Skip to main content

The Manual may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site.

The 11 Best Massage Guns for Your Post-Workout Recovery

Snailax Mini Massage Gun
Snailax Mini Massage Gun
Jump to details
Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth Percussion Massager
Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth
Jump to details
Theragun PRO
Theragun PRO
Jump to details
TimTam All New Power Massager
TimTam All New Power Massager
Jump to details
Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Massager
Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Massager
Jump to details
NordicTrack Percussion Recovery Gun
NordicTrack Percussion Recovery Gun
Jump to details
Kraftgun Force
Kraftgun Force
Jump to details
Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager
Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager
Jump to details
VYBE Percussion Massage Gun
VYBE Percussion Massage Gun
Jump to details
Musclegun Carbon
Musclegun Carbon
Jump to details
HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager
HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager
Jump to details

Massage guns are great tools to assist with muscle recovery and many pro teams and athletes around the world praise the tool for its ability to help them warm up, stay loose, and speed up the recovery process. Of course, a healthy diet can also contribute to a better performance in the gym next session, so it's crucial to have the best workout recovery food on hand after each workout.

Massage guns work by increasing blood flow in muscles, which is important in both training and recovery. Things like foam rollers and traditional massages also aid in blood flow, but foam rollers aren't precise and massages for men can get expensive quickly. Massage guns are like a DIY deep tissue massage, and regular use can help prevent delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), enhance flexibility, and improve lymphatic flow.

snailax mini massage gun
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Snailax Mini Massage Gun

Give your muscles some relief with this 4-speed mini massager. You can give yourself a deep tissue massage and even switch between 4 different massage heads in order to really work those kinks out.

Snailax Mini Massage Gun
Snailax Mini Massage Gun
Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth

This massage gun runs at three speeds: 1,800 percussions per minute (PPM), 2,400 PPM, and 3,180 PPM and includes five removable tips to target specific areas of your body. The Bluetooth feature on the Hyperice guides you through the massage process with precise advice to alleviate sore muscles. It's a great tool for beginners who are new to the benefits of massage guns to help you learn how to work each and every muscle.

Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth Percussion Massager
Hyperice Hypervolt Plus Bluetooth

Theragun PRO

This is the Cadillac of massage guns. Theragun is the trailblazer of massage gun products, and their PRO model is best-in-class. This massage gun is 60% quieter than previous models and offers four unique arm positions to reach every part of the body. The customizable speed range can be controlled via Bluetooth in the Thereagun gun app and toggles between 1,750 to 2,400 percussions per minute. It reaches 60% deeper into your muscle than other massagers to relieve tension at the root of your discomfort.

Theragun PRO
Theragun PRO

TimTam All New Power Massager

Pro athletes including UFC legend Georges "Rush" St-Pierre, Olympic bronze medalist Dominique Blake, and MMA coach Firas Zahabi love the TimTam massager for its incredible power and immediate relief. The industrial-grade motor delivers 2,500 powerful strokes per minute and one charge is good for over 40 minutes of continuous use.

TimTam All New Power Massager
TimTam All New Power Massager

Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Massager

This budget-friendly option provides all-around and targeted muscle relief at a fraction of the cost of the other massagers on this list. Featuring four unique attachment heads and variable power speeds of up to 3,350 pulses per minute, this handheld device is a vibrating powerhouse. Sore muscles are no match for this massager.

Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Massager
Wahl Deep Tissue Percussion Massager

NordicTrack Percussion Recovery Gun

NordicTrack makes some of the best home gym equipment on the market, and their recovery massager is no exception. The massage gun comes with three textured attachments to targeted relief and three speeds. It's lightweight and reasonably priced coming from a legacy fitness brand like NordicTrack. Perfect for amateur athletes, this is a great low-cost yet effective entry into percussion therapy.

NordicTrack Percussion Recovery Gun
NordicTrack Percussion Recovery Gun

Kraftgun Force

The Kraftgun is the closest direct competitor to Theragun and has all the bells and whistles you would expect, including three attachments, three speeds of up to 2,400 revolutions per minute, and up to 3.5 hours of work time on a single charge. This relatively quiet massage gun (only 65 decibels) weighs just 2.2 pounds, making it comfortable to handle for extended periods of time to really loosen tight muscles, especially around the back.

