Recovery tools. Powerdot/Compex vs Theragun and massage gun

HI All,

I am looking to help my recovery along with particularly my quads. I was just wondering what people recommend and what the difference is in terms of recovery between an EMS system and a massage gun particularly the Theragun or hypervolt.

I like the idea to just sit around and have the ems system do its thing while i watch tv etc or work. However, if the Thera gun is more beneficial i would rather go with that.

I want the best of my recovery time and not sure if the EMS system actually helps that much with recovery ?

Let me know your thoughts.

Just my personal opinion but I’m sure a few here will share it - I think just like with training, there’s no shortcuts to recovery. Sleep well, eat well, and get some good chill time in if you can.

Everything I’ve seen about “recovery aids” like you mention indicates there’s either zero evidence they’re beneficial, or the benefits are so incredibly marginal that they’d only be worth it if you’re a pro - in which case these companies are probably sending this stuff to you for free anyway provided you post Instagram stories of you using it occasionally :wink:

Happy to be proven wrong though!

Ediit: also, you might be interested in this discussion thread:

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I use a HyperVolt because it feels good, but I’m honestly not sure I believe it improves training or recovery. I hate foam rollers, so I use the gun. I’ve had injuries while rolling and while not rolling. Like so many things in sport, I feel like it’s all about personal opinion. If you think it works, it works.

Pretty much seconding this… but I will say that in the cases where you’re dealing with more acute symptoms/injuries, there may be some benefit to such devices. As a runner who notoriously had Achilles issues, using something to specifically target my calves was useful because overly tight calves can stress the Achilles more.

Sleep, eating, etc will always win out in the big picture. Of course there’s always the “if it works for you, no reason not to”.

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Hi
I use an ActiGun, got it in a sale. I used to have girlfriend who would do my massage after long rides, 125 miles + ( She was a trained and had a business doing massage). They really helped with recover DOMS etc. Kept me loose and i could get back to training i thought sooner. I now use the gun 2-3 hours after ride, and i think when i feel some slight soreness in the quads, 10 minutes each leg seems to ease things off and the pain seems to disappear . I Even use it in my upper arms to take some of the stiffness out of those. It is a personnel thing as people have stated. It is not killing me to do the gun treatment ,so i do it, and it seems to help.

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I saw the comments on Internet that Theragun is a little bit noisy. Hypervolt is great, according to my friends. But they are too expensive for me.
My calves are sore and knotted after the long run. Massage gun for me is more effective and money-saving than other ways to help with the recovery. The Urikar I have helps me relieve the pain. I am happy with it.