You should move the massage gun slowly around the muscle area in a circular motion and change the speed setting to suit your needs, with the highest speed reaching 3300 RPM. Start with a slow speed setting and increase it over time. But the most important rule is an easy one: to pay attention to your body and not ignore your instincts. If it’s uncomfortable or painful, stop. If it feels good, it most likely is good. Our experts at the MH Lab tested the mettle of the best massage guns on the market. And, as the list below shows, they were more than up to the challenge. It may be the size of a small water bottle, but it’s brimming with impressive features. You get five interchangeable heads (most mini massagers come with just one or two) and there are five speed settings to flit between, giving you a whopping 25 massage combos to try. If you need some guidance, there’s a handy user manual, which provides step-by-step routines for warm-up, mobility and recovery. According to our tester, these were genuinely useful.

Now that you know how to use all the massage gun heads, you’re ready to go! Don’t forget to experiment and find out what feels best and works best for you. It's definitely an investment, but if you really want to treat yourself, or have a partner who'll be using it as well, you may be able to justify spending the extra cash. The muscle guns below, marked with our Women’s Health Lab Approved logo, have been put to the test in our lab. Our expert tester has trialled them over a three-week period, using them around their hectic exercise schedule — made up of weightlifting, running, HIIT, yoga and more — to see how well each one helped muscles to recover. When using your Pro Massage Gun, you can simply choose one of the 6 available attachment heads, then place the gun on the desired muscle area and let the pulses do the work.

Move slowly up and down the length of the muscle for around 30 seconds – if you find a particularly sore spot (or ‘trigger point’), spend a little more time on it, but there's no need to apply more pressure. Try not to wince.

They’re designed to combat muscle soreness and aid recovery. It’s a deep tissue massage of sorts, achieved through rapid percussive movements that stimulate muscles, enhance blood flow and soften knots. You can use them while warming up or post-work out, and they feel good too, hitting all the right pressure points that can enhance the production of endorphins. At the very least, massage guns can provide some short-term relief for problem areas. Each massage gun was judged on overall effectiveness, as well as how well they could glide over muscles, how easy they were to control, the practicality of their design, and their strength. Bonus points were also on offer for any innovative features or smart additions like carry cases. The compact device comes with a sleek little travel case, with enough room to fit all the accessories, so you can easily take it to the gym or shove it in your suitcase if you’re jetting off on holiday. We examine and rate each of the massage guns for price, availability, design, features and battery life. We go hands-on on each percussive device by trying out the different heads across their specified uses, as well as any additional features such as heated or cooling functions. At the end of each review, we’ll tell you what kind of use, and individual, each gun is best suited for as well as a list of any weak points we found. Frequently asked questions: How do I use a massage gun the right way?

Frequently Asked Questions

verifyErrors }}{{ message }}{{ /verifyErrors }}{{ We found Shavron's muscle guide particularly useful, helping us identify which muscles we should be aiming for, and target them safely. However, because it's printed on paper rather than presented in an app (as with the Power Plate Mini+), it's a little fiddly to use with one hand while wielding the massage gun in the other. Priyankaa has an MA in Magazine Journalism from Cardiff University and over five years’ experience in health and fitness journalism. Priyankaa has written for Stylist’s Strong Women Training Club, where she regularly wrote about diversity in the fitness industry, nutrition tips, training advice and her experience completing various fitness challenges. She has also written for a variety of publications including Business Insider, Glamour, Bustle, Metro, HuffPost UK, gal-dem and more. The Power Plate Mini+ ranks highly in our best massage gun list thanks to its sheer convenience. It's one of the smallest guns we've tested, but its highest power settings still deliver a powerful massage that'll really help loosen tense muscles. Because the best massage guns are tools for recovery and relaxation. Something you use to get the most of your workouts, sure, but also the first thing you reach for after a particularly stressful day of work (especially if you're tapping away at a laptop on the kitchen table). It's a luxury and one that you deserve in your life.