Every day I wake up and go through my stretches and lately it sounds like I’m taking a screenshot with my body because everything is like Rice Krispies – snap, crackle and pop. My hips and shoulders make a god awful loud pop every morning and your girl can’t drop it low anymore, unless you’re okay with her also not picking it back up. It’s not because I’m old because 32 isn’t old, it’s because my body is TIRED and in dire need of a new mattress (manifesting this for me in 2022). In the meantime, let me just beat the shit out of my body with a Therabody massage gun, my new bestie.
Theragun Elite vs The Competition
Available in a variety of versions the one I got is the Theragun Elite ($549) which is their ultra-quiet, Bluetooth compatible, and can hold a two hour charge. According to studies the Theragun Elite is up to 75% quieter, massages up to 60% deeper and has up to two times the battery life as previous generations and average massagers. I haven’t used other Theraguns but my friends assure me that the Elite is much quieter than other models.
Speed & Power
The Theragun Elite leaves the surface of the skin at 40 times per second (honestly, UNREAL) with a 40 lbs. force so it gets into tension sore spots faster than your brain has a chance to really comprehend what’s happening. You can control it through the app to niche down on the part of the body you’re massaging or use one of the built in speeds. The lowest setting is an impressive 1750 PPM (percussions per minute) and can go up to 2400 PPM. I’m not going to lie, I’ve been using it on the lowest setting because anything higher has been a bit intimidating.
Attachments
This version of the Theragun comes with five different attachments with different impact levels and shapes to get a full body experience. They are the following:
- The dampener (3/10 impact) best for tender or boney areas. Because I am a pain baby I use this one most often because it’s squishy.
- The standard ball (5/10 impact) for all over use. This is what you would expect from most standard Theraguns.
- The thumb (7/10 impact) for trigger points and the lower back. Think if this as a deep kneed when you go for a massage. It hurts so good.
- The cone (10/10 impact) for pinpoint muscle treatment, like hands and feet. This one is the most intimidating to me and I haven’t used it much.
- The wedge (5/10 impact) for shoulder blades and IT bands. This wedge design is ideal for scraping and flushing movements.
Therabody App
The app is what makes using the Theragun such a breeze. It break downs which attachment to use for how long and which intensity for each body parts. You can browse by warm-up or recovery depending on the activity, sports, type of workout, body parts and even lifestyle (WFH anyone?) I like that it makes using the Theragun a breeze because it shows exactly how to move the device through that body part and times it for you.
Final Verdict
Overall, it’s hard for me to say you need or don’t need a Theragun because they are pricey and I don’t ever want to be tell you that you need something retails over $500. That being said, if it’s within your budget I don’t think you’d be disappointed in your purchase. I notice that my range of motion has improved, post-workout aches didn’t last as long and the massage gun is way more effective than a regular old hand massage. I also have some tough to work spots, like deep in my glutes and a certain spot on the sole of my foot, that benefits greatly from using the Theragun vs just my own hands.
It’s also been a great ritual to add to my post-workout cool-down or even as a before-bed practice to help unwind. I’ve been using mine every single day before bed, focused mainly on my glutes and lower back since I am someone who walks everywhere or constantly sitting at a desk staring at a computer.
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