Sports massage: what is it, what are its benefits, and what types of procedures
Sports massage is a special massage technique that is used to prepare the body for high loads, as well as to recover faster after intensive training. When performed correctly, it does not cause any discomfort, on the contrary, it improves mood.
Sports massage advantages
Sports massage is designed to increase the full disclosure of muscle functions. It helps not only to prepare for extreme loads but also to minimize possible damage to muscles and reduces the risk of sports injuries. It is simply necessary for professional athletes because preparation for competitions involves extremely high loads at the limit of possibilities. Regular massage becomes