Bounce back from even the toughest of sessions with fit-tech products designed for rapid recovery.
Men’s Fitness Best Buy
Theragun G3
BUY IT NOW:
RRP £375, theragun.co.uk
Practicality: 3.5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
It might look like an alien warhead, but this percussive therapy device delivers effective DIY massage via a powerful pummelling head that’s great for getting into tight spots, improving blood flow and loosening everything up.
The position of the head, the attachments and the pressure can all be adjusted to work on hard-to-reach areas.
Note: The G3 has now been discontinued – try the new Theragun Pro
Men’s Fitness Recommended:
OOFOS Ooahh Sport Flex
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RRP £50, oofos.co.uk
Practicality: 5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Primed for post-run recovery, slipping into a pair of OOFOS is like sinking your feet into a cloud of marshmallows.
The impact-absorbing foam reduces stress and pressure on the ankles, knees, hips and lower back, allowing for low-impact active recovery in the comfiest pair of shoes you will ever wear.
Addaday Oscillator Pro
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RRP £95, runnersneed.com
Practicality: 3.5/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Overall: 4.5/5
Add some revs to your rolling experience with the Addaday Oscillator Pro, which utilises vibration therapy to massage just-worked muscles more effectively than regular foam rolling.
A three-hour charge only gets you one to three hours of use, but legs definitely feel refreshed after use.
Muse 2
BUY IT NOW:
RRP £239.99, choosemuse.com
Practicality: 4/5
Effectiveness: 3.5/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Getting the body into a parasympathetic state as fast as possible is essential to good recovery, and this brain, heart rate, motion and breathing-sensing headset helps you do just that.
The audio-guided meditations help you to know when you’re reaching a state of calm, playing bird song when you’re calm and a rain storm when your mind wanders.
2xu Power Recovery Compression Tights
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RRP £110, 2xu.com
Practicality: 4/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
Research around recovery kit is rarely conclusive, but compression gear has been shown to reduce swelling.
These tights feature ‘graduated stamping technology’ for targeted compression, and they’re made from breathable, sweat-wicking fabric.
UA Athlete Recovery Warm-Up Trousers
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RRP £90, underarmour.co.uk
Practicality: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 3/5
Overall: 3.5/5
Hidden inside these joggers is a mineral-lined fabric that returns infrared energy to your body, boosting blood flow and increasing the amount of oxygen reaching your tired muscles.
Whether they work or not is hard to tell, but they are at least nice to wear and look the part.
Normatec 2.0
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RRP £899, normatec-uk.com
Practicality: 2/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Overall: 3/5
These are eye-wateringly expensive compression boots that inflate to apply variable pressure to calves and quads, helping to increase blood flow and in turn remove the waste products that come with heavy sessions.
The price is sky high, but they’re backed by a number of high-profile athletes, including Team GB’s Laura Muir.
Nike Recovery Ball
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RRP £22.95, nike.com
Practicality: 4.5/5
Effectiveness: 4.5/5
Overall: 4.5/5
With a textured surface to provide concentrated massage to specific muscles, Nike’s Recovery Ball is in-between a lacrosse ball and a foam roller in size.
It’s spot-specific, easy to roll on, and the weight and density means it doesn’t require much effort on your part – simply apply your weight and let the magic happen.
Lululemon Double Foam Roller
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£48, lululemon.co.uk
Practicality: 4/5
Effectiveness: 4/5
Overall: 4/5
A snazzy looking roller with a hidden secret, the Double Foam Roller features a removable inner roller with more prominent grooves for releasing tension in your back.
The exterior roller is designed for your legs and arms, and when you’re not working on any of the above, you can sit back and admire the pretty pattern.
