Did you know that sports massage allows you to gain greater muscle mass, develop a more homogeneous physique and improve your performance.
It has multiple benefits for your health, and it is important to benefit from regular massages. There is even a tool, the massage gun, that can optimize your massage therapy sessions and be even more effective than with your hands. So how does it work?
What are the concrete benefits of massage ? How do you use a massage gun, that fitness accessory everyone is talking about? Everything you need to know is in this article!
The benefits of sports massage
Better range of motion
muscle stiffness can reduce your flexibility and lead to injuries. sports massage can help to stretch your muscle fibers lengthwise and laterally, to improve tissue elasticity.
This helps to release tension and promote range of motion by stretching the joints around the muscles. This is because muscular scar tissue causes immobility, which can be reduced with a simple skillful massage of the hand. A companion article: How to use massage in CrossFit and bodybuilding?
A better amplitude also improves the movements of your bodybuilding exercises: you will more easily respect them and be able to go a little further than usual.
Faster recovery
In sport, massagecan accelerate the recovery of damaged muscle tissue by increasing its permeability and opening the microcirculation. A deep massage opens the pores so that fluids and nutrients can pass through effectively.
It also eliminates waste products, such as lactic acid, which build up during training and inhibit muscle contraction. In addition, every seasoned athlete knows that recovery is as important as training to achieve satisfactory results. If you want to go deeper into this topic: Recovering muscles after physical exertion
More muscle tone
Sports massage can help you achieve a toned physique by improving your muscle tone.
Damaged or stiff muscle tissue restricts blood flow, causing your tone to decrease. Professional bodybuilder coaches use a massage technique to move fluid through blood vessels and lymph nodes.
The movement increases the forward pressure to create a vacuum effect in the vessels. Muscle tissue is repaired faster and gets the proper nutrientss for growth. We also recommend: What are the benefits of a relaxing massage?
Injury prevention
A regular sports massage can prevent injuries during weight training. Sports massage professionals have studied sports therapy, physiotherapy and sports rehabilitation.
They can easily identify and treat muscle tightness, trigger points and scar tissue, reducing the risk of injury.In addition, a pre-event massage can improve the athlete's performance by playing on his mind. You can also consult: Red or white tiger balm: What to use?
It can increase confidence levels and reduce accumulated stress. A confident and relaxed athlete is a winning athlete.
Pain relief
Pain is common and unavoidable among bodybuilders. They may have strained muscles or injuries from unfortunate machine accidents.
However, you can lessen this damage with regular sports massages. Pain means that something is wrong and needs attention. Therefore, make sure to fix the problem quickly. You also want to avoid wrist injuries: Wrist bands: How and why to use them?
Usually, massage is part of the prescribed treatment which can provide tremendous benefits such as pain reliefandreduction of long-term damage. In case of severe pain, consult a medical professional to identify the source of the problem or the injury.
Massage in sports: before, after or during training?
Before the session
Sports massages are primarily seen as means of recovery. Although you are going to focus on its use in the fitness world, you can use it for any situation. For example, it's even a great warm-up tool.
Massages can increase blood flow in the targeted muscles. They also activate your nervous system, which prepares your body for activity and sport. To use massage as a warm-up and preparation for the session, massage the muscle group you are going to train. We also advise you to read: What diet to put in place for mass gain?
So if you're going to work on the bench press, you have to massage your pecs. During this phase, stay on the thickest part of the muscle. Work with back and forth and circular motions.
During training
The sports massage can also be used between your sets. Indeed, by relaxing tight areas or areas you are working on, you can get the most out of your muscles in the next set.
For example, you may feel your chest tighten slightly after a set of bench press reps and be tempted to stretch. But research tells us that static stretching of a muscle can decrease your muscle's potential and strength. An article that can help you: How to gain pure strength and progress quickly?
Massage your chest instead for 15 seconds, targeting a tight muscle area. As with the warm-up part, this should increase blood flow and encourage the muscle to relax for the rest of your workout.
After the session
When you've finished your strength workout, your body is still excited about the session, especially if it was intense. A good sports massage can therefore help you relax your nervous system.
And the sooner you allow your nervous system to rest and relax, the sooner your body will go into recovery mode.So massage the area to be relaxed for 90 to 120 seconds, going up and down along your muscle. In parallel, we invite you to read: Rest days in bodybuilding: an obligation?
Again, this sports massage should focus on the core of your muscle mass and not around your joints. Performing a massage on the muscles worked after training also helps to reduce, or even eliminate, aches.
Using a sports massage gun
What is a massage gun?
The trend of massage guns is relatively new in fitness. You may have already used vibrating foam rollers, which appeared on the market three or four years ago.
Now it's the turn of the massage guns. It is a power tool that spins when turned on. To use, simply place it on the part of your body you want to massage, about 1cm away, and let it pulse back and forth.
This will relax your muscles, promoting blood circulation in the same way as a vibrating foam roller. This sport-massage toolis nevertheless easier to handle, and more natural.
How does it work?
The massage gun is incredibly easy to use. Simply apply it to any part of your body, and let it do itssports massage job. To get the most out of this tool, here are some basics:
- Before you start massaging directly onto your skin, turn it on so the head starts pulsating.
- Next, float it along the muscle without pressing too much, to allow it to warm up. You never have to press very hard with your massage gun.
- When you find a massage point, such as a tight, knotty area of muscle that is a little more sore or tender than average, focus on that area.
- Slowly move your massage gun along the muscle. There is no need to speed up, just enjoy the massage.
Which massage gun to choose?
If you want to get your own sports massage gun, we recommend the model Intense Massage™ Gun. It has 3 speeds and 4 massage heads (spine, joints, soft massage and muscle fibers) to adapt to your needs and massage deeply.
Very quiet, you can use it anywhere without disturbing others around you. Thanks to its long-lasting battery, it offers you 6 hours of autonomy so that you are never caught off guard.
Easy to carry, this weight training accessory will allow you to say goodbye to aches, creaking joints and stiff muscles before a session!
In summary: sports massage
The sports massage is therefore an incredible manual “tool”. Technically, you just need your hands to get all the benefits: faster recovery, more muscle tone, injury prevention, pain relief, etc.
You can do it anytime. Whether before, during or after your session, massage has benefits for your muscles.And if you want to make your life easier, you can decide to get the Intense Massage Gun™ from Super-Human Fitness™ which offers excellent value for money
Easy to use, it allows you to massage your muscles deeply to achieve excellent results in terms of recovery and blood circulation. So, don't wait any longer: sports massage is the ally of all athletes!
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