Bought a massage gun. Now what?
Most people make one of two mistakes. They use it once a fortnight when their back's already locked up, expecting miracles. Or they use it for 45 minutes a day on every muscle group like it's a workout, and end up with bruising.
Here's how often, how long, and how hard to actually use one. Plus the spots you should never go near with it.
The short answer
For everyday recovery (desk worker, recreational athlete, weekend warrior):
Daily, 5–15 minutes total, 60–90 seconds per muscle group, on speeds 1–4.
That's it. That's the protocol.
How often
Daily is fine. A common myth is that you need rest days from massage gun use. You don't. Percussion therapy doesn't damage muscle tissue the way training does. There's nothing to recover from.
More than once a day is also fine — just not on the same muscle. You can do calves in the morning before a run and traps in the evening after work.
Less than 3x per week and the benefits drop off sharply. Massage gun results compound. Daily use for 3 weeks beats 3x per week for 9 weeks.
How long per session
Total session: 5–15 minutes. Per muscle group: 60–120 seconds. Going longer than 2 minutes on a single muscle doesn't add benefit and can cause inflammation or bruising.
A typical post-workout session: Quads 90s each, Hamstrings 60s each, Glutes 90s each, Calves 60s each, Lats and traps 60s each. Total ~12 minutes.
When to use it
Pre-workout (warm-up): 30–60 seconds per muscle, low speed (1–2). Wake muscles up.
Post-workout (recovery): 60–120 seconds per muscle, mid speed (2–4). Highest-leverage time. Increases blood flow, flushes lactic acid, reduces DOMS.
Before bed: Mid speed, focus on tight areas. Most people sleep better.
During the day: Tradies and desk workers using it on forearms, lower back or neck during breaks is fine. Keep it short.
How hard (speed and pressure)
Most guns have 6–30 speed settings. You'll only ever use 4 of them.
- Speed 1–2: Warm-up, sensitive areas
- Speed 3–4: Standard recovery on most muscle groups
- Speed 5–6: Stubborn knots, glutes, lats
- Speed 7+: Almost never. Novelty.
For pressure: lean the gun in until you feel resistance. Don't grind. The percussion does the work.
If a spot hurts (sharp, not pressure-deep), back off. Pain is information, not a target.
The 5 most common mistakes
1. Going too hard, too long. More isn't better.
2. Using it directly on bone or joint. Never use the gun on your spine, ribs, kneecaps, elbows, ankles, or directly on a joint.
3. Going near the front or sides of the neck. Risk of vasovagal response (fainting) or worse. Stay at the back of the neck only, on speed 1–2 with light pressure.
4. Using it on injured tissue. Wait until acute inflammation has subsided (typically 48–72 hours) before percussion work.
5. Using it instead of strength work and mobility. The gun is a recovery tool, not a substitute for getting strong.
Where to use it (and where not to)
Yes: Quads, hamstrings, glutes, calves, forearms, biceps, triceps, lats, upper traps, rhomboids, pecs, plantar fascia, IT band (gently).
No: Front or sides of the neck, spine, joints, kidneys, genitals, breasts, throat, open wounds, recently injured tissue.
A simple weekly routine
For a recreational athlete:
- Mon (training): 12-min full-body session post-workout
- Tue (rest): 5 min on whatever's sore
- Wed (training): 12-min full-body post-workout
- Thu (rest): 5 min on whatever's sore
- Fri (training): 12-min full-body post-workout
- Sat (sport): 5 min pre, 12 min post
- Sun (rest): 10-min wind-down before bed
Total weekly use: 60–80 minutes. Compounding benefits. Done.
For a desk worker who doesn't train heavily: 5–10 minutes daily, focus on traps, lats, glutes and lower back. Done in front of the telly.
When to actually skip a day
Take a break if you've got bruising, you're acutely ill, you have a fresh injury within 72 hours, or the area is currently inflamed.
For everything else — train, work, recover. Daily.
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