Product Description
Therabody is revolutionizing pneumatic compression with the all-new RecoveryAir product line, the future of pressure massage. The RecoveryAir PRO gives you total control to create the most customizable pneumatic compression experience in recovery. From inflation pattern to zone control, RecoveryAir PRO gives you total control of your recovery session. Our exclusive FastFlush Technology aids in recovery by completing one full cycle in just 60 seconds–making it 2-3x faster than competitors for rapid recovery. It's the most customizable pneumatic compression system when it comes to your recovery.
Dimension
Product Height :
Product Width :9.2 inches
Product Depth :
Product Weight :
Features
RecoveryAir Pro Sizing Guide Size small for heights ranging 5' - 5'5". Size medium for heights ranging 5'6" - 6". Size large for heights ranging 6' - 6'6".
Customized Recovery Routine Customize your recovery routine to your needs from the device itself.
Guided Treatment Programs Choose from Sequential, Wave, Isolation, and Flow programs to focus pressure on a particular zone of the limb.
Tailor Treatment Programs Recommended programs can be adjusted by time, session length, cycle pattern, and pressure in increments of 1 mmHg.
Bluetooth Connectivity Store, share, and receive custom programming by connecting the RecoveryAir to the app.
Precise Pressure Technology RecoveryAir’s exclusive TruGrade Technology helps apply precise pressure through a true negative gradient air flow, starting from your feet moving toward your heart, to temporarily increase circulation to the treated area.
Faster Cycles. Faster Recovery. Complete one full cycle of boot inflation and deflation in just 60 seconds via our FastFlush Technology™. This is 2-3x faster than competitors.
Custom Control Our system lets you set your desired pressure for every session and monitors it according to the size of the limb being treated. Choose from a variety of guided and controlled recovery programs when you connect to the Therabody App via Bluetooth. (App capabilities available in March).
Safer, Hygienic Design Our unique 4 internal overlapping chamber design creates a single contact surface, which provides a hygienic, easy-to-clean interior of the boot.
What's Included
Reviews
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Get ready for DOMS Relief!
The Therabody Recovery Air Pro are a pair of air powered compression sleeves for your legs. You essentially get full coverage from your thighs down. Zippered entry makes getting in and out relatively simple, almost like getting into snow boarding pants. Sizing is pretty good. In what seems like a first, this is designed for athletic bodies so for a given height, the thigh size is generous. Part of that I'm sure is due to leaving space for the sleeve inflation but it's still nice to have something that is a comfortable fit. These also look good - fit right in with athletic wear so if you're using them with others around, you're unlikely to feel self conscious and people will grok what's going on pretty quickly. Aside from the compression sleeves, or boots as these are going on your legs, there's the battery powered pump module. Be warned, the pictures on the box make it seem like this is some relatively small handheld little device, it's got a decent amount of heft and size to it! And for good reason, this is the heat of the Recovery Air Pro and what will be generating the air pressure to fill up two compression boots. The interface is pretty simple. On the side by the power/charge port is the power button. On the face is a circular directional button with middle select, a play/pause type button, and screen. After getting into the boots and hooking them up to the pump, you'd power on, cycle through the different programs (4 plus one where you can create your own custom program) with the left/right then pressure with the up/down. Then push play to kick things off. The first thing you'll notice is the sound. After all, it's an air pump and a relatively compact package at that. It's not as bad as some inflatable mattress pumps, but the noise is noticeable though after a few sessions I noticed it started fading into the background. BT noise cancelling headphones also helped tame things down to practically unnoticeabile. The operation is pretty much cycling through periods of inflating to a particular pressure then deflating to another. The display tracks current pressure target and time in the program. I'm primary a strength trainer and power lifter. I tend to use the Recover program though I experimented a bit with Warm-up. It was ok, but I felt like my more full bodied warmup routine did a better job of getting me ready. I think also that my warmup gets me pumped for a workout and it feels the Recovery Air Pro is a bit too relaxing and so even following the Warm-up program I still wanted to do a bit more to jumpstart a workout. The Recovery program does a particularly nice job. My primary goal or hope was to have something that reduces DOMS (delayed onset muscle