Hydragun: Game Changing Massage Gun
Muscle Recovery has Arrived.
Mom, we’re in love. It finally happened for us! Yup, her name is HYDRAGUN and she’s the sleekest, sexiest, and coolest massage gun on the market. Hits in all the right places, always around after a tough workout, and knows how to take care of a duuude. She sure is the best we’ve found and is a real keeper. Wait- what did you think we were talking about? Oh, whoops we see how that was misleading. What we really wanted to talk about was quite possibly the only massage gun worth grabbing this year- the HYDRAGUN. Ya know, this gun:
Yeah- the promo video had us in goosebumps. So we naturally had to test out the claimed Future of Recovery for ourselves. Touted as one of the best massage therapy guns on the market, our crew set out to give the Hydragun a go and see if this massage gun is really worth the price. And away we go…
INITIAL IMPRESSION
Ok so how can we put our initial unboxing of the Hydragun into words? How about we share some of our crews’ initial reactions:
”Shut Up!”
”Holy freaking cow this is Sick”
”Ok, hello you sexy thang”
”Is this for real!?”
Yeah, true story. Our crew was immediately impressed when we first unboxed the Hydragun. The packaging, compartment organization, color pallet, shape, and feel of the Hydragun in our hands was nothing shy of perfection. Every single aspect was so well executed, it immediately evoked a trust and confidence in the use of a gun that can reach speeds of 3200 RPM’s in which you voluntarily aim at your body and hit your muscles with- Can we actually talk about that real quick?…
We won’t lie and say we were in the loop or on the “massage gun train” until recently. The idea of using a machine to intentionally punch your muscle groups all over your body at intense speeds kinda sounds like sorcery. We don’t typically ask to get punched so why would we intentionally hold up a little mini hand held boxer to our bodies? Then we got educated.
We learned that after your body has its physical limits tested (ya know, a workout, a marathon run, leaping from the couch to chase down your toddler after one of them runs off with your phone and you don’t know who they just in-advertly texted from your work) your body takes on muscle damage aka “that soreness” the next day(s). This Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS) is a pain to get rid of-literally.
Enter the massage gun revolution. When you introduce a high rate pummeling action from a massage gun targeting your muscle groups, blood flow is increased and more oxygen/ nutrients are carried to those muscle groups repairing those ity bitty muscle fibers. Muscles feel relieved, pain(s) subside, and recovery time is sped up. Thus the draw for the massage gun industry. Our crew was so inspired by the massage gun revolution that we reviewed some of the top guns of 2020 which can be read here for comparison later.
And now enter HYDRAGUN. Opening up the box and handling the gun for the first time was really impressive. The sleek aluminum body was not overly bulky or even heavy- it was smooth and easy to grasp no matter what hand you use to write with! The included 6 interchangeable massage heads all focused on targeting various muscle groups.
The charging cable lets you plug into any outlet (um, seriously we don’t even recognize some of these outlet prongs) for fast charging. With a 6 hour battery life we don’t anticipate using the charger that much! Aside from the components, the packaging, instruction manuals, and carrying case all made for a really strong impression. With clear illuminated push buttons, the gun keeps you in the know of what speed, torque, battery life and power mode you are in. Super clean gun and even cleaner design.
Initial duuude impression: Sleek and Game-Changing!
TESTING IT OUT
Our crew is made up of a lot of different athletic levels- from the avid gym goer to the occasional “stroller to the mail-box’er”, we have a wide range of “muscle groups” to test out the Hydragun’s diversity. We get to give the gun the fullest range of a review we’d give each crew member a go at the gun in 3 breakdown categories: Warm Up, Set Rests, and DOMS Prevention.
WARM UP
WARM UP
Duration: 30 seconds per muscle group.
We kick things off with the best way to start any workout, exercise, or daily activity: with a warm up.
From HYDRAGUN:
“Float HYDRAGUN over target muscle group to “wake” them up. Couple with stretches to maximise range of motion and flexibility.”
Initially we all took the various interchangeable heads and eased into each one on the lowest setting (1 of 6). We floated the bigger heads over our larger muscle groups and the thinner heads over the more fine tune sections of our body like feet and joints. One crew member hit their core body prior to arm/shoulder day at the gym while another crew member focused on their legs and thighs right before a morning run. The minimal vibration and ease of taking one head off to replace another was a breeze. No interruptions or fancy algorithms to adjust the settings. Pop on and off, increase or decrease intensity and that was it. While we didn’t feel some major revolution like birds flying around you in a Disney flick after the 30 seconds, all members commented on how they felt their body was not so knotted or tight heading into the workout.
