If you train meticulously and you’re extra cautious with your diet and fueling, by default, you also commit to the regular bodywork of training, right? No? Unfortunately, you’re not alone. A good number of athletes don’t even take bodywork into consideration, whether it’s peak competition season or off-season training.
For the most part, athletes are strongly suggested to have regular maintenance, especially when they are overworking the same muscle groups repeatedly. It is not just poignant during the peak times in a year, when athletes are competing, racing, and undergoing intensive training. This is crucial even in training because it helps them reach peak performance. Getting your body properly warmed up before a major activity like a century ride, a marathon, or surfing with an athletic massage and stretching is vital.
Muscle Recovery
One of the best ways to aid muscle recovery all throughout the year is to get a sports massage, which combines different approaches depending on the athlete’s needs. It usually involves flushing techniques that help in ridding the body of built-up toxins in the muscles.
Getting a sports massage a few days prior to a major sports affair will allow for muscle tension built up during training to be released. This will also give the body ample time to recover from any fatigue or soreness the massage may momentarily cause, and let the muscles recalibrate.
After a big sports event or similar activity, a massage can help muscle recovery in a major way. Ideally, aim to get a sports massage two days out from an event. Aside from the athlete being in less pain, the therapist will be able to work on deeper layers of the muscles to get them loose and supple. If you get a massage immediately after, it won’t help as much and could be quite uncomfortable since muscles could still be really inflamed, sore, and tender.
A good fitness coach will be able to help you determine what your body needs in that regard. Compression techniques can influence blood flow and a muscle’s nerve reflexes; when it’s stimulated, it leads to a relaxation effect within the muscle.
Nerve receptors within the muscle can be irritated when a muscle is tight. That’s what leads to discomfort and muscular pain.
Highly Beneficial
Two of the most helpful massage techniques to athletes are:
- Deep Tissue – Working deep into the actual muscles, tender points, and trigger points
- Myofascial Release – Deeper than deep tissue, with a concentration on the connective tissue of the muscles, fascia, and fibers instead of the muscles themselves
All massages have blood and oxygen coursing through the body, flushing out toxins and pummeling adhesions. However, the two aforementioned massages alongside chiropractic work and Thai massages are most recommended for athletes to make sure the muscles are getting proper attention. A skilled sports massage therapist will recommend the treatments most suitable for an athlete’s unique situation.
Whether you’re in training for a major event or not, get a sports massage twice a month. A fresh flow of blood in your system doesn’t just generate more oxygen within the muscle; it also increases nutrient content.
Getting sports massage therapy treatment can be personalized according to the athlete’s needs, whether it’s before an event, after a meet, or between seasons.
Other benefits include:
- Decreased soreness and stiffness of muscles after exercise or any physical activity
- Increased motion range that leads to enhanced performance
- Less recovery time after an injury
- More levels of relaxation which reduces stress in the physical and psychological sense
- Reduced discomfort, muscular pain, and muscle tension
Conclusion
Massages help promote healing, especially when used to treat a specific injury. This is particularly helpful to athletes at any stage. The benefits are not just physical, as they also help reduce stress and help athletes relax. Aside from athletes, people with an active lifestyle or a job that requires physical exertion of some sort can also benefit greatly from sports massage.
I am Meg Parker, an intentional health and wellness coach, and I’m ready to help you to improve your life. I am also a skilled massage therapist. Get in touch with me today to learn how I can help you.
