KIT
ESSENTIAL MASSAGE GUNS
They might not replace a soothing hands-on massage by an expert, but these devices are super effective at loosening tight muscles
|| Best in tech || Apps
POWERPLATE Mini +
£149.95 powerplate.co.uk
Tester
Caroline
The Power Plate Mini+ has been instrumental in helping me recover from a niggling calf injury. All you have to do is charge, plug in the attachment head, press play and apply to the problem area – it really is that easy. There are five settings depending on which muscle group you’re working and your pain threshold, which you can work through as you get used to the sensation. I particularly liked it for the calf, glutes and the IT band but found it felt too intense on bony areas like the shoulders and back. I’ll stick to booking a human massage for those. The charge lasts for five hours and there’s a handy app for more hardcore usage information. As the name suggests, it is a compact massager however, so you won’t get the intensity of massage you’ll get from a more heavyweight number. That said, it’s a good choice if you’re travelling or you find the bigger versions too hard-going on your wrists (this weighs half as much as the Muscle Gun). If you’re racing abroad a lot, this is worth a look.