Ekrin B37 Massage Gun Australia - Best Way To Use A Muscle Recovery Tool

21 Jul

With correct technique and the right massage gun, the benefits of percussive therapy are huge for recovering faster from training

The Ekrin B37 massage gun is really the perfect demo for showing how to use a massage gun for muscle recovery. Imagine being able to carry your personal massage therapist with you everywhere you go.

Massage has been a way to recover from exercise, relax, destress and relieve stiff joints and muscles for centuries. Traditional massage can get pretty expensive if you aim for even one session per week, let alone after every session. Modern recovery has brought us an effective alternative for muscle recovery though - the massage therapy gun.

In this article, using the Ekrin B37 Massage Gun in Australia we discuss how and why to use a massage gun by limb and even a heads up on where not to use a massage gun.

We know a lot about recovery from training, competing and day to day life and have used massage guns heavily in our training and recovery regime to great effect. There are a plethora of massage guns on the market and they are most certainly not created equally.

It is true that it is sometimes very difficult to compete with overall experience and feel of a set of hands, but the convenience, cost effectiveness, reliability and ability to self-massage makes a massage gun a no-brainer for anyone from athletes to average joes to have in their muscle recovery arsenal. You will find massage guns at most good gyms and wellness/recovery centres these days and for good reason.

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What Does A Massage Gun Do?

There are plenty of recent studies showing the effectiveness of percussive therapy for muscle recovery including benefits relating to reducing delayed onset muscle soreness, reducing lactic acid build up and reducing pain/soreness. The trick is knowing exactly how to use a massage gun to maximise its benefits, while minimising the risk of incorrect use. We are using the Ekrin Athletics B37 in this article to do exactly that.

Massage Guns Reduce DOMS - Ekrin B37

Research tells us that using massage guns are just as effective as traditional massage in the prevention of delayed onset muscle soreness - a dreaded beast that affects even the most seasoned athletes after a heavy training session. With a meta-analysis of 10 studies with a combined 258 participants, vibrational therapy improved recovery results at the 24, 48 and 72 hour marks.

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Massage Guns Reduce Pain Perception - Ekrin B37

Not only that, using a massage gun for athletic performance has proven useful in the area of pain management. Using a massage gun in your warmup can reduce your perception of pain and muscular fatigue intra workout. Using the Ekrin B37 massage gun for 10-20 minutes pre and post exercise has significantly improved our pain levels following training.

Massage Guns Increase Range Of Motion - Ekrin B37

Range of motion is an essential element of injury prevention. Injury prevention is an essential element of maintaining quality of life whether you are an athlete or not. Whether you’re using a massage gun to prepare for your next death race or for simply relieving stiff muscles after sitting at a desk all day, the range of motion benefits still apply. Research has shown massage gun use helps to increase range of motion in movement, which is good news for both pre and post exercise users. Increasing range of motion effectively gives us greater control in performing movements relating to performance exercise as well as day-to-day movements. The Ekrin B37 massage gun includes a handy 15 degree angle to reach far and wide across the body to improve range of motion anywhere.

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Ekrin B37 Massage Gun Review

Bottom Line: The Ekrin B37 massage gun takes the cake for battery life at 8 hours, is super ergonomically sound with a 15 degree angle and is ultra quiet at 35-55 decibels, meaning it rivals top of the range massage guns for almost ¼ of the price, also including a 30 day money back guarantee.

Price: $229.99

Attachments: 4 varying shaped attachments

Weight: 998 grams

Amplitude: 12mm of amplitude

RPM: 5 preset speeds ranging from 1400-3200 rpm

Battery Life: 8 hours battery which is the best massage gun battery life on the market

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How To Use A Massage Gun - Ekrin B37 Australia

No matter the massage gun, there are some basic steps to using a massage therapy gun for best effect. Using the Ekrin Athletics B37 massage gun in Australia, we jump through 7 simple steps to using a massage gun for best practice:

Select the best attachment for your desired area of focus. We talk about best attachments for different areas of the body a little later in the article.Turn on the Theragun without putting it on your body. That may seem like a minor thing, but it’s important for better control. And resting the Theragun on your muscle and then turning it on can be a little jarring.
Turn on the massage gun before placing it on the body. Doing so is better for control over pressure especially for really tender areas.
Set your breathing rate to a slow, steady and relaxed inhale and exhale. This will help with muscle relaxation and relieving tension.
Slowly add pressure to the body part and adjust speed as required.
Float the massage gun over the muscle, avoiding actual bony areas.
On finding a knot, rest the massage gun in situ and increase pressure if required - holding for 10-15 seconds before moving on.
We recommend continuing for 2-3 minutes in one area and a minimum of 10-15 minutes for an effective full body release session. Less or more is fine too, just be mindful of over working tender areas and causing more pain and inflammation on the muscle.

Using The Ekrin B37 Massage Gun For Exercise Warm-Up

Traditionally, massage guns are seen as a purely post-workout tool. Although it is true that the majority of users only buy massage guns for after training, we are here to tell you you could be getting a little more bang for your buck out of your massage gun by utilising it in your warm up too.

Not only do we recommend incorporating the Ekrin B37 massage gun into your warm up routine, science tells us that using a massage gun as vibrational therapy in a warmup can increase flexibility, improve balance, and reduce post exercise DOMS.

