Massage guns have many advantages. For example, they loosen muscles, boost the regeneration and help against tension. But how often can and should you use a massage gun? I would like to answer this question in the following article.
Dependence on the Use Case
First and foremost, the frequency of use depends on the application. Therefore, I would like to explain how often you should use the massage gun to activate muscles, relieve sore muscles or treat cellulite. But before that, let me tell you one thing:
You should massage the same muscle group every two to three days. Massage also stresses the muscles to a certain extent. It has to recover from this before you should load it in the same way. A daily massage is therefore not optimal.
But here is the list of how often you should use the massage gun for different activities:
- Muscle Activation – You should activate the muscles directly before the workout as part of the warm-up. A massage is usually sufficient for this purpose.
- Reducing Muscle Soreness – Muscle soreness can be treated in two ways: Either by massaging the muscles once right after the workout or by massaging gently when the soreness is acute. Read more here: Do Massage Guns work for Sore Muscles?
- Relieving Tension – Tension should always be treated with a massage when it is acute.
- Treatment of Cellulite – To treat cellulite, the affected areas should be massaged regularly (every few days). Learn more about this here: Can a Massage Gun help with Cellulite?
Start slowly and step up
When you use the massage gun for the first time, you should always start with low intensity. When you get used to it, you can slowly increase the intensity. You should never start with too high intensity. This can lead to the muscle not being relaxed or fascia loosening. Instead, it can cause overload, which in turn can hurt the muscle rather than help it.
For the same reason, as mentioned earlier, you should allow approximately 48 to 72 hours between treatments on the same muscle. If you are working at a lower intensity and the muscle has become accustomed to it, you may be able to massage more frequently.
At best, massage several Times throughout the Day
In addition to the intensity of the massage gun and the frequency of the massages, their length also plays a crucial role. Thus, the massage of the same muscle should not last longer than 120 seconds. Otherwise, the muscle can also be damaged. Much better are short treatments of 30 to 60 seconds per muscle. You can do this several times during the day. This is especially beneficial for (mild) tension.
Conclusion – How often should you use a Massage Gun?
There are a few things to consider when it comes to how often you should use a massage gun. For example, various factors, such as the intensity level, the duration of the massage, as well as the application, all play a role. In general, you should not massage the same muscle too many times in a row. Also, many shorter massages are more useful than one very long one.
I hope that my article could help you!
