How Massage Can Enhance Your Workouts

Most of us deem getting a massage as a luxury, but did you know that massage can also enhance your workout program? When we workout vigorously or train for events such as a triathlon or marathon, massage therapy can be a wonderful component to your training routine. It is not enough to take care of your body by exercise and diet alone. It is extremely important to think about how to alleviate the effects vigorous exercise can have on the body.
Massage therapy helps the body to recover from the strain of vigorous training by stimulating circulation and lymphatic drainage. This helps reduce soreness after a vigorous training session and can also greatly reduce the chance of injury while training. Lymphatic drainage and improved circulation not only stimulates your immune system, but helps to eliminate metabolic waste produced in the muscles when they are exercised. These factors can help shorten recovery time to avoid potential injury.
In addition, when the body is exercised vigorously over a period of time without proper recovery, muscle tightness occurs. When muscles are chronically tight, blood flow is reduced to them. Tight muscles have greatly reduced flexibility, which can set the stage for injury down the line. Since massage increases blood flow to the muscles, flexibility is increased and the chances of injury are greatly reduced.
There are various techniques of massage and all of them are beneficial in caring for the athlete. Swedish massage, which is comprised of mostly effleurage (long, slow strokes) is typically used before an event such as a swim meet, marathon or basketball game for example. This helps to loosen up connective tissues and muscles to prevent injury. Percussion is also a popular Swedish stroke used to stimulate the blood flow to the muscle.
Sports massage is essentially comprised of effleurage, petrissage and friction. Petrissage is a kneading motion, which helps in stretching the fascia (the smooth, Saran-wrap type sheath around the muscle), which can reduce tension and pain in any certain area aggravated by strenuous training or sporting event. Petrissage in Sports massage is different than Swedish in the sense that in Sports massage, the strokes are executed with the pressure directed toward the heart. This ensures too much pressure is not put on the veins.
Friction is the type of stroke that is used in pressure or trigger point strokes. This is beneficial for applying pressure to an area of tension (a knot) to stimulate the muscle to release. Also, friction is used as a more fluid stroke to knead areas such as the shoulders or neck to reduce tension. This is also a very beneficial technique used to release the fascia of the muscle when it is tight.
In addition to promoting relaxation, massage is also very beneficial in helping athletes and people who exercise regularly. It is beneficial for prevention of injury, promotes healthy circulation that helps nourish the muscle cells and shortens the recovery time between workouts or training sessions. This shortened recovery time and increased blood flow not only prevents injury, but promotes increased muscle strength; something every athlete looks to accomplish. The plus is, this can be achieved while relaxed on a table without having to exert the body during a vigorous workout.