Over the last two years, my body has really taken a beating. I milked stay at home orders during the pandemic and didn’t work out. On the flip side, I sat at my desk more working from home, which resulted in an aching lower back. Then, my yoga studio closed permanently, which meant I couldn’t work out. I also turned 30, so my metabolism is pretty much shot now.
Once I realized my body was disintegrating and my waistline expanding, I wanted to take control of my workouts a bit more. Unfortunately, I was a bit too ambitious. I didn’t stretch, drink enough water, or ease into the end of my workouts. And because of that, I ended up pulling a back muscle. Then a neck muscle. Then I had a Charlie horse so bad I slid down a couple stairs.
All of which ultimately led me to one of the best purchases I’ve made this year: a Theragun Pro by Therabody.
Therabody’s technology began in 2009. Founder Dr. Jason Wersland was looking for a solution to pain from a motorcycle accident. He found it with a handheld tool that applied direct pressure to the body, and that was the original prototype for the Theragun. While not the first massager on the market, Theragun’s landmark difference is in the design, which offers more pinpointed applied pressure compared to competitors.
Therabody, and the Theragun, has evolved quite a bit since that first prototype. There’s now an array of products, from sound therapy, to ingestibles, to headache-relieving smart goggles. But for me, the Theragun Pro is exactly what I needed.
Theragun’s Customizable Relief
The beauty of the Theragun is its versatility. While I’m happy to pound away at the highest setting with the Thumb attachment, sometimes that amount of pressure or localized force just isn’t necessary. The Theragun Pro has five attachments that can help whatever happens to be ailing you. Shoulder blades aching? Go for the Wedge. Groin area out of whack? You may want to go with the Supersoft on a lower setting. Ultimately, your relief is in your hands – figuratively and literally – and the Theragun makes it especially easy to customize what’s best for you and your body.
You don’t have to test out every possible option to see immediate benefits. The newer models have four pre-loaded routines ready for you out of the box. You can choose from Sleep, Warmup, Recover, or Break, giving you options for wherever you are in your recovery or what your body needs. You can take this one step further and, by downloading the app and connecting it to your device, you can create new routines that are specific to you and your body. The feature negates the preconception that the Theragun is a hulking power drill with a bit of foam attached to it.
I’ve used my Theragun for a few months and it provides almost instant relief on stubborn knots and general aches and pains. Being able to provide a bit of reflexology, a bit of muscle repair, and a deep tissue massage on the back-end of every workout has made exercising – dare I say? – almost enjoyable. The price tag at $599 is definitely hefty, but I can’t afford a live-in masseuse, so, really, this is the next best thing.
