No, this is not an oxymoron! Massage works for every human being, weightlifters included.

In various body-building circles, rumors have begun to circulate that massage could negatively impact your workout by making the muscles weak and soft. Not only is this not true, massage could actually be the best way to ensure you acquire balanced and effective results when building muscle, maintaining physical fitness, and achieving your goals.

Massage in the form of soft tissue treatment is a heavily commended way to speed up recovery following competitions, high-intensity cycles, or a workout. On top of that, it helps to reduce muscle spasms and hypertonicity – reducing the likelihood of injury as a result overload and overuse. Massage even helps to speed up injury rehabilitation.

Boosted Flexibility

One of the best and most important parts of massage therapy, is that it can help you achieve optimal performance each and every time you lift weights. In order to get the most out of your muscles – you need to be limber and flexible. Engaging in massages between tough workouts helps to enhance that flexibility by stretching the fibers of the muscles gently. Any amount of excessive training can end up damaging your muscles by building up too much micro-trauma, leading to further complications and increased risk of injury.

What’s more, reduced flexibility can lead to an imbalance between muscle groups―most frequently seen in individuals who prefer to use the bench press. Although bench-press fans may have fantastic pecs, the muscles in their backs are often badly developed, leading to a hunched posture that’s neither healthy nor attractive.

Enhanced Circulation

Massage therapy is not just poignant for loosening tight muscles – it also helps to improve your circulation. Blood plays a crucial part in delivering nutrients and oxygen to the parts of your body that need it most, and the healthier your blood flow is, the better you will perform.

Better blood flow facilitates healing, restores performance levels, and reduces recovery time. Whereas tight muscles provide an obstacle to having an effective workout. Improved circulation with massage therapy will help you to breathe deeper and remove toxins quickly in favor of gathering the nutrients need to strengthen the tissues that your training breaks down.

Decreased Tension

Stress and tension are not only bad for your mind – they have a serious impact on your body too. Sometimes, relaxing isn’t as simple as it should be. This is because whenever you’re not working out, you’re thinking about your next session. Massage is the best way to reduce tension quickly and easily. A weekly session could be enough to make sure your mind and body become more at ease and focused in every aspect of your life – including weight lifting.

Try a Massage

Don’t believe the fallacious and illogical rumors – scheduling massages into your workout regimen will alleviate pain, relieve tension, increase your flexibility, and give you better range of motion.

Written by Benjamin Roussey for bodono.

Benjamin Roussey is from Sacramento, CA. He has two master’s degrees and served four years in the US Navy. His bachelor’s degree is from CSUS (1999) where he was on a baseball pitching scholarship. He has an MBA in Global Management from the Univ. of Phoenix (2006) where he attributes his writing prowess. He has worked everywhere from small businesses to large corporations, and also for public agencies. He has lived in Korea and Saudi Arabia where he was an ESL instructor. He misses Saudi food and living in Korea. Benjamin has a tremendous work ethic and is quite focused. Now he writes professionally for several clients that covers one sector of our economy to another. Currently he lives in the Phoenix area after living in Cabo San Lucas, MX for 3 years. He enjoys sports, movies, reading, and current events when he is not working online: www.infinista.com.