Kraftgun Force
Kraftgun Force
Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager

Work out those muscles with soothing heat and dual heads. This cordless handheld massage may not technically be a gun, but it works just the same. You can use it with or without heat and you can switch between 3 sets of massage heads for an intense massage that alleviates muscle fatigue.

Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager
Snailax Cordless Handheld Back Massager

VYBE Percussion Massage Gun

This excellent Theragun dupe offers all the benefits of a pricy massage gun at half the cost. The VYBE offers nine speeds with a percussion vibration of 1,800 to 3,400 strokes per minute to get deep into the tight, knotty areas of your muscles. Eight massage heads target every muscle group and ensure complete relief from muscle soreness. With a powerful vibration and quiet motor, this massager definitely holds its own weight against pricier models.

VYBE Percussion Massage Gun
VYBE Percussion Massage Gun

Musclegun Carbon

Great for beginners, the MuscleGun Carbon has a stall force of 50, which is less aggressive than other models. If you're new to massage therapy, it's a great tool to start out with and help you understand how to harness the power of massage guns to alleviate pain and soreness. Featuring five speed settings, four attachment heads, and four-hour battery life, this lightweight gun works out any tightness or kinks within minutes.

Musclegun Carbon
Musclegun Carbon

HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager

HoMedics has been a pioneer in massage devices for years. Their percussion massager combines their acclaimed massage technology with the convenience and power that athletes and fitness enthusiasts expect from a massage gun. Three intensity levels, four interchangeable attachments, plus three massage programs allow you to customize a therapy that's right for you. If you workout often, this tool is a must-have for reducing stiffness and pain.

HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager
HoMedics Therapist Select Percussion Massager

They may look like some sort of power tool but massage guns are super simple to operate. All you have to do is point, shoot, and massage. The massage gun will do the rest to ease those muscles into recovery mode.

Editors' Recommendations

Joe Morales
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Joe Morales is a trained chef with over five years of experience working in fine dining and Michelin recommended restaurants…
Working out at a gym is overrated: The best at-home workout equipment for men
Check out all the at-home workout equipment you need for the ultimate home gym
Shirtless man exercising at home.

Working out in the comfort of your own home easily tops going to the gym when it comes to convenience, time efficiency, and privacy (you can blare your own music unapologetically, too). And, rather than be subjected to the temperature and vibe of a jam-packed gym, you’re able to fully customize the environment of your home workout space according to your preferences, fitness goals, and needs.

However, if you want the functionality and options you get at the gym, you have to invest the money and space to equip your home workout space with the exercise equipment you need. The good news is that the increasing popularity of working out at home in recent years has driven an explosion of high-quality, commercial-grade home exercise equipment with functionality and features that rival what you get with a hefty gym membership fee. With such a wide range of options available, you can outfit your home gym with all your favorite exercise equipment and have varied, challenging, and effective workouts right from the comfort of your own home.

Read more
The best fitness gear to maximize your post-workout recovery
Use this equipment to help your body recuperate after a hard workout
A man using a massager on his leg on a yoga mat in the living room.

While the exercises themselves make up a big part of your workout routine, you can't forget about recovery! Skipping rest and recovery can increase your risk of injuries while minimizing the effectiveness of the work you consistently put in. To help encourage a healthy workout recovery routine, we have compiled 13 gear items that we highly recommend.

Read more
This is the best workout gear when you need to layer up
Don't let the cold weather keep you from getting your fitness on
Man running in the winter weather.

Staying consistent with your fitness routine can be quite the challenge during the long and frigid winter months. The days are the shortest of the year, with the waning sun setting in what seems like the early afternoon. Temperatures can drop to sub-zero on an all too often basis. Just traveling to and from your house to work, let alone the gym, can be a daunting task in and of itself.

But spring can bring its own challenges. Depending on where you live, March and April weather could be balmy or you could be facing weeks more of snowy weather. (And, for a lot of us, springtime means a weird fluctuation between both extremes, which makes preparing for a workout even harder.)

Read more