If, in addition to sports nutrition, you also follow the market for various exercise and recovery aids, you will you've already come across some of the acupressure massage pads that are used to regenerate strained muscles. We've reviewed probably the most well-known Pranamat ECO in the past, and we were very impressed with it. However, GymBeam offers a significantly cheaper alternative that comes in at less than a tenth of the price of the aforementioned Pranamat. But is it of any use? Can it massage your strained muscles? We'll tell you that and much more in this review.
Content of the review
Pad shape and materials
In terms of shape, at first glance the GymBeam mat resembles the aforementioned Pranamata. Dimensionally, the two mats are quite similar, with the latter offering a size of 67x42 cm, while the more expensive alternative has proportions of 73x45 cm. However, the number of needles is also the same, with the Black pad containing a total of 230 needle plates, while the Pranamat has 221. The fundamental difference, however, comes in the materials used. To give you an idea, it's worth mentioning that while Pranamat relies on coir, which is wellworks well with pressure, the GymBeam relies on the absolutely elementary foam, which is considerably softer. In practice, this means that when you lie down on the mat, the foam will break through slightly, so the individual needles don't point straight up. At the same time, the lifetime of the foam pad can be expected to be slightly lower.
Significant differences in the sharpness of the individual spikes
Another very significant difference you will find between the Pranamata and the Black pad is the sharpness of the individual spikes. It certainly can't be said that the GymBeam pad doesn't have sharp enough prongs, but the ones on the more expensive pad are shortershorter and more pronounced and shaped differently, which ultimately affects the resulting intensity of the massage.
Does it work at all?
But enough with the critical words that come from comparing products across diametrically opposed price ranges. If you're not used to any acupressure pads, we dare say that even a seemingly ordinary pad from GymBeam will surprise you quite substantially with its intensity. We used it every morning and it should be noted that it is absolutely great for massages. You can lie on it with your back (and we definitely recommend it for starters). in a t-shirt, but once you get used to it, you can try it without clothes) or you can stand on it with your feet.
Very practical packaging
Since the GymBeam acupressure mat comes with a mesh cover, you can roll it up and carry it to work, for example, without any worries. Or, due to the low purchase price, which will be mentioned in the following paragraph, you can buy two at once and keep one at home while the other is in the office. Especially when sitting for long periods of time on often uncomfortable office chairs, it is definitely a good idea to stretch out for a while and relax your stiff back. And that's exactly what the GymBeam Black acupressure mat is perfect for.
Unbeatable value for money
While the complete set from Pranamat will set you back thousands of crowns, the acupressure matBlack acupressure pad from GymBeam comes out to a perhaps a little unbelievable 389 crowns at the time of writing this review. This is of course a very nice price, which makes the pad affordable for almost everyone. And if you have no experience with massage pads, we dare say thatthat this pad is the ideal entry into the world of home massage. There are some people who eventually find that the spikes are too much for them. and even after some time they find the pads very uncomfortable to use. And in that case, it's definitely better to try a pad from GymBeam than to have an unused but significantly more expensive Pranamata at home.
Final assessment.
If you compare the qualities of this mat with the aforementioned Pranamata, of course, such a comparison will not be worth it after a long time.The Black acupressure pad does not come out too well in terms of quality of materials and functionality. However, when you step back from that and realize that this is a fraction of the price, it is actually it's a great pad that can actually help you with stiff muscles and cancan be good for those of you who are doing hard workouts in the gymas well as for people with sedentary jobs where it's definitely desirable to stretch from time to time.