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Massage guns that pummel your muscles several thousand times a minute can range in price from £50 to £500. If you follow any fitness influencer or athlete on Instagram or TikTok, you’re guaranteed to have seen them using one and may be wondering whether or not they’d make a difference to your life.
The Bob and Brad C2 massager stands solidly at the lower end of the price range, now reduced by £20 to £69.99 on Amazon with the applied voucher. Plus, we have a further discount of 10 per cent with code BobBrad401, which expires on March 31.
It offers five different massage heads and five different speeds to tackle everything from a little tension after a day at the desk to tight quads and hamstrings following a leg session at the gym or a 5K run. But can a £70 device really have an effect on muscle tightness, or are you better off spending your money on a sports massage?
With five different massage attachment heads and a stylish carry case, this C2 massage gun has features normally found on more expensive massage guns.
It also features five different intensities to loosen stiff muscles or offer stress or pain relief.
From the shoulders to the spine to the soles of the foot, it can be used all over the body.
Already discounted by £20 when the voucher is applied, MailOnline readers can save a further 10 per cent with discount code BobBrad401.
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How we tested
Our goal was to see how well the Bob and Brad C2 massage gun relieved tension in different areas of the body, so we tested it on our shoulders, back, biceps, quads and calves after a variety of different activities.
We used it straight after running to see whether or not it sped up muscle recovery and prevented DOMS, and we used it after working from home, hunched over the laptop to see if it could relieve persistent shoulder pain brought on by poor posture.
Writer Zoe Griffin tests out the Bob and Brad C2 massage gun in her home office following a morning run
Design
With a sleek black and grey design, the Bob and Brad massage gun is ergonomically shaped and easy to grip. We later learned that this would prove useful when cranking up the intensity to the highest setting.
The gun has been personally developed by Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck, who are working physiotherapists turned social media superstars with a following of more than 4 million subscribers to their Bob and Brad YouTube channel.
The straight-talking physical therapists have an impressive depth of knowledge when advising people on health and pain relief, and they’ve drawn on their years of experience in looking after people’s bodies to design a device that’s pleasing to the eye as well as to the muscles.
The Bob And Brad C2 massage gun has a sleek, streamline design, is easy-to-grip and weighs just 680g
It’s sleek, it’s streamline and it’s spectacularly simple to use. One button at the top of the handle is used to switch it on and off and to toggle through the five vibration settings. There are five small blue lights above the switch to remind you how hard you’re going.
We liked that the weight was just 680 grams, which is significantly lighter than other massage guns we’ve previously used. This made it easier to hold when in tricky positions such as by the shoulder blades and upper back.
Switching between the five attachments is also hassle-free – simply twist and pull. There’s are lots of YouTube tutorials to explain what each does, with the big round head best suited for larger muscle groups like the glutes, quadriceps, and hamstring, as it offers medium to moderate intensity as far as pressure in the muscle area.
This guide shows what Bob and Brad massage gun attachments to use for different areas of the body
There’s an air-filled pneumatic head for gentle massage and use on sensitive areas, which is great if your main goal is simply to relieve stress. For the stiff upper back, we’d recommend the bullet head, which is designed to direct pressure to a small, super-tight area.
The fourth and fifth attachments are mainly geared towards runners with the plastic flat head for areas like the IT band and bottom of the foot and the prong attachment for the achilles tendon and spine.
As a bonus, it comes with a stylish grey briefcase-like carrier to keep the massage gun, attachments and USB lead all in one place for ease of storage.
Bob and Brad do offer a smaller sized massage gun in the form of the compact Q2 model, but the C2 is not much heavier for use on the go, such as when you’re travelling, in the office or at the gym immediately after a workout.
Massage intensity
Imagine the most powerful massage you’ve ever had by a masseuse and multiply it by 10.
The air-filled pneumatic head attachment offers a gentle massage for sensitive areas, so we used it on a calf that’s newly recovered from injury
Percussive therapy provides rapid bursts of pressure into the body tissue, and the result is a mind-boggling high-intensity massage. Even the first level takes a bit of getting used to, which we strangely enjoyed.
There’s no need to awkwardly request a massage therapist to go harder or deeper (and, of course, no need to tip it at the end).
Besides, the oscillating movements of a massage gun also generates heat, helping muscle relaxation. We advise sticking with it, even if you think you can’t possibly handle the pressure. Your body acclimatises very quickly, and very soon, you’ll be switching up the intensity.
For £70, which is what we’d normally spend on one sports massage in London, the Bob and Brad massage gun can provide a thoroughly deep pummeling in the comfort of your own home whenever you want it, as many times as you want it.
Massage Performance
The Bob and Brad massage gun was developed by physical therapists Bob Schrupp and Brad Heineck (pictured)
As Brad and Bob know from their years of physical therapy, the ultimate measure of performance has to be how stiff (or loose) a person’s muscles feel following regular use.
We’d struggle to find fault with how the Bob and Brad massager has cured our shoulder pain. It relieves the tension of a day at the computer so well that we’re in a daily habit of powering it up as soon as we log off.
Admittedly, if we had better posture in the day, we might not need the massage gun in the first place, but the gun allows us to get away with slouching in the day and fixes us after.
Following a run, it certainly feels nice to use. It’s a reminder to take time to properly warm down. The percussive massage helps to flush lactic acid out of the muscles to avoid stiffness and means we don’t feel so drained after a heavy session.
If you have an injury or a muscle tear, this massage gun won’t fix it. But if you want to be sensible and avoid injury, using this pre and post-run could increase your chances of enjoying your favourite sport for longer. And at £70, it’s a worthwhile investment compared to the amount of money it will cost to fix a sports injury.
Features
- Weight – 680g
- Size – 6.8×5.1×2.4 inch
- Intensity – 2000-3200 RPM (five settings)
- Noise – 55 decibels
- Included in the box – Massage gun, five attachments, carry case, USB-C charging cable
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