A common misconception in training your body is you need to push yourself past your limits to achieve optimal results. Well, that kind of information is completely inaccurate! Many people focus on improving their physique that most of them tend to disregard an essential part of any training program — recovery. Any kind of training program puts your body through intense exertion, and too much muscle exertion may result in serious injuries. Giving your body ample time to recover after an intense training session is important for your body to progressively improve and to repair and protect your muscles and tendons during the process. 

Now, how can you help your muscles recover in between your training program? Aside from getting some rest on your own, booking a massage session is one of the best ways to do so! There are a lot of massage therapies available to help your body recover in many different ways, but most people with an active lifestyle prefer to have a sports massage. 

Can I still get a sports massage even though I don’t play any sports? Is it exclusive to athletes? Can’t I just get a normal massage? What exactly is a sports massage? The following will be a list of useful facts to quench your curiosity!

WHAT IS A SPORTS MASSAGE?

Sports massage is not like the typical massage therapy you’d get at spas and massage parlors. It is both massage therapy and a treatment that uses different massage techniques to target specific muscle areas to prevent injury and increase athletic ability.

Sports massage is designed to keep athletes in a good condition before, during, and after training and/or competition period. However, its benefits are not only limited to athletes or to those involved in sports-related activities. Anyone can definitely get a sports massage to enjoy its benefits. Its form of deep muscle or tissue relief is specifically beneficial to athletes to ensure that their body is taken care of throughout their athletic training.

WHY SHOULD YOU GET A SPORTS MASSAGE?

Just like every massage therapy session, getting a sports massage relieves the body from pain and stress. If that’s the case, can’t I just get other types of massage? Here’s a list of reasons why you need to try a sports massage: 

 

  • Pain Relief

Before executing a massage, the sports massage therapist will start by asking about your current body condition. This is crucial for sports massage therapists to know how to work on and target the specific trouble muscles areas of your body and their trigger points. Sports massage uses different types of massage techniques to relieve different types of muscle problems. With that, it is important to clearly talk about your body condition to your sports massage therapist to achieve the pain relief you’re looking for and to fully enjoy its other benefits.

 

  • Reduce Muscle Stiffness and Tension

Sports massage is especially beneficial before and after a big physical or athletic activity. Reducing muscle tension and stiffness allows athletes to perform their best and avoid any delayed onset muscle soreness or DOMS. 

Although feeling a little bit of pain is common during and after having a sports massage, this is simply the aftermath of targeting the different trigger points of the body and you’ll definitely feel a lot better after a few hours and a day at max.

 

  • TO FEEL GOOD!

Deep massage therapies target tight and damaged muscles by releasing the built-up tension through warming up and stretching the tissues to increase blood flow. The different special techniques used in sports massage differ from those used in a typical deep tissue massage. 

While a normal deep tissue massage focuses on the overall muscle tension and relief, sports massage takes the client’s personal activities into consideration and modifies the techniques according to what benefits their lifestyle. Having a sports massage does not only make one feel good physically but also mentally and emotionally. Sports massage reduces anxiety and promotes calmness to help athletes focus, and don’t forget the happy chemicals; serotonin and dopamine, that help enhance the mood.

WHEN TO GET A SPORTS MASSAGE?

If you’re solely looking for instant muscle and stress relief, having a massage session is one of the best things you can do. 

For athletes or those involved in any physical activities, it is recommended to get a sports massage before, during or in-between the activity/event, and after any physical activity. But then again, you don’t need to be an athlete or get yourself involved in any tough physical activity just to experience a sports massage. If you’re looking for a way to get rid of the unwanted pains and body aches and to feel your best, having a sports massage can help you achieve both!

Now that all the basics have been covered, get ready to book yourself an appointment for your own sports massage therapy session!