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For warming up with a massage gun we recommend exercise specific targeted use. What we mean by this is focussing the massage gun around areas of the body that will be used in the upcoming session opr workout. For example: for runners, we would suggest attaching the round foam attachment (suitable for all over use) included with the Ekrin B37 Massage Gun, and working from the bottom up. A 10-minute all round massage of the legs starting from the feet, working up each calf, onto the quads and finishing on the hips and glutes, will give the legs a great activation prior to stepping off. We generally would incorporate this with some dynamic stretching.

Using The Ekrin B37 Massage Gun On The Back And Neck

The back and neck can be a delicate and tricky area to use a massage gun on. Luckily, the Ekrin B37 massage gun comes with a fork attachment that is perfect for massaging around the spine as it allows the vertebrae to sit in between the forks. In any case, we highly recommend operating the massage gun at the lowest speed when massaging around the neck and back.

For the neck and back we usually operate with a buddy. Although the Ekrin Athletics B37 massage gun has a pretty handy 15 degree angle that makes it possible to do some self massage on the back and neck, we have found that if you can relax the arms (which isn’t really possible doing it yourself) while a partner operates the massage gun and slowly feels their way around the neck and back it is much more enjoyable and effective. We generally aim for 5 minutes working from the neck and traps, down to the edges of each rhomboid (next to the scapula) and down the spine, being careful to avoid other organs like the kidneys when using on the back.

Using The Ekrin B37 Massage Gun On The Chest And Arms

Tight shoulders and forearms can come about from a broad range of reasons. Overuse from repetitive strain or chronically tight forearms from grip related fatigue can be managed using a massage gun. Similarly, any excessive overhead movements that one might find in lifting and shifting heavy objects or from training specific fatigue like that which you would expect from crossfit and powerlifting can be alleviated using a massage gun.

For the shoulder we recommend using the Flat head or Round (foam) head included with the Ekrin B37 Massage Gun, focussing on the outer-most mass of the shoulder muscle and the rear deltoid, avoiding the bony areas of the shoulder like the front deltoids or around the clavicle (shoulder blade).

For an overall arm recovery/warmup we would spend 3-5 minutes each arm starting at the deltoid and working down softly over the biceps and tricep then onto the forearms. We found the Bullet attachment handy for getting a little deeper into the forearms which tend to be chronically contracted for a lot of us.

For releasing the muscles around the chest, it can be a little uncomfortable to press the massage gun perpendicular to the chest and ribs particularly if the chest muscles are tender. We recommend setting the Ekrin B37 massage gun at a 45 degree angle so that the percussions are a little less up-and-down and is more of a lateral movement. For the chest we stick to the Round (foam) attachment which is suitable for big muscle groups.

Using The Ekrin B37 Massage Gun On The Legs, Glutes And Feet

This is the area of the body everyone loves to smash with the Ekrin B37 massage gun, us included! Generally, most good massage guns will come with between 4-7 different attachments. We find that it is easy to transition between all available types of attachments when coming up against the different muscle groups in the hips, legs and feet.

The hips are a massive trouble area for a lot of people and can be affected by both chronically contracted muscles and weak or ‘switched off’ muscles. The massage can be an effective tool to both release tight muscles and warm up under-active muscles in preparation for movement.

Starting in the hips, we like to get pretty aggressive here and increase the speed to level 3 or 4, while utilising the Bullet attachment included in the Ekrin B37 Massage Gun. We generally spend 2-3 minutes mashing out the hips then move down to the quads where we find the Flat or Round Head the most effective and manageable for tight quads. This area can get super ticklish for some people so it is important to really communicate and ease into it when massaging a partner. Whilst using the massage gun on the quads we find it even more effective to flex and extend the leg as we work the tool up and down the quad.

For the hamstrings, it can be difficult to get into a position to allow the muscle to switch off so that the massage gun can gain access. Lying on the side of the hip with the hand planted and the leg at a 90 degree bend seems to allow you to get into the hamstring effectively and for here we like to attach the Fork head.

The calves can either be a pleasurable experience or absolute hell depending on their condition. For super tight, locked up calves we spend about 2 minutes on each and use the Flat attachment included with the Ekrin massage gun, but for a bit more spice, we like to Fork head which works well when you move towards the thinner part of the calves near the ankle.

Don’t forget the feet! The feet are often the most neglected area but are the first point of contact for the majority of our movement, especially for things like running. 1-2 minutes on the arch of the foot using the Round (foam) head included with the Ekrin massage gun (or the Bullet head to get in a little more focussed pressure) is super nice and relaxing for the feet after a massive day on the feet or of course after a running session.

Where To Avoid Using A Massage Gun

In general, massage guns are safe to use on the body for pre and post exercise purposes. In saying that, there are a few areas to avoid and, as always, we recommend seeking professional advice for medical related enquiries. As a general rule, we recommend not using a massage gun on the following areas:

Bony areas like knees, shoulder blades, face or head;
Areas that are injured by sprains or strains that may just be further inflamed by percussive therapy;
Any areas with untreated or unexplained pain that may be more sinister than muscular aches and pains;
Any wound sights with cuts or abrasions that would be further compromised by a massage gun.

Conclusion

There are obviously endless ways to use a massage gun. It is such a subjective experience and is often dependent on the current state of the body as to how to use a massage gun most effectively. Heck, sometimes it might even do you better to book in for a massage from a set of hands. We just know the value of being able to carry around a gadget you can access any time for a limited cost and give yourself some fast and effective muscle recovery and relief from the aches and pains of training or daily life. The Ekrin B37 massage gun is definitely one of the top value massage guns for functionality and price and we hope you are all a little more equipped with some knowledge of how to effectively employ your massage gun for different areas of the body after reading this. Don’t forget to use discount code GURU20 for 20% off at checkout.