I’ve seen these massage guns mentioned on ultra running and trail community forums but hadn’t tried one until now. Maintaining an injury free status is particularly hard with all the miles I try to get in so getting the Bob and Brad deep tissue muscle massager seems like it must be a win-win runners gadget.
Firstly the box it comes in contains a hefty massage gun and 5 massage heads. Altogether it’s compact and lightweight considering there’s a lot of tech contained in it, including a quick-view user manual. It can also be carried around easily enough. This is handy for taking with me to races so I can carry out pre and post-race leg and back massage.
Giving it a go after a particularly gruelling training run, my lower back was giving me concern as I’d twinged a muscle and so was experiencing a painful trapped nerve. I tried the ball massage head and kept it on its lowest setting (there are 5 levels of intensity available) rolling in and around the area on and off. They recommend only up to a maximum of 2 minutes on any particular area at any one time and this was definitely enough. Sometimes just 10 seconds is all that’s required so definitely a quick and easy tool to incorporate into my routine. It whirred to life and vibrated into my back area. Under a minute and I was done. I used it again later but found that the area was tender so this was something you didn’t need to do, it wasn’t going to make it any better. So I continued with these short massage sessions over the following three days, in conjunction with a hot bath and muscle gel. After a few days the muscle pain had eased and I could carry on at work and go running like normal.
My upper back was another story as it’s hard to reach so I mainly had my partner deliver a light gun massage across the shoulder blades. It was again nice and relaxing so I asked them to do this pretty often – all for testing of course! I was able to reach my upper shoulder area below the neck with the ball head rotating it on its side (less aggressive), which along with stretching and head rolls, helped to relax this area too. I sometimes used the pointy massage head to drill deeper into my shoulder blades and just used this for about 20-30 seconds before it became a little tender.
I was curious as to what the other massage heads were to be used for and which parts of the body they would be best on. The user manual doesn’t give that much information and the pictures all utilised the ball head massager. Looking at the Bob & Brad website, they had plenty of running and injury resources but it’s on their You Tube channel where I found the best how-to videos (see below).
Bob and Brad are both sports physiotherapists and have a fun and easy style so the videos are an enjoyable watch. Since they started in 2011, they’ve amassed millions of followers and I know why as I found their expert knowledge and tips invaluable, especially in getting to know and use the massage gun properly.
Finally the C2 massage gun was easy to charge and lasted quite a while before needing to be recharged, they reckon it should last between 4-5 hours so it was great for taking out with me. The pack contains a usb cable so it’s no-fuss charging and I did this in the car a few times. All in all I found my body benefited from the regular use of the massage gun and it is a great way to relax my muscles pre and post running. When I had little niggles it helped to iron them out and when I had a specific pain area I found in conjunction with other methods like deep heat it was useful to have the massage gun on hand to help to ease it. I would definitely keep this in my running tool box from now on.
Bob & Brad C2 Massage Gun
Currently available on Amazon for £69.99
