Maybe you’re looking to improve blood flow after an intense workout, or maybe you just need to loosen those muscle knots after all those hours in less-than-ideal posture at your WFH setup. (Yes, you. This is your sign to relax your jaw and stop hunching your shoulders!) Either way, you’ve probably considered purchasing a massage gun at one point or another. 

Once you try one on your sore or tired muscles, you may never want to live without a massage gun in your home gym. They’re easy to use and feel so good pre-workout, post-workout, or just when you slept funny.

But buying a massage gun is one thing. Using one effectively is another. Here’s how to use a massage gun properly (and when it’s best to not use it), plus what to do with all of those funky-looking attachments it comes with.

 How Do Massage Guns Work?

Massage guns use targeted percussive therapy on muscles via the attachment head on the gun moving up and down at a rapid rate. (The Theragun Pro, for example, pulses 40 times per second.) This is the same kind of movement that makes you say “ahh” after a deep tissue massage. It can also help improve delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), flexibility, and mobility. 

“This momentarily increases blood flow to the area as well as desensitizes the area being treated,” says Jesse Feder, RDN, CPT, CSCS. “By constantly applying a stimulus to the muscles, your nervous system ‘calms down’ and can temporarily relieve pain, stiffness, and muscle aches.” 

It differs from another common therapy in the fitness world—vibration therapy. 

• Percussive therapy: Percussive therapy penetrates muscles deeper than its vibration counterpart. Massage guns like Theragun reach move up and down rapidly on the muscle, which can create an intense feeling of pressure. This also applies force to your fascia (the connective tissue that encases muscles, organs, and other parts of the body) or to reduce muscle tension.

• Vibration therapy: Vibration therapy also aims to reduce muscle tension with less intense pressure. Typically, items like foam rollers fall into this category, but some inexpensive massage gun options with less power can also have this effect. 

Both vibration and percussive therapy manipulate the sensation surrounding soft tissue, which helps reduce muscle soreness and fatigue after workouts . You’ll improve blood flow and tightness with both, but percussive therapy reaches deeper and is often more effective for hard-to-reach muscles. 

On the flip side, if you suffer from chronic pain and sensitive muscles, you may want to avoid percussive therapy and opt for the less intense vibration therapy. 

Either way, it’s also important to keep in mind what massage guns can’t do. “The massage gun does not do more than desensitize an area for a temporary amount of time,” says Victoria Sekely, DPT, CSCS and creator of Train Smart Run Strong. “There is zero change to your fascia or musculature. But if it feels good, then it’s beneficial because it feels good, not because anything is actually changing.”

When To Use a Massage Gun

Massage guns have many applications, but the most common uses are to desensitize muscular tension and warm up muscles.

Keep in mind that different massage guns are best suited for different needs, and it’s important to read the manufacturer’s instructions on your specific device to get the most bang for your buck.

Pre-Workout Massage Gun Routine

A massage gun can be used in your pre-workout routine to help warm up your muscles. This increases blood flow to the parts of your body you’re going to exercise. When your muscles are activated and warm, it may also improve your range of motion during your workout.

Note that a massage gun should be only one part of your pre-workout routine. You should continue incorporating light cardio and dynamic stretching to reduce the risk of injury. 

How long should you use your massage gun pre-workout? Use the massage gun for about five minutes total to boost blood circulation. You can rotate between different muscles every 30 seconds. 

Post-Workout Massage Gun Routine

To help your body cool down after a workout, use the massage gun on the body parts that you worked out the most. This will help relax your nervous system and keep the circulation strong so your fatigued muscles get plenty of oxygen and nutrients to recover.

Let’s say you just finished a strenuous run. (Don’t worry, treadmills count too.) Your routine with the massage gun could look like this: 

• Two-minute massage on the glutes (your butt)

• Three-minute massage on the vastus lateralis and medialis (lateral thighs and quads)

• Two-minute massage on the semimembranosus, semitendinosus, and biceps femoris (hamstrings)

• Two-minute massage on the gastrocnemius (calves)

The above routine can be used directly after the run, then again in 24-36 hours. 

How long should you use your massage gun post-workout? After your workout, use the massage gun for two to three minutes on each muscle that was activated. This may help the muscle feel looser without causing more pain.

Muscle Reactivation Massage Gun Routine

If your muscles start to spasm or feel fatigued, you can use the massage gun to reactivate that specific muscle. Then, continue your workout!

“The physiology behind deep vibration starts with the stimulation of our deep pressure receptors, Pacinian corpuscles , which are located under our skin,” says Dr. Courtney James, DPT, Lecturer of Anatomy and Physiology at Curry College, and owner of PT Prehab, LLC.

She explains that once these receptors (or muscles) detect the high-frequency vibration, they send a signal to higher neural pathways, triggering a cascade reaction. 

“This ultimately relaxes the muscle spindles through a reflex pathway which allows the muscle fibers to assume a more relaxed state,” says James. 

How long should you use your massage gun for reactivation? Muscle activation, or stimulating a muscle group that’s otherwise fatigued, can take 10-15 minutes. It’s important to honor your body—and yes, we’ll mention it again, the manufacturer’s instructions—before using your massage gun on a single area for more than three minutes. 

How To Treat Sore Muscle

While nothing (other than time) can completely eliminate sore muscles for good, massage guns are proven to provide temporary relief . 

Make sure that the setting and attachment you’re using don’t cause you pain and that the treatment feels good.

How long should you use your massage gun for recovery? To treat DOMS, use your massage gun for three to five minutes on each muscle group. Continue for 10-15 minutes, but don’t exceed 20.

How To Use A Massage Gun Properly

Just like how different workouts are better for different people, certain massage guns will work better for some than others. In general, though, you want to follow the same basic steps below, no matter the brand. Then you can work your way up to more intense settings.

1. Choose your attachment: Depending on the muscle group you’re working, decide if you need an attachment that’s best for smaller areas or larger ones. Bullets tend to be targeted attachments best for small muscles, while large balls are best for bigger muscle groups.

2. Turn on your device away from your body: Before you touch skin to gun, power on the device away from your body. This will help avoid injury and find a setting that feels most comfortable.

3. Start slow: Even if you’ve used a massage gun umpteen times, start slow and gradually increase it. Just like when you roll out your yoga mat, you may have a day where you slip right into a handstand scorpion, and another where you struggle to do any inversions at all. Just. Start. Slow. 

4. Don’t use pressure: The goal is to help decrease inflammation, not cause more. When using your massage gun, “float” on top of your skin versus applying pressure. 

5. Move on: Channel your inner Ariana Grande and say “Thank u, next” about every two minutes. Moving to different muscle groups frequently will help avoid overworking your muscles. If you begin to feel pain while using the massage gun, you may have overworked it.