Massage isn’t just for your basic spa getaways. While it feels great and is beneficial to general health and relaxation, people who strength train and bodybuild can obtain additional benefits through regular sports massage treatments.

You see, if you’re lifting heavy weights for significant power gains, or just working to improve overall strength, then you know that a tough workout can leave your muscles feeling sore and achy.

That’s where sports massage comes in, offering a measure of relief for your throbbing muscles.

Faster Recovery

One way sports massage speeds up recovery time is by increasing muscle tissue permeability and opening micro-circulation, allowing lactic acid and other metabolic wastes to drain away, which facilitates better muscle contractions.

In addition, it enables nutrients to pass through cells more efficiently, permitting muscle healing and increasing recuperation time for your next workout.

Range of Motion/Injury Prevention Decline

When your muscles are tight, your range of motion is limited, obviously. Therefore, the likelihood of injury increases.

But regular massage sessions will help lengthen bundles of your muscle fibers from end-to-end and sideways to improve tissue pliability and release tension and pressure around the fascia around your muscles. The outcome is less chance of injury.

Furthermore, if you happen to have an old or recently healed injury, you are more than likely to have had developed scar tissue around the injured area, restricting your flexibility.

Sports massage can breakdown scar tissue and restore a degree of flexibility, if not more.

Strength Gains Via Pain Reduction

If your muscles are tight and in pain, strength gains will be limited, and you may even experience a decline.

A sports message therapist will identify trigger points—hyperirritable spots in the fascia surrounding skeletal muscle—which he or she will treat with appropriate measures.

This should help alleviate the tension in your muscles, getting you back to optimal form in no time.

Decreased Tension

There aren’t many things in life more relaxing than a quality massage. When your body is at ease, you’re better prepared to handle everyday life. With that improved mindset, going to gym and getting through a vigorous workout session is that much easier. Therefore, building muscle and strength gains aren’t too far behind.

A massage once a week should do the trick.

Improved Sleep

Decreased tension leads to better sleeping patterns, another part of the recovery equation. Regular massages will allow your body to enter a more relaxed state, thus allowing you to fall asleep and getting into deeper sleeps that much easier. So you’ll be ready to tear up the weight room with more vim and vigor.

Written by Jerry Del Priore for Bodono.

Jerry Del Priore has worked as a certified personal trainer, and received his degree in Physical Education from Brooklyn College in 1991. Jerry is also a veteran print and digital Sports Writer-Reporter-Author experienced in writing in-depth profile stories on a variety of high school, college and professional athletes and teams.

Additionally, Jerry has developed a presentation based on his book, Running Through Roadblocks, which encourages children to overcome obstacles and never give up…no matter what!

Specialties: Baseball, football, hockey and basketball writing. Jerry also has covered lacrosse, soccer, golf and track and field, with ample experience cover women’s sports. Jerry is also a Food Writer/Blogger experienced in venue write-ups and reviews. 

In addition, Jerry has ample experience working with medically fragile children, children with behavioral challenges and children with cognitively impairments. 

Read Jerry Del Prior’s book: Running Through Roadblocks and view his blog at www.Brooklynsportsworld.wordpress.com.