The warm up massage surely got the blood flowing and body warmed up. The quick and easy “wake up” surely impacted the routines in a positive way as the startup for our exercise routine was not so much like shifting gears in an old Chevy but more like firing up a new Tesla.
REST BETWEEN SETS
REST BETWEEN SETS
Duration: 15 seconds per muscle group.
From HYDRAGUN:
“Use HYDRAGUN on muscle groups that you’re training while you’re resting in between sets to maximise efficiency. This will help relieve muscle fatigue.”
Oh yeah baby! THIS is where the bacon is made. During each workout (both light and intense) the Hydragun’s versatility comes in. Before we found ourselves trying push though too much and at times felt like we did more harm than good to our bodies. Especially at times when we would introduce a new routine or goal in and push past a prior limit we set. In between sets at the gym or on the morning run, we’d hit each muscle group again just as directed and got back after it! One of our crew members took up running again (they do this a lot), and started running a mile loop, hit their leg muscles with Hydragun, then went another loop. They were able to get back into the routine faster than the last time they took up running again (we still love em though).
Needless to say the in between muscle massages did help improve the overall time and ability of all workouts.
DOMS PREVENTION
DOMS PREVENTION
Duration: 2 minutes per muscle group after workout.
From HYDRAGUN
“Float HYDRAGUN over the muscles you trained (or any sore muscles that require immediate relief) to decrease post-workout DOMS.”
Post workout is maybe the most vital focus point on your muscles. Our crew really saw the most benefit at this phase of the testing. Within a matter of just a couple minutes, each muscle group we hit with the gun was well on it’s way to a faster recovery time. The feeling of the pulsating on each muscle group really helped with increasing the feeling that each muscle was being loosened up even post workout. While at times some muscles felt more sore than others, the ability to increase the RPM or decrease as needed, added a flexibility we thought was extremly helpful. The DOMS experience was far greater than stretching alone or hand massage techniques.
ALL IN ALL
All in all the testing of the Hydragun was amazing. Flat out amazing. We used the gun every day for over a week and have to say that the rate of DOMS shrunk like Seinfeld’s George Costanza “in the pool” and the versatility was superior to any other massage gun we tried. We really found the use to be well beyond just the athletes- we tried the gun on friends with chronic muscle soreness after working in the yard, playing with the kids, and even post surgery rehab. The gun is not just for those benching 1000 lbs, but also for the every day Spin-Class taker, casual walk enjoyer, or active parent who’s kids use their body as a jungle gym. The HYDRAGUN is for any(body). Period.
STANDOUT FEATURES
While we love practically everything about the Hydragun, there are some great features worth looking at:
Aerospace-grade Aluminum Body- See ya later nicks and cracks.
Up to 6 Hours Battery Life- Massage your muscles for dayyyzzzzz
30 to 50 dB Noise Level- Can you hear it?…Neither can we.
99° Ergonomic Handle- No stress on straining your wrist while aligning the gun to all parts of your body.
6 Interchangeable Massage Heads- No more and no less than what you need for each muscle.
The Hyrdagun has so many standout features without over-flooding what you need. The perfect blend of practical aspects that make this Massage Gun like none-other on the market.
BONUS FEATURES
HydraGun Overall duuude Factor: Possibly THE Best Massage Gun on the Market. Period.
Price: $299 on HYDRAGUN
***duuude readers take $20 OFF your order with code: DUUUDE20***
BRAND INFO
HYDRAGUN has first hand seen sports and fitness have changing many people’s lives. This is why they are committed to their work to become the world’s most trusted solution for sports recovery.
“Our mission is to empower 1 million people to live their best lives through peak performance & recovery.”
HYDRAGUN tackles this mission by working on 3 key aspects of their brand:
KNOWLEDGE - Sharing sports recovery knowledge through research-backed articles, guest blogging on other sports sites, and purposefully-curated social media content.
PRODUCT SOLUTIONS - Focus heavily in investing in technology to improve recovery, at an affordable price.
SOCIAL & COMMUNITY BUILDING - Engagement in social initiatives to inspire underprivileged athletes as much as they can.
