It is quite surprising how certain things are settled in tradition and no one ever questions it and are not up-to-date on the most recent research. The same goes for stretching before sports - something that stuck from PE times in the 70s and 80s.
I wanted to ask āAre the Normatec or similar boots worth it?ā so first I searched the forum and lo and behold was reminded of this thread . . and I see a lot of proponents here. Any additional thoughts from those of you using these?
Just this past Saturday I did an hour of strength with a personal trainer - - I have been doing this for three weeks now because I needed a little more accountability (and tips on my form) when I do strength. She finished the first two sessions with me doing some stretches while standing on a power plate or having one of my feet on the power plate - - -weird feeling to say the least, but I was able to do a walk / run later in the day and feel pretty good. Sundays however I have been super sore which I attribute to the strength routine and pushing myself in ways I just cannot when I am doing strength alone in my house and with limited equipment.
This past Saturday she had me sit for 15 minutes in a set of Normatec boots - - I have never experienced this before. They reminded me a bit of the mattress used when my parents were both bed-bound, so the science has got to have some merit since similar technology is used in hospitals. . . . OMG. I felt as good as new for the rest of the day and Sunday I woke up feeling only mild soreness . . I went for a run Sunday (didnāt have time to on Saturday but wonder if I would have been faster than my usual post-strength runs), and while I am just getting back into running I did set a number of 2020 PRs according to training peaks and Garmin - - unheard of for me to feel good running one day post strength, even 10 years ago.
So now I am wondering if I should invest in a pair of these boots and if folks have recommendations on brand since Normatec isnāt the only game in town (although they are on sale right now which makes them quite tempting). My fiance would likely also get a ton of use from the boots.
While researching the Normatec boots I learned they were bought by Hyperice and that Hyperice makes vibrating foam rollers and balls - - sort of like having your own power plate but much less clunky . . . so now I am interested in one of those too and wondering if folks have any wisdom to impart before I bight the bullet and buy these contraptions.
If I get the boots I am going to have to lock myself in a room without the cats or I imagine the boots wonāt last too long LOL.
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Boots are the only gadget with solid, conclusive science to back it up. From everything I researched and from experience. I am adding a link to a podcast if you want to learn more. I have Air Relax (have had them for 3+ years) and Drew has Normatec. Same thing.
Now, they donāt exactly magically eliminate soreness. Yes, they help A TON but sometimes you will still be sore and fatigued from strength. Foam rollers and balls help but are a separate category. Balls are for targeted work on a specific spot that requires deep stimulation for blood flow and healing. Foam rollers are great for before strength training (can also be used after, but boots are even better for after).
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Funny thing - - I always thought of the foam roller as a post-exercise thing although Jon uses his pre-run. My new strength coach has me using the foam roller as part of the warm up! I will look at the Velo News article in a bit. Thanks for posting!
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The boots were on my radar from way back - I think I saw them 1st being used by Levi L. After reading a post from @Coach_Theia I bought the Air Relax in mid-Sept & have been loving them. Iām so glad I splurged on them.
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Normatec Pulse 2 is now $995 - - this is a battery operated device. Apparently the battery can hold a charge for 2+ hours of continuous use so would be the āgo toā for anyone wanting to literally use the boots anywhere. I could see this feature been huge for folks who do 100+ mile races.
The Air Relax is $545 nowā¦I found a Thomas Gerlach review which states that the Air Relax is a medical grade device - - can, at least at the time of the review, squeeze you a lot moreā¦that alone would make me think the Air Relax is ābetterā but I still wonder why is Normatec $450 more? Is it just what they have spent on advertising or are there other subtle differences?
When you say they are the same thing do you mean that the way they compress, quality of construction etc. is essentially the same? Neither comes with a carrying case, right? Just curious because if they truly are the same then the Air Relax seems like the no-brainer for me still even though the prices are getting close together. I donāt think I will ever do an ultra and need the boots in the middle of the woodsā¦If I did then I suppose that extra price would be worth it.
I am going to reply to my own post here . . . .
New wrinkle: Is anyone familiar with SpeedHound? Thomas Gerlach who emphatically recommended AirRelax over Normatec is now saying Speed Hound is his favorite. Apparently it allows you to focus on certain zones which is currently a feature available on the $2400 Normatec Pulse Pro . . . The Speedhound comes with a storage case and costs $745 all in. He posted the following comment on Slowtwitch (a triathlon forum) in response to a question about which is best: āā¦All the devices effectively do the same thing and the prices have condensed. I will say that Air Relax has more of rapid-fire approach to compression, it cycles very quickly, which is probably why it is a little louder to get the pressure up, while the Speed Hound system is more like the Normatec in that it takes a little more time inflate the zones so more time is spent in each zone before moving on to the next and one complete cycle takes longer. By default the Speed Hound boots fit a little more snug than Air Relax. It is hard to say whether the rapid-fire approach is any better or worse and the snugness is more of a personal preference. They also have roomier boots as well.ā
@Coach_Theia - - do you notice any difference in the inflation speed between your AirRelax boots and @dfriestedt 's Normatecs?
Iāve had Normatec and AirRelax and I like Air Relax better. I havenāt tried speedhound but Air Relax also has an option for working on a particular zone. You can also buy a storage/travel bag for the air relax. Itās $90. I have it and it is great.
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That is interesting!!! Do you like the AirRelax better because it can squeeze you more or was it something else (like the price!) that made you like it more?
I couldnāt really tell what made Normatec much more expensive than AirRelax. They are very similar so difficult to justify the price on the Normatec and I thought the settings/modes were better on the air relax. Compression wise, I think air relax has a higher setting than Normatec although I never use the highest setting because itās way too much for me.
I love my air relax boots and I also have the shorts which are great for my hips and glutes.
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Covi! Thank you. I think I will probably pull the trigger on the Air Relax boots 
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Yes, I agree- I think the Air Relax squeezes more, and I love that- I use it in the highest setting possible LOL
Didnāt know about the shorts! Must get those!!
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