A lacrosse ball and a set of bands
Instead of a percussive massage gun
~$20 against $150 to $400
Both press on tissue, and neither does much that lasts past the session.
Reviews of percussive therapy find short-lived gains in range of motion and in how sore people report feeling, and no improvement in strength, balance or explosive performance. Pressing a ball into the same muscle produces the same kind of short-lived change. The device is easier on the hands and quieter to use, which is a comfort argument rather than a results one.
The evidence on both is thin and brief, so the claim here is that the cheap one is no worse, not that either is doing much. More than about ninety seconds of percussion on one muscle temporarily drops peak force by five to eight percent, which matters if you reach for it before lifting rather than after.
What to get
- Lacrosse ballSolid rubber, one object, nothing to chargeAmazon ~$8
- Resistance bandsLooped set, light through heavyAmazon ~$15
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