STAYING CONSISTENT with coaching is hard for me when summer time journey and socializing ramp up. Because of a large number of things once I’m off my routine and away from dwelling, I discover restoration tends to endure first.
Simply once I wanted it probably the most, I obtained my palms on the Theragun Mini for a full month of intense testing. I’d simply began a brand new 6-week program utilizing the Caliber app to placed on some muscle and provides my latest sizzling yoga obsession a relaxation, and I used to be feeling it. So, I put this factor to the check to see if it may sustain with my restoration calls for on the go.
The primary pull of this therapeutic massage gun is its portability. May it actually slot in my purse or fanny pack? Sure and sure, leaving loads of house for different necessities, too. I used to be even in a position to slip it in my laptop computer sleeve on the times I didn’t really feel like bringing a bag to work. Plus, it would not weigh a lot (lower than 1.5 kilos), so I did not hesitate to throw it into my already stuffed checked baggage with out worry of tipping the dimensions.
On the morning earlier than a flight to Colorado, I hit the fitness center for a heavy leg day highlighting the deadlift, which I have not accomplished all summer time. I used to be nervous I would be sore as hell, particularly after my 6-hour flight, however I did not wish to let slip this system I would began only a week prior. Naturally, I Theragunned the entire automotive journey to the airport. Once I hopped off my flight in Denver, I wasn’t practically as stiff as I believed I’d be. Excessive altitude tends to make me really feel like I obtained hit by a bus irrespective of how I put together, however this time it was totally different.
I discovered the Mini to be a stable journey buddy, saving me from soreness in locations I would not have bothered schlepping my Theragun PRO (which I’ve used weekly for the previous two years). Bringing the Mini alongside on journeys served as a bit further nudge to remain in step with my coaching, realizing I had a software on-hand to assist maintain me grounded within the self-care routines I preserve at dwelling. After a protracted flight and a 40-mile bike journey at elevation in Breckenridge, CO, the Mini got here in clutch for a bit R&R to get me again on my toes in time for my dinner plans. To not point out, the following day, I awakened with manner much less soreness than I anticipated–I used to be able to take Day 2 of my trip head on.
Regardless of its smaller measurement, the Theragun Mini is solidly constructed, and would not compromise on the premium really feel Therabody is understood for. Its sturdiness is rock-solid. I put it by the wringer, banging it round throughout journey and day by day use. Once I’ve accomplished the identical factor to cheaper therapeutic massage weapons, scuffs and dings have surfaced rapidly. However the Mini fared higher: After a month of utilization, its single button nonetheless responds effectively, its pulse is as sturdy as ever, and its rubberized exterior is freed from any scratches.
All through my month attending to know the Mini, I zeroed in on particular muscle teams to see how its efficiency in comparison with the PRO. To get a good evaluation, I put the Theragun Mini and my Theragun PRO side-by-side. With an additional hand from my companion, we put every system to the check (Mini on the left, PRO on the proper, or vice versa), working by bilateral muscular tissues one after the other. We took goal at my traps and decrease again for on a regular basis tightness (I blame lengthy hours hunched over my keyboard). And went all out on my quads and calves to sort out the post-workout soreness my new program had bestowed to me.
As a long-time consumer of the PRO, I used to be skeptical of the Mini’s skill to ship the identical highly effective therapeutic massage. Nevertheless it blasted these doubts away. Regardless of its smaller amplitude (12 mm for the Mini, 16 mm for the PRO), I did not really feel any drop-off in therapeutic massage depth. Actuality is, you may alter the depth by making use of roughly strain with the system in opposition to your physique to compensate for the slight distinction in amplitude if it’s essential to. Once I requested Bespoke Remedies Co-Founder Dan Giordano, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., for his opinion on the Mini, he talked about being stunned by the punch it packs. As a result of it is so compact, he recommends maintaining it bedside to make use of proper earlier than sleep, which has the potential to activate the physique’s parasympathetic system, helping with inducing sleep, selling leisure, and facilitating restoration.
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In relation to getting aid from tightness and soreness with therapeutic massage weapons, it is much less about energy and extra about discovering that candy spot. Whereas the PRO comes with six interchangeable heads that will help you hit simply the proper spot, the Mini solely comes with three. In a manner, it is a aid to not have so many interchangeable heads, although, as a result of I need not maintain observe of them. And those included with the Theragun—the Thumb, Customary Ball, and Dampener—hit all of the notes that I wanted.
The Mini’s three pace settings had been easy to navigate, even for somebody like me who’s accustomed to the PRO’s wider vary of intensities. All through my testing, I discovered myself gravitating towards the bottom two speeds, which supplied a satisfying therapeutic massage–one which obtained into the candy spots in my muscular tissues with simply sufficient energy. The third setting was a bit too intense for my liking, leading to extra ‘ouch’ than ‘ahhh’ on my most tender muscular tissues. I do want the Mini’s pace settings supplied a extra gradual transition between speeds–the PRO’s 5 speeds progress extra easily.
Whereas it did not match the PRO’s tender tissue launch on the highest settings, it nonetheless did greater than sufficient to have me feeling prepared for the following day’s actions. My quads get insufferably tight–it normally takes a couple of minutes per aspect with the PRO on its third-highest setting to loosen them up. So, I nervous the primary time I used the Mini after squats that I would nonetheless be hobbling to dinner, however that stiffness dissolved after a few minutes on the second-highest pace. I by no means discovered myself needing to swap the Mini for the PRO for extra juice.
Which brings me to my subsequent level, and it is an underrated side—the Mini’s weight and stability. It is manner lighter, extra balanced, and general feels extra pure in hand in comparison with its huge brothers (or sisters, you get the purpose). The PRO weighs 2.8 kilos, whereas the Mini weighs lower than 1.5 kilos. This may increasingly not sound like a lot of a distinction. However once you’re utilizing it in your shoulders after an higher physique carry and your arms already really feel heavy as hell, you are going to respect that lighter system.
One other one of many pleasantly stunning options of the Mini is its battery life. Even with day by day utilization of 15-20 minutes straight, it managed to final me a full week earlier than needing a recharge. (Each fashions promise as much as 150 minutes per cost.) This reliability was a game-changer on my travels, as I did not even trouble packing the Mini’s charger on most events.
Theragun solved quite a lot of issues with the Mini. However one they did not remedy is the noise stage. I want I may carry it to work as a result of it really is moveable sufficient, however really is moveable sufficient, but it surely’s additionally so loud that you’re going to draw loads of stares in case you use it in a quiet workplace or on an airplane.
Whereas it might not substitute the Theragun PRO by way of attachments and depth, the Theragun Mini greater than compensates with its portability. Its mixture of energy, portability, and battery life make it price each penny for lively of us who crave that self-care ritual irrespective of the place they’re.
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Health and Commerce Editor
Talene Appleton is the Health and Commerce Editor at Males’s Well being, a NASM-CPT licensed coach, and former skilled dancer and chef. With a background in health, diet, and culinary arts, her ardour lies in inspiring others to guide wholesome lives by participating and research-driven content material. You will discover her work elsewhere at The Meals Institute, The Nessie, and different retailers.
Dan Giordao, D.P.T., C.S.C.S., is the co-founder of Bespoke Remedies, which focuses on sports activities and orthopedic rehab with an emphasis on handbook remedy and energy and conditioning. He is labored on medical groups on the USA observe and area Olympic trials and the IAAF observe and area world championships.
