviously want to make sure that it has an ergonomic design. A good massage gun would allow you to pulse on different parts of your body independent of any help. It should be easy to hold and can be easily manipulated so that both the right and left hand can use it without any problems.
Attachments Available
Multiple attachments should also expand the capacity of the massage gun to provide relief to different body parts. Small attachments should always be part of the package since even smaller body parts may need the attention.
Power Source
Look for a model that can be plugged in or if not, something with a long battery life. This is really a judgment call on your part, depending on how often or where you would be using the massage gun. If you’ll only be using it at home, then a plugged type will offer you excellent reliability.
Final Thoughts
One thing to keep in mind is that the best massage gun you can buy in Australia doesn’t have to be the most expensive one. With the fitness culture being prevalent in the country, you can be sure that there are dozens of massage guns available for your perusal. Check them out and you should be able to find one within the budget you have.