Sore Muscles? Here Are the Best Massage Guns on Amazon
You don't need to venture to specialty stores or niche websites to find relief.
The highs of working out often come with the lows: fatigue, muscle soreness and tightness. Luckily, your post-workout doesn't have to feel this way. Massage guns have gained massive popularity in the past few years, and for good reason — they're affordable, portable and provide (almost) instant relief after an intense workout. From the most advanced to the entry-level, here are the best massage guns you can buy on Amazon.
A Quick Download on DOMS
Believe it or not, that achy feeling you experience days after a hard – or brand-new – workout has a name. Delayed-Onset Muscle Syndrome, or DOMS, is the pain experienced after training. These aches typically show up 12 to 24 hours after a workout, peaking about three days after the initial activity and easing up thereafter. While some wear these DOMS as a badge of honor, they can sideline us from our favorite fitness routines, leaving us to deal with tender muscles, a decreased range of motion and other symptoms.
Percussive massage guns can be a great way to defend against the dreaded DOMS, particularly with post-workout recovery routines. Massage guns work by increasing blood flow to the targeted area, stimulating the muscles through rapid tapping and deep penetration, similar to the Swedish massage technique of tapotement.
Which Head Attachment Should You Use for Which Modality?
One of the perks of percussive massage guns is their plethora of head attachments that suit multiple recovery needs and routines. You can cater each attachment to a specific need, from larger heads covering wider surface areas to smaller attachments for precise, fine-tuning therapy.
While there’s no wrong answer when it comes to getting that deep-tissue treatment – and each brand offers its own individual package of attachments – here are five common head styles to look for when choosing your massage gun.
- Cushioned – Great for novice users just getting used to percussive therapy. It can also be a great option for sensitive areas, such as the neck.
- Ball/Round – Less rigid than other options, this attachment style can be a great warmup tool, combining the benefits of large surface coverage without the precision of narrower tools.
- Flat – A true workhorse, the flat head can be great for attacking large muscle areas, like the thighs and calves, in less time. Plenty of vibration and little give; expect to see some serious action with the flat attachment.
- Fork/Spine – An attachment style more catered to a specific area, the fork attachment can be perfect for spinal percussive therapy, working both sides of the spinal column at once. Some brands offer an arched head that works in a similar fashion, without the gap in-between the two narrow prongs.
- Bullet/Thumb – If you want to really dig into those knots and aches, this is the head to choose. A narrow design allows for optimal precision, but this pinpoint treatment can be a little much, especially for inexperienced users. It’s best to start slow and work your way up to this attachment style.
How to Choose a Massage Gun on Amazon
Navigating product pages on the massive retailer can be a convoluted conundrum at times, especially if you’re not sure what to look for. Below are a handful of specs and statistics worth mining when looking for a massage gun on Amazon.
Key Specs
Like any motorized tool, there are some measurements you want to be mindful of when choosing the right massage guns for your needs. Stall force is the amount of pressure that can be applied to the gun itself before it bogs down, i.e., how much you can push into a muscle before the gun stops working. Amplitude, on the other hand, is how far the head moves back and forth in one percussion. Higher stall forces indicate a stronger, more resilient motor, while longer amplitude measurements showcase a gun that’s more capable of reaching deeper into the muscle for treatment.
You’ll also want to locate your massage gun’s available speeds when deciphering product descriptions. This is typically given in a range of RPM, along with how many toggles the device offers across this spectrum. Quality massage guns typically feature a max speed of anywhere from 2,500–3,200 RPM, so look for models that have a top end around this measurement.
While many quality massage guns do list all of these statistics within their product descriptions, some require a little more digging. Don’t fret, though — we’ve done the homework and included these key metrics for each of the top picks below.
Battery Life
When choosing a massage gun on Amazon, you also want to consider the battery life of the device. After all, percussive therapy sort of loses its relieving qualities if your tools are underpowered before you get into a session. Look for massage guns that are capable of multiple hours of continuous runtime. This should be enough to power multiple sessions in a week without the need for multiple charges in-between.
Attachments
As stated above, having a good mix of available attachments can keep you better equipped to target the myriad of aches and pains that can pop up throughout your fitness journey. Be sure to look at the styles of heads included with the massage gun to see if they’re right for your personal needs. We recommend searching for devices offering between 4–5 attachments. This keeps your kit versatile enough for treatment without cluttering up your carrying case or storage space with a slew of unused plastic heads.
Ergonomics
One of the benefits of massage guns is that they can be utilized across many muscle areas, but that range of coverage can be quickly cut down if you can’t get to them in the first place. This comes down to how lightweight the device is, as well as how comfortable and maneuverable it is in your hands. This can be a little difficult to determine through a screen, but good indicators of an ergonomic build include an angled handle, lightweight frame or included extensions to help you reach far-off areas like the middle of your back and spine.