By Billy Brown

Last Updated June 2, 2021

Billy Brown

Billy Brown has a problem sitting still. His constant search for the next challenge has him doing everything from running ultramarathons and climbing 14er’s to gaining 40 pounds to compete in powerlifting, breaking several state records and growing a killer beard in the process. With over a decade of writing under his belt, his work, covering action sports, gear, and beer, can be found in a variety of publications. He lives with his wife and their two cats in Sacramento, California.

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When it comes to workout preparation and recovery, it’s hard to beat the simplicity of a percussion massager. Hammering your muscles with a light, constant barrage of percussion compresses the muscles, shunting blood away from the tissue. The method provides a gentle (or not so gentle) massage. This not only breaks up knots and sore spots but also forces blood back into the muscles. That blood flow flushes away toxins and re-oxygenates tissues to help facilitate recovery.

Theragun G4 PRO Percussion Massager Overview

Theragun is one of the OG’s of the massage gun industry; one of the original percussion massagers made for consumer use. The company’s newest version is the fourth-generation Theragun G4 PRO. As you’d expect, Theragun has refined its process over the years, making the G4 PRO one of the most powerful and effective massage guns on the market. It sports a QX150 brushless motor that packs up to 60 pounds of force. It also has an adjustable speed range and is much quieter than previous generations (55% quieter, according to Theragun). The rotating head and multi-grip handle allow you to massage those hard-to-reach places like your rhomboids and hamstrings without issue. And the multi-grip gives it a unique laser gun look.

Speaking of looks, this is simply a beautiful machine. The matte finish combines with a brushed aluminum look which makes the whole setup look like the premium muscle recovery tool that it is.

The G4 PRO is not all brawn with no brains, however: this percussion massager is loaded with tech. It’s Bluetooth-enabled, so you can use the Theragun app to select specific programming to dial in your treatment. You can even pre-load up to 3 preset treatments to the gun in case you don’t have your phone with you.

The massage gun comes with two lithium-ion batteries, so you can keep it running all day, using one battery while you charge the other one. The batteries provide around 2.5 hours of run time each, so you can share it with the whole team without running out of juice. There’s even a wireless charging holster (sold separately), so you can slip the gun into the charger without taking the battery out.

Percussion Massager Testing & Review

We tested the G4 PRO percussion massager for about 6 months, and it definitely packs a punch. The rotating head really did make it easy to hit every body part — even the notoriously hard-to-reach scapular region. The durability was on point as well. It’s been the massager of choice at my gym, easily putting in hundreds of hours of work on dozens of athletes, and it was as tight and solid after the test period as when it came out of the box.

The variable settings made it perfect for a variety of needs. From a gentle massage to loosen up the quads, to a firm hammering on the bottoms of the feet to help recover from a hard sprint session, the G4 PRO percussion massager was perfect. Its ability to transition from a soft touch to an aggressive deep-tissue massage impressed athletes, to say the least.

The only issue we’ve found was that while quieter than other high-powered massagers, it was still on the loud side. Even in the lower-powered settings, quiet conversation was impossible, and there was no way to watch tv without subtitles while using it. This made it less appealing to use at home and more ideal as a tool for the gym, where it’s already pretty loud.

In addition, Theragun’s price point can be prohibitive. With a retail price of $600, the G4 PRO is triple the price of other massage guns that sit on the higher end of the price spectrum.

Overall, it’s an amazing machine, but the pricing and noise make it more realistic as a commercial percussion massager, best for use at the gym or on the field than during a (not so quiet) night of recovery at home.

Pros:

• Deep tissue massage
• Varying head angles
• Bluetooth connectivity
• Clear LED display

Cons:

• Loud
• Price

Key Features:

• Bluetooth-enabled
• Ergonomic multi-grip
• Customizable speed range
• Includes two batteries
• 300 minutes of continuous battery life (150 per battery)