soreness). After intense lower body workouts, particularly my deadlifting day, there's kind of two stages that I tended to go through. The immediate was muscle soreness in my lower back and legs. This usually clears a few hours after workout though depending on how rested I was prior or intense the entire workout, can be pretty limiting as in my range of motion is temporarily decreased and the soreness may make walking painful to some degree - my muscles feel contracted and take a while to loosen, so walking or activities which naturally require your legs to cycle between contraction and release are tough because on the contraction side, my muscles want to do more and so pull faster/harder than I want and resist release. Dealing with this, which is in part due to lactic acid buildup, has me forming a ring with my hands to circle and massage my legs. And one of the immediate first things I noticed running the Recovery Air Pro was the relief this brought. It was nice to walk back to my car, sit down, and spend 20 minutes in the program getting to a point where I had full mobility again. I'd usually follow this up with a full session at home but sometimes not. That one could get such immediate relief is amazing. It's actually hard to say which has the better effect on DOMS between the short parking lot program or full recovery. This is still qualitative and I know there's some psychosomatic effect from having a new tool that you know is supposed to solve a particular problem, but I do feel that my DOMS were significantly reduced - in terms of intensity and duration. It still happened, but a couple times had me wondering if I'd just stretched wrong before remembering I had a decent workout the day before. I'd need to use it for longer and be more systematic, but I think it's clear that there's a positive effect and so for me, the question is more along the lines of can I get away with running an abbreviated program or should I plan for the full deal each time. Pro athletes are already spending the time on post workout recovery. For the average consumer of this, I think there's some juggling to work this into the schedule you've already created, but I think that's a worthwhile investment. Now, another thing to consider is could you get a similar result from something else. I think the answer is yes but whether one might be better for you is likely a personal variation. For me, various rolling devices did not have similar effect on me. Even therabody's own theragun didn't quite do the trick on my legs. So, if you've found yourself frustrated by other modalities, this one might be the one that works.
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Truly PROFESSIONAL Grade
As a Lieutenant firefighter, physical fitness is an absolute necessity. And given that I am the "old man" in my crew, my firefighters take a certain pleasure in pushing me when we work out. Hoping that none of them EVER read this, I can tell you that some nights after particularly grueling workouts, I retire early t my quarters to "do reports", but in full truth, I retire their early to lament my sore old muscles... And then came Therabody RecoveryAir Pro. After using these on 3 shifts, (about 20 minutes per session) the difference was noticeable and immediate. Recovery was greatly improved, and soreness was markedly reduced. The next day, working out was much easier. In the attractive box, you'll find the pump in a carry pouch, the "boots" and hoses (also in a carry pouch), power cable and instructions. Set up was simple, controls were simple to figure out without needing to read the manual and fully customizable. A major takeaway for me was that these are marketed as "PRO". They certainly have the feel of professional grade, and beyond that, professional medical grade. Important note: These are grade 2 Medical devices as listed with the FDA. Additionally, we received a locker-room tour of our NHL team and guess what they had? Several pairs of Therabody Recovery sleeves. That said, yes, these are most definitely "Professional" grade. A couple items to note... It says "Wireless smart control" but you must use the app. After downloading the app and over an hour of troubleshooting, I could not get the app to work. It gave me the choice to select "Recovery Air Pro" and "Recovery Air". The RAP has no options when selected. The RA does but does not connect. Deal breaker? No, but would have been nice to have. Second item is that the control head is rechargeable and can be used on battery power. I have used it through multiple cycles on a single charge so that's kind of nice, especially considering I haul to the station and back home. One less thing to have to remember or lose. I won't go into technical detail since there is great information on the Best Buy site, but I will close with a whole-hearted endorsement. This is an excellent choice if you have need and well worth the cost for the serious athlete or anyone like me where physical fitness is an absolute necessity. Excellent choice, I would recommend to a friend.
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Phenomenal
I had a different pair of recovery boots and these are so much easier to put on and take off on top of being able to fully customize your treatment. Would highly recommend.
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Bad Zipper
The compression is great. The app is nice too. The only unfortunate thing is that the zipper broke after less than 20 times of using them. It filled to full compression, then the bottom of the zipper track popped up. I’ll have to return it with my paid-for warranty, and it’s just crazy this is a $1,700 purchase with this poor design or cheap materials.
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Well worth the difference made
I am a recreational cyclist that often rides 150 or more miles a week on average. There are periods throughout the year I can do a century+ every weekend followed by a recovery ride. This past year, I’ve had 3 of my longest rides: 236 miles, 271 miles, and 311 miles – epic. With that said, I think the RecoveryAir PRO is more than a good addition to my fitness journey. The first thing I noticed about the RecoveryAir PRO was the size of the box. May sound strange, but I expected something much larger. Upon opening, I was pleasantly surprised at the packaged or stored footprint of the system. It folds and rolls up nice and neat, with some nice bags for storage. That’s important to me because it doesn't intrude in my already crowded fitness space, making it more accessible and desirable for use. Whether people want to express this or not, the amount of work necessary to prepare and store something before and after use can deter you from using it. This is a quality product with medical grade construction. The pump is battery powered but can also be used while charging – this is welcome. The fit is good when you consider they have limited size deviations. Bodies are different, and Therabody is using height ranges as a fitment guide. It appears to work in this case, although one could person could have a more leggy body build, while another could have a longer torso. I can definitely see the possibility of fitment issues. For me, the length of the boots comes all the way to my hip joint, up to the groin. Also, my quads are thicker than average. I would consider it a close fit, but that brings me to what is probably my only negative talking point with these recovery boots. There needs to be more instructional information on wearing the device. This would have been very helpful and reassuring for someone who hasn’t used a device like this. Therabody has a done a good job of covering the scope of the customer usage curve. You can get these boots up and running quickly with effective preset programs that will fit most needs, or if you are more on the expert side of things, there is a pro mode allowing custom cycles with pressure, chamber, and flow control. There is even Bluetooth connectivity and control via the Therabody app, although I haven’t stepped on that stage yet. My primary use so far has been in the preset world of warm up and recovery. Heck, before this, I rarely warmed up for a long or short ride. These boots change the game. A quick warm up program really gets the legs loosened and activates the muscles. It is a definite difference maker. From a recovery standpoint, there is no doubting the effectiveness of a good recovery program. Active stretching is usually what I found to be best; well, at least until getting these boots. There’s not much that can eliminate the effects of a long ride with a lot of elevation. The legs are going to feel it for at least a couple of days. With these boots, that recovery time is much shorter for me, and my legs need less time to acclimate to the next call for performance. The soreness period is shorter and much less intense. It’s very noticeable and appreciated. I believe I can have better results if I learn to construct a custom program tailored to my activities and my body’s response and needs. I find that to be a great by product of these as well. It will give you a nudge in pursuing more information in performance and recovery – you grow as an athlete, as a fitness participant. I really like the RecoveryAir PRO! I highly recommend it to anyone who does any activity that is considered leg strenuous or does back-to-back intense activities involving legs. I can even see it helping someone who has a job that keeps them on their feet all day or has them walking, squatting, or stepping up throughout the day. It’s a definite game changer.
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Get the most out of your recovery
The RecoveryAir Pro is Therabody’s fancy new pneumatic compression system. Many athletes swear by pneumatic compression. I wanted to know if it was true. So I am very familiar with pneumatic compression in general. For anyone who has been in the hospital, they typically put these wraps called sequential compression devices (SCD) around your calves and they use air to rhythmically compress and uncompress your muscles to increase blood flow. The idea is to prevent blood clots from forming. There are also bigger versions to help prevent fluid from building up in your legs. The Therabody RecoveryAir Pro is a BIG version of that where it wraps around your entire legs. The purpose of these is similarly to increase blood flow. The believers of pneumatic compression think that by increasing blood flow and decreasing swelling, you can reduce muscle soreness and decrease recovery time. Set up was shockingly easy. You attach the boots to the pump and turn on the power button. You’re already there. The screen is not touchscreen but it is easy to navigate with the arrow buttons. There are a few modes to choose from. There is Warm up, Recovery, Isolation, Interval, or Pro mode. You can adjust the pressures, times, hold and release times, which areas you want to focus on. Lots of customization that you can do. Once you choose your option, the therapy begins. The pressure begins to build up distallly (closer to your feet) and comes more proximal with the idea of it pushing blood from your legs back to your heart. I preferred to use the Isolation mode to focus more on my distal areas as the fit was an issue (I will talk about that below). I will say that I have a bad knee and often get effusions (fluid buildup) in them but these really did do a good job of preventing that from happening. One thing that I have to bring up is the sizing. So Small is for 5’ to 5’ 5”, Medium is for 5’ 6” to 6’, and Large is from 6’ to 6’ 6”. So I am 5’ 7” so I got the Medium. There is unfortunately no way to adjust fit. My legs were way too short and the sleeves were too long. They do have zippers that make it easy for you to put them on and off. However, I found that when I tried with the zipper not closed all the way, it unfortunately unzips the entire sleeve when the pressure built up. If I pull the sleeves fully to my groin, then my ankles sit uncomfortably flexed as they don’t reach the end. If I just try to bunch up the sleeves so that my ankles fit as well, then it became really uncomfortable during the sessions. I think if you tend to be on the shorter end of the size recommendation, or have short legs like me, then it’s better to size down. Now to be completely transparent and honest, I do not believe there is much science and literature backing these claims. However, whatever gives you a mental and psychological edge or perceived benefit is needed for athletes. If it makes you feel stronger for that next-day workout, then I think that has value. That being said, at least my PERCEIVED delayed-onset muscle soreness was reduced after leg day and I did not feel as sore the next day. It is also very soothing just to have the rhythmic compression going on and helped decompress after the day. All in all, there is definitely a niche for these. These are pricey but in line with what other devices cost. I wouldn’t get them for casual use but for the gym rats who want that extra bump, I would definitely give these a try.
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Another tool for the grind
Another tool for the grind “…the body is the perfect system; it’s adaptable, capable, and resilient.” This is on the box of the Recovery Air Pro and has been my belief for the extent of my time in fitness. I do not use a lot of “equipment” and each piece is highly scrutinized before it enters my rotation as I dislike dependency on outside tools for progress. These boots are easily working their way into my small arsenal. Before zipping these up, I had become a believer of the percussive therapy guns, and used(use) it daily, so hearing of another method offering similar, plus enhanced, benefits was intriguing. As the science is still out on Pneumatic compression, I am conveying experience anecdotally, and from the factors involved in each individual’s recovery/growth involving rest and nutrition, your usage may indeed vary. Before I get into the device, here’s a typical regimen for reference: Sunday: Legs Monday: Chest work Tuesday: Mixed martial arts consisting of Tae Kwon Do, Muay Thai, Boxing and Wrestling Wednesday: Back work Thursday: Various HIIT movements focusing on speed, power, anaerobic capacity and endurance Friday: 10-12 rounds of in ring MMA followed by shoulder work Saturday: 3-5 mile run followed by arm work Each weight workout also includes 20-30minutes of medium-high intensity cardiovascular work. All work is peak effort and pushes my intensity. I mention this because my body has already adapted to faster recovery as I do not deload. So measuring the effectiveness of recovery from the Air Boots will take more time, but there were some notables right away. Ok, so let’s get to it. Construction- High quality materials. Tough zippers, easy cleanable and very durable. The compression device has a clean, easy to read display and the build is very solid. The two components together are portable, but note they due have some weight to them if you are planning on tossing them in your bag to go. I have no qualms here, and I feel every component, down the air tubes is built for durability. They also come with good quality elastic travel bags. Fit- They are very comfortable when worn and provide a nice degree of warmth. I will say, that due to the size of my legs, I have to shift the boots a bit to get the zippers closed, so be sure you take the sizing inches into account when picking your size. First Feel- Upon powering up and starting a sequence, they feel GREAT! The massages sensation is extremely satisfying and I can feel the muscles come under pressure when each chamber is filled. The recovery mode has become a daily staple of my day. Sit in my recliner, crank it on and grab a book. Once again, satisfying. Modes- The modes are preset with a PRO option should you wish to tailor your experience. Each mode has a level of customization, moreso in pressure, which is beneficial as each user will absolutely need to test their level of comfort. I really like to turn up the squeeze. The app compatibility is coming soon, which will allow further customization and the ability to swap setting with other users. Looking forward to that. OK…now my personal effectiveness review. In terms of measurability, the warm-up usage has been the most effective. Regardless of what I did the prior day, or the stiffness of the morning, once I hit the warm-up cycle (15 minutes), my legs feel loose and ready to get to work. This has all but eliminated the percussion gun on my lower body to get things “moving.” On an MMA day, I can focus the gun on my upper while the lower is working and eliminate a few minutes before getting to business. A few years ago, while I was carrying some “extra weight,” I developed a nagging case of plantar fasciitis, that comes and goes. When I feel it coming on, a few hits with the gun would keep it at bay and eliminate the pre-warning. After the workout, I may need to hit it again to prevent pain in the cool down. While using the boots, I haven’t had either. If it’s there, after the warm-up, it’s gone, and stays goes long after. This is proof enough for me of adequate circulation in usage. From jumping day-to-day and workout-to-workout, anything involving stringent leg work has benefited from the warm-up mode. Now the recovery. I knew this wasn’t a magic bullet, but I was wondering how effective it would be in getting me from one workout to the next. The sequence I paid attention to in detail was from Saturday-Tuesday. Lots of dependence on leg work/drive. Depending on the difficulty of my run on Saturday, I need to make sure my recovery is on point to go into leg day on Sunday. What I immediately notice after using the boots after a strenuous workout, is the lingering fatigue that would drag throughout the day was drastically decreased. And that, in turn, assisted in expediting my recovery for the following workout. After the previous day’s recovery and the warm-up, my legs felt great going into squats. Warmup time was minimal, stiffness was nonexistent and muscles were firing on all cylinders. After the workout, I immediately cooled down and went through a recovery segment. Once again, my typical fatigue was drastically reduced. Stairs weren’t arduous and the “heaviness” I feel after the war was absent. The rest of the day went great. Now, here’s where more time is needed. My initial hope was through usage of the Air Boots, I could recover enough to switch my MMA day to Monday instead of Tuesday. Unfortunately, I can’t vouch for that level of recovery. Though I felt immediate relief after a workout, the stiffness of settling into the night was still present, and the soreness following was minimally better. Not enough to bolster the compression, but still noticeable. I believe more trial and error will help get a better feel for the optimal use for ample recovery. So, short term recovery is amazing, but the day after, was minimal. But, as mentioned above, even with the soreness ensuing, performing a warmup cycle before activity reduced the ache and within minutes, I felt ready to go with minimal stiffness. So, I’m still satisfied. The glaring omission at this point, is the lack of gluteal support. Being most leg dominant explosive movements start in the glutes, I hope a hip attachment is on the radar as that will be a necessity for a full all-around regimen. Due to the circulation provided, I do feel relief in the glutes, but a direct attachment would be great I hope that is in the works. So, wrapping up, I will indeed be adding this to my daily rotations in and out of sequence with my percussion guns. These devices are well worth the effort for self-care and continual work and although the hard science is still inconclusive, anecdotally, I would absolutely recommend. JKhanfitness on Instagram
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ineffective product and bad experience
Recovery benefit is barely noticeable after long volleyball sessions. On recovery days it made my RLS a lot worse. Had to return it. Pay attention!!! The bestBuy has a 150$ restocking fee and it took them two weeks for processing - reminds me why i don't shop a lot at BestBuy
