A lot of people use the head that was already on the gun when they opened the box and never touch the rest. That's not a disaster. But the heads do different jobs, and swapping one out takes a couple of seconds, so it helps to know what each shape is for.
Massage gun attachments vary by model, so check what came with yours. Most guns cover the same few shapes.
The round head
This is the one to leave on if you only ever use one. It spreads the pressure over a wide area, which makes it fine for quads, hamstrings, glutes, and the meat of the calves.
Start here on any muscle you haven't worked on before.
The flat head
Similar coverage to the round head, a little firmer through the middle. It suits denser muscle: the back of the thighs, the upper back, the sides of the calves.
It's also the easiest head to keep flush against a muscle while you move slowly along it, so it's a good default for longer passes.
The bullet or cone head
Small tip, small contact patch, and all the pressure lands in one place. That's what it's for. It's also why it's easy to overdo.
Use it on a specific spot that keeps grabbing your attention, like a knot in the shoulder or the arch of your foot. Keep it to twenty or thirty seconds, keep the speed low, and don't lean on it. If you catch yourself pressing harder to make something happen, put it away and come back tomorrow.
For that kind of small, targeted work, a massage ball set often does the job with less force, because your body weight sets the pressure instead of your arm.
The fork head
The two-pronged one. It's shaped to straddle something, usually the muscles running alongside the spine or either side of the Achilles. The gap is there so the spine or the tendon sits between the prongs and doesn't get hit. Keep the prongs on the muscle either side and off the spine itself.
Usually still in the case
The cushioned or soft head. It's the gentlest of the group, which makes it useful where the others are too much: over a shoulder blade, near the ribs, on thin muscle, or on anything already tender from a hard session.
If everything on your gun feels a bit aggressive, the softest head you have and the lowest speed are a reasonable place to start.
Picking one in practice
You don't need a system. Two questions cover it:
- Big muscle or small spot? Big means round or flat. Small means bullet, cone, or a massage ball.
- Is the area tender, thin, or close to bone? Then the softest head you've got, low speed, short pass.
The fork comes out if you're working alongside the spine or the Achilles. Most of the rest of the time, round or flat will do.
Any percussion massage gun with swappable heads covers both ends of that range, large muscle groups and smaller targeted spots.
Speed matters more than the head
Switching heads changes how the pressure is spread. Changing the speed changes how much of it there is. If something feels too intense, drop the speed before you go hunting for a different attachment.
Slow movement helps too. A pass should take a few seconds to travel the length of a muscle, not a few tenths.
The safety part
The rules don't change with the head. Stay on muscle and off bones, joints, and the spine. Nothing on the front or sides of your neck. Nothing over an injury, a bruise, or swelling. And sharp pain means stop. Our guide on how to use a massage gun has the full list.
If you're pregnant, have a circulation condition, or are dealing with a specific medical issue, check with a professional before using percussion tools regularly.
You can see the rest of our tools in the percussion and deep tissue collection.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you have ongoing pain or soreness that isn't improving, check with a professional.