We’re big fans of recovery boots and their ability to use pneumatic compression to help your legs recover from a grueling workout. They do that without any active work on your part, too, as you simply put them on, activate the head unit, and sit back while it applies and releases pressure on your leg muscles to kickstart their recovery. Problem is, they’re not exactly the most convenient to pack, making them viable for use at home, but not for taking to the gym. The HyperIce Normatec Go offers a more compact alternative.
No, it’s not a full-length recovery boot that covers your entire legs like you’ve probably seen, so it won’t be applying its therapeutic pressure across your whole lower extremities in one go. Instead, it’s designed to provide those ministrations to just the calves, allowing the device to be significantly smaller for easier portability. That way, you can get some much-needed calf relief in short order after leg day at the gym before making your way back home.
The Hyperice Normatec Go isn’t just shorter than your typical recovery boot, it’s also slimmer, with none of the bulk that characterize typical products in the category. There are also no hoses that connect the boots to the head unit. Instead, each of the sleeves is equipped with an integrated control module, making for a sleeker, more streamlined solution. Seriously, this is the kind of thing you won’t mind slipping inside your gym bag to give you a faster recovery alternative to your equally portable massage gun.
So why would you need this if you already have a massage gun? Mostly, because it’s easier, with none of the challenging acrobatics you’ll have to perform trying to reach that exact spot on your calves. It’s also much faster, as you’re able to hit the entire area on both legs at the same time, instead of massaging one spot at a time the way a percussive gun would.
Despite the smaller size, the Hyperice Normatec Go is just as effective as full-length boots when it comes to recovery. In fact, it boasts a much higher max pressure than their full-length Normatec 3, delivering a pressure anywhere from 40 to 200 mm Hg compared to the latter’s 30 to 110 mm Hg. It comes with seven pressure levels, so you can choose the right amount of dynamic air compression you need to properly soothe those aching tissues. Even better, the onboard batteries can provide three hours of treatment between charges, ensuring you won’t have to plug in while you’re recovering in the gym.
Each sleeve features three zones of overlapping 360-degree compression, with no gaps anywhere in the coverage, ensuring it applies the therapeutic treatment across the entire area surrounded by the sleeve. Only one of the sleeves has a control panel, by the way, with the system using Bluetooth to synchronize the operation between the two to ensure it delivers a symmetrical massage on both sides. The whole thing measures just 25 x 12 x 1 inches (height x width x thickness) and weighs just 1.2 pounds.
The Hyperice Normatec Go is available now, priced at $399.