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You likely know HyperIce for its vibrating foam roller, the HyperIce Vyper. The brand takes recovery seriously and wants to help you stay loose for whatever life throws at you next — from running a marathon to a beer crawl. Its latest rehab device is the HyperVolt, which looks a bit like a hairdryer, but is actually a high-tech massage therapy tool designed for athletes. Professionals like Lindsey Vonn and Blake Griffin swear by vibration therapy to help them increase range of motion and recover faster after competition — but it’s not just for pro athletes.
The Good: The HyperVolt is portable, feels great and isn’t as loud as its competitors. It’s easy to use, helps everyday athletes recover and increases performance. It’s a top-notch tool that makes vibration therapy accessible to everyday athletes. The four interchangeable head options provide a variety of pressures and touch points for you to massage your muscles.
Who They’re For: The athlete looking to up his or her performance. Studies have shown that massage therapy in the form of vibration can be beneficial to muscular systems and tendons because it mimics exercise and positively influences muscle function and coordination. Studies have also shown that some forms of vibration therapy offer comparable effects to mild exercise, which is what you should be doing on your days off.
Watch Out For: Don’t place your fingers too close to the edge of the swappable head — in testing, I found that it’s possible to pinch your skin in the mechanism. While the motor is quieter than the TheraGun (more on that later), it’s still not as quiet as your electric toothbrush. I used it in an office environment, and people were more than a bit inquisitive about what the noise was. While it’s too loud for an open office, it likely wouldn’t bother anyone if you used it behind a closed door or tucked away in a nook.
The machine weighs in at 2.5 pounds, which is deceivingly heavy when you’re lugging it around in your gym bag or suitcase. And at $349, it’s not cheap.
