Lockdown again. Not unfamiliar, but definitely unwanted. I am like I’m sure most people are, trying to keep busy with a series of hobbies that aren’t outside my field of general interest, but far enough outside my immediate reach that I usually wouldn’t be arsed with them in everyday reality. I’ve begun parading as a limber geriatric, spending my increasingly free hours knitting, cooking soups with the persistence of a madwoman and running.
Running is a fickle friend of mine. We have periods of intense infatuation and then almost as quickly as we started up, I won’t see her for months. There is no going steady for us. It’s either a shotgun wedding in Las Vegas or the cold shoulder. During this lockdown, I’ve had to sub her back into my life to break up the Love Island marathons. When you’re improving your mind at such a rapid rate, it’s important that you don’t leave the body behind too.
Of course, this rapid transformation from couch potato to Usain Bolt with a uterus has left my body crampy and sore. Enter the Bob and Brad C2 massage gun – a treat and a half.
Update 26/10: The Bob and Brad C2 massage gun is currently on sale for $109.99, down from $159.99, when you use the $50 off coupon via Amazon.
How does it work?
The massage gun is shaped like a drill and has a surprising weight to it. The design is rather ergonomic while the weight makes it feel sturdier, but I found it a bit too heavy and bulky to use at times.
The gun comes with five attachable heads – ball, bullet, fork, flat and an air cushion. At first glance, these heads kind of look like some sort of medieval torture device. When I did finally try them out, these different heads were actually quite enjoyable.
The ball head, in particular, was my favourite as I found it really helped to loosen up my shoulders and lower back, which often get quite tight from hunching over a computer every day.
The different heads allow you to comfortably target different muscle groups, relieving your shoulders from the Millennial slouch or your thighs from that run you did one time. The massage gun has five gears, which really means there are five-speed settings.
The instruction manual includes a guide that lets you know how hard you should be going on which part of your tender bod, but I found the speeds to be super intense, even on a lower setting. Setting it to gear two was more than enough for me, so I can’t imagine how hectic it is at top speed. I wouldn’t be cranking it up to full blast on your neck.
Do massage guns actually work?
Surprisingly, the massage gun is not a new invention. In 1883 English physician Joseph Mortimer Granville invented an electric vibrator, which was not used for sexual pleasure but rather for curing ailments of the body.
Similar devices, such as the steam-powered “manipulator” invented by Dr. George Taylor were also in use around the same time. These massagers were considered to be alternative medicine and believed to improve male impotence, stimulate hair growth for the balding, soothe upset stomachs for colic children and even help cure broken bones.
Unsurprisingly, they weren’t the magic cure-all for every imaginable complaint. However, massage guns stuck around and found their place in the modern zeitgeist because they are pretty good at relaxing sore muscles.
Is it worth it?
The Bob and Brad C2 massage gun is small, compact, and comes in a little briefcase, which is perfect for transporting it from your living room to the backyard, or wherever else you may be venturing these days.
Compared to big-name massage gun brands likes Theragun, which retails in the range of $349 to $899, the Bob and Brad massager goes for a more affordable $159.99 (or even less, as it’s currently on sale with the aforementioned $50 discount).
It’s a convenient solution if your masseuse is closed and your dicky back hasn’t gotten the memo. You’re able to use the massager by yourself or you can ask your housemates to target some hard-to-reach areas whilst you lay splayed on the living room floor like a lumpy pancake.
For me, I found the massage gun to be a bit bulky and quite intense to use, even at a low speed. That might not be a problem for some, but it’s worth considering if you want a massage gun that won’t tire you out while using it.
If you’re interested in having a powerful massage on tap, this is the perfect product for you.
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