Massage It Out: Physiological Responses to a Percussive Therapy Device Used Intra-Resistance Exercise

Percussive therapy devices have been proven effective at reducing muscle inflammation, soreness, and tension and improving the range of motion before or after exercise. However, there is a notable lack of research on percussive therapy intra-exercise. Purpose: Examine the physiological responses (i.e., sets/reps) to percussive therapy during single-arm biceps curls (BCs) and single-leg quadriceps extensions (LEs). Methods: Participants [N = 26, 10 females] completed an initial 10-repetition maximum (10 RM) for BCs and LEs. Following that, participants completed two testing sessions in which BCs and LEs were completed at their 10 RM until functional failure (i.e., <7 reps completed). Participants completed two testing sessions in which all body parts received percussive therapy at 25 Hz for 60 s between sets and no percussive therapy. Results: Participants completed more sets [p = 0.002; Cohen’s d = 0.54] and reps [p = 0.005; Cohen’s d = 0.51] during the control condition relative to the percussive therapy condition. There were no differences between body parts (i.e., BC vs. LE) or interaction effects. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that low-frequency long-duration percussive therapy used intra-resistance exercise decreases performance parameters.