How to use a Massage Gun Guide
Massage Guns are going Mainstream in 2021
New technology and products continue to be developed to address functions that used to be done manually. New innovations allow users to operate fully automated and more efficiently. A massage gun is one of these modern products. Like other emerging technology gadgets, massage guns are starting to proliferate in the market, each brand trying to lead in getting early mass adoption.
What is a Massage Gun and What Are Its Benefits?
A massage gun is a handheld, rechargeable device that has been designed to allow you to pound a muscle yourself harder, faster, and with very little effort. These new recovery tools allow you to run them over your traps, quads, calves, or other tight muscle groups to loosen tissue, increase blood flow and ease soreness and pain temporarily.
Massage guns perform a deep, intense simulation of the muscle described as percussion. The action goes beyond vibration in decreasing muscle tension, helping the muscle relax, and stimulating blood flow; they penetrate about an inch more into the target muscle. The top massage gun products available in the market typically can perform 2,400 to 3,600 percussions per minute, have multiple speed settings of up to 30, and can have multiple attachable heads designed to deliver distinct oscillation effects.
Many physical fitness enthusiasts and bodybuilders believe that using massage guns aids them in their objective to burn fat, build muscle, and lift heavier weights.
Research indicates that the vibratory effect of massage guns before exercise may prevent soreness the same way traditional massage does. They can provide some short-term relief at the very least. It is believed that with massage guns, hitting the right pressure points can enhance the production of endorphins that let you feel good.
Tips and Precautions to Consider When Using Massage Guns
Avoid running the machine over bones and joints. Move the gun slowly across the muscle around 1-2 inches per second.
A massage gun is not (yet) an intelligent device that can determine the difference between muscle, bone, nerve, and fascia. It doesn’t know if tissue is too tight or too loose nor does it know if you are injured. Directed on to the muscle group it should do its job of providing percussive action.
A massage gun is a powerful tool, so keep it in a low setting. Higher settings are reserved for truly massive, heavyweight folks.
With frequent use, the effects may diminish. Instead of using the massage gun every day, it is advisable to vary your approach, e.g., massage gun, foam rolls, and contrast baths, by rotating their use.
There is no need to dig the massage gun into the body to add excessive pressure. Also, spend no more than 1-2 minutes on a large muscle group like the quadriceps.
Avoid painful areas; you may be running over vulnerable areas such as a bony prominence or a vein-artery nerve bundle. Pounding on these areas can lead to neuropathy, numbness in the hands, and other problems long- term.
Some experts suggest that ideally, a massage gun should be used as an addition to working with professional massage therapists to complement what they do.
Fun Fact: Massage guns aren’t just a fad. They are arousing interest among health and fitness and bodybuilding enthusiasts for their useful benefits as a warmup, workout, or recovery tools.
Steps on How to Use Massage Guns
Massage guns operate like a vibrating foam roller except that they are easier to use and more natural. Upon turning a massage gun on, you will hear a whirring sound.
Aim the gun on the desired muscle that you are trying to loosen or warm-up. Keep it about an inch away from your skin and let it pulsate back and forth. You will feel it causing your muscles to relax and promoting blood flow. With the pulses doing their job, there’s no need to press extra-hard with your massage gun. You can linger on a trigger point that you find being a knotty area of muscle that’s a little more sensitive and painful than the rest of the muscle. The gun will work inside the target tissues with its small back-and-forth oscillation shaking your fillings out.
When Should I Use a Massage Gun?
A massage gun is both a training and recovery tool. It can be used while warming up, during, or after a workout.
When used in a warm-up, a massage gun performs percussive therapy. Initially, it heightens blood flow in your targeted muscles. The pulsating action then turns on your sympathetic nervous system that preps your body for activity and sport. If you are trying to prime for a workout, aim at the muscle group you want to train. Spend 30 seconds working on it, staying on the thickest part of the muscle, and working back and forth along the span of each muscle.
During the workout, the massage gun increases blood flow. It shuttles nutrients into the muscle and removes blood that may have pooled in the muscles, which is commonly experienced by people following long periods of inactivity. Use the massage gun for 15 seconds on a muscle area that feels tense. Doing so will increase blood flow and excite the muscle, loosening it again for the rest of your workout.
A massage gun may facilitate the removal of metabolites, waste products associated with exercise, which can cause burning in the muscles if used directly after a workout. It can also help you relax your nervous system after your body reaches a heightened state shifting it into recovery mode. Use your massage gun by moving it up and down each muscle group for 90 to 120 seconds.
Make them part of your fitness arsenal.
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