The Tools You Need to Perform and Recover Like a Professional Athlete

TheraGun G2 Pro

Who uses it: Athletes like former NFL player James Anderson and NBA All-Star Kyrie Irving.

When to use it: Loosen up muscles pre-, mid-, or post-workout.

You might have seen (or heard—it’s not exactly quiet) this power drill-esque device before, likely on the sidelines during major sporting events. Similar to a foam roller—just turned up 100 notches—the TheraGun G2 Pro is meant to release tight spots by pounding at a high frequency (aka percussive massage therapy). Bar Malik, C.S.C.S, director of performance for the New York Knicks, says it’s best served before your workout or during, since tightness can hinder your game. The intense kneading activates the nervous system, getting you prepped for movement. Malik suggests trying it on your hips, calves, or shoulders in 30- to 60-second bursts.

Find it: Gyms across the country offer recovery sessions, with the option to add in TheraGun work; many personal trainers and physical therapists will use it during a session, too. For instance, you can try it at Tone House in NYC when you set up a recovery time session…or buy it yourself and tote in your gym bag.

[$599; theragun.com]

NuCalm Sleep System

Who uses it: NFL teams, like the Philadelphia Eagles, Golden State Warriors, and Washington Capitols.

When to use: Anytime you want to help your body (and mind) recover, but not too close to bedtime (the post-lunch slump is ideal).

Designed to target your autonomic nervous system (or your “rest and digest” state), this ah-inducing system works to manipulate your brain waves and help you reach that just-before-deep-sleep state. The four-part system includes an eye mask, a GABA cream for behind your ears (an amino acid the brain releases just before sleep to combat adrenaline and lower heart rate), binaural beats through headphones (meant to calm your mind, like a deep meditative state), and two microcurrent patches that go behind your ears to allow GABA to activate properly. It takes just a few minutes to fall into a not-quite-asleep slumber.

“You come to a state where you’re aware you exist, but you’re not in control of your thoughts—your body is asleep, but your mind is partially awake,” says co-founder of ReCOVER in NYC, Aaron Drogoszewski, C.P.T.

He says it’s great for those who regularly plow through gym workouts, as it helps the body recovery and rebuild, but it also helps reset your circadian rhythm for better rest. People also tend to wake up from a session feeling much more zen.

Find it: ReCOVER studio in NYC offers 30-minute sessions for $45. Also, tons of dentists and sleep centers across the country offer NuCalm. Find a provider at this link.

[$4,995; nucalm.com]

emWave Heart Math

Who uses it: The New York Knicks.

When to use it: Use it pre-workout to measure your heart rate and emotional state.

Malik swears by the emWave to form a baseline for his players’ heart rate variability (or HRV), and he takes a reading before every workout. HRV refers to the changes in time between heart beats—and the goal is to increase that time.

“We try to use technologies to measure the readiness of our athletes before they touch a weight or a basketball,” Malik says.

Everything from your mental, emotional, and physical state can affect the numbers. This handheld device hones in on the mental aspect, providing games and visualizations to help with HRV. It’ll take your reading after just a minute or two, offering insight on what you need to do to improve.

Find it: Find a Heart Math practitioner near you, or take this survey to see where you stand today and for recommendations on how to improve for the future.

[$199; store.heartmath.com]

Hyperice Hypersphere

Who uses it: Fans of the brand include NBA player Blake Griffin, NFL star Patrick Peterson, and Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn.

When to use it: Aim to relieve tension after a tough sweat.

Another vibrating tool, Hyperice’s Hyposphere goes a little easier on your muscles, reducing tightness in specific areas when you focus them for 30 to 60 seconds (the time you need to release a trigger point), says Malik, who prefers using it after exercise.

“You have to hold a position over time, allowing the vibration to stimulate a relaxation response, which you want post-games or after the gym,” he says.

It will improve blood flow and get oxygen to the area you’re working on. Take it for a test drive on your calves, hips, forearms, or upper back, Malik says. And feel free to stash it in your bag as you travel—it’s portable and great post-flight, too.

Find it: You can incorporate this into a recovery class at Beast Evolved in Brooklyn, along with select SweatShed classes at Crunch Gyms.

[$149; hyperice.com]

Cyclic Variations in Altitude Conditioning (or CVAC) Pods

Who uses it: A little hush-hush in terms of who uses it, but reportedly, Novak Djokovic is one of them, the Wall Street Journal reports.

When to use it: Step inside anytime you’re looking to kick up your workout performance or recover from a tough routine.

CVAC pods look super high-tech, requiring you to sit in an egg-like, windowed contraption. Inside, you’ll feel your ears pop (just like on an airplane), as the altitude drops and climbs. You can actually reach a simulated 2,300 feet in just a few seconds, explains Drogoszewski. He says the main goal of that change in pressure and oxygen levels is to get your cells to expand and contract, as they flush metabolic waste (think: lactic acid, which creates that burning sensation in your muscles during a hard workout). The biggest pay-off is supposed to be an increase in VO2max—the marker of fitness that tells how much oxygen a person can take up during exercise. CVACs may also strengthen your mitochondria, the powerhouse of your cells that help your body move more efficiently.

Find it: ReCOVER NYC is one of the few places you can find this device and for a relatively wallet-friendly fee (it starts at $45 for a 20-minute session). Check out this list of other places that own CVAC pods across the country.

[$1,000; cvac.com]

Halo Sport

Who uses it: Halo has partnerships with the NFL, MLB, NBA, USA Cycling, US Ski Team, Ironman Champions and CrossFit athletes.

When to use it: If you’re training for a race or big sporting event, like the CrossFit Games.

A mental-game focused gadget, Halo Sport headphones work via “neuropriming”—or electrical stimulation (in this case, transcranial direct current stimulation, or tDCS). In essence, it decreases the amount of information your neurons need to fire. It does this by working on the motor cortex to better connect your mind and body during movement. By wearing the headset for the first 20 minutes of a lifting session, run, or any skill-based set, you stimulate the brain for the following hour. The key is to use it during more mindful, deliberate (and well-performed) movements so your mind learns to recognize the action and can make it feel easier the next time around.

Find it: Members of the Tier X personal training program at Equinox gyms get free access to Halo sessions.

RELATED: How a Top Trainer Is Using Halo Sport to Take Elite Athletes to the Next Level

[$599; haloneuro.com]