Blog Layout

Massage for Strength Training: An Important Part of Building Muscle

Admin • Jul 12, 2019
Massage Theraphy — Therapist Treating Injured Knee of Athlete Male in North Miami Beach, FL
If you lift weights and do bodyweight resistance training, you likely know that recovery after a workout is just as important as the workout itself. You might stretch, eat specific foods, and wait a certain amount of time before working out again. When mapping out your workout recovery plan, you should add massage as a priority treatment for your muscles.

Massage offers a number of specific and unique benefits to your muscles. As you use massage regularly, your performance and recovery can improve. Learn why massage should be a part of your training plan.

Increased Circulation

Athletic massage techniques focus on helping to improve blood flow to the muscles. Blood brings oxygen, which your muscles need for cell repair. Each time you lift a heavier weight or push yourself in a workout, your muscles develop tiny tears that need repair. The muscle repairs itself, and as a result, it is a little bit stronger than it was before.

Improved circulation can help reduce the soreness and inflammation that come from this process, which is called delayed onset muscle soreness, or DOMS.

One study compared the difference between men who received massage after a challenging resistance routine and ones who did not receive massage. The recovery rate was better in men who received massage, even though both groups had muscle soreness and restricted movement from DOMS.

The connective tissues (ligaments and tendons) that work in tandem with your muscles to provide fluid movement also experience strain during workouts. The increase in circulation during a massage can help restore and promote health in these tissues as well.

Improved Flexibility

Muscle tightness is a common side effect of frequent lifting. As your muscles get tighter, your range of motion decreases, making it harder and harder to keep a good form during difficult lifts. You want your muscles to be both strong and flexible so that basic daily movements like bending over and going down the stairs are not challenging for you.

Massage encourages tight muscles to relax. Not only will your range of motion improve, but you can also enjoy better mobility and fluidity in your movement in and out of the gym.

Massage also helps to loosen tight or pinched fascia. Fascia is a relatively newly discovered part of the body that scientists are still working to understand, but it plays a key role in overall body movements and it can get stuck or tight, which causes pain as your muscles contract.

Reduced Injury Risk

With inflammation and tightness comes the risk of overworking your muscles or pushing them to the breaking point. If you get a massage regularly, you won't have to worry as much about tearing a muscle because it has been worked to the point of inflexibility.

Your tendons, joints, and ligaments will also be safer because massage eases restrictive movements and tight muscle groups.

Improved Overall Muscle Health 

Some lifters struggle with altering their body composition after using poor form or unbalanced workout routines.

For example, a person who focuses too much on core work might actually have a protruding abdomen because the back muscles are not developed enough to balance the core. These imbalances can occur anywhere, and they affect the overall physique you want to create.

Unbalanced muscle groups are also under a great deal of strain. Massage can help relax ever-tight muscle groups to help improve posture and make it more possible for a weightlifter to correct unbalance using proper form. Over time, correcting these unbalanced areas with a combination of targeted workouts and massage will result in overall muscle health.

For more information, contact us at Oriental Massage & Spa.
Therapist Pouring Massage Oil at Spa — North Miami Beach, FL — Oriental Massage &Spa
By Admin 18 Oct, 2019
Did you know that receiving regular massages has many benefits that you might not expect? Discover a few of these lesser-known benefits of regular massages.
By Admin 14 May, 2019
If you haven't tried reflexology before, you may not be sure what is involved. Learn what to expect so you're prepared for your first appointment.
By Admin 18 Mar, 2019
Are you going in for your first massage? Are you unsure of what to expect? Read this blog to learn how best to prepare for your first massage.
By Admin 19 Nov, 2018
Coconut and grapeseed oil are two of the most commonly used oils by massage therapists. Learn the many benefits of these oils you can experience.
By Admin 21 Sep, 2018
Carpal tunnel syndrome is a common repetitive strain injury (RSI). Learn how massage can help relieve the pain caused by this injury.
By Admin 19 Jul, 2018
Whether you have aches and pains from work or play, you may benefit from receiving a deep tissue massage.
By Admin 23 May, 2018
This post discusses the connection between your feet and your overall health. Reflexology is treatment that may help. Read on to learn more.
By Admin 26 Mar, 2018
Healers in India, China, and Egypt have used massage as a therapeutic solution for over 5,000 years. It was a healing method used to balance the system and improve energy flow.
By Admin 29 Jan, 2018
A stone massage is a therapeutic treatment used to relax and soothes muscles, relieve chronic pain, and rejuvenate blood circulation in the body. Get a massage today and feel the difference!
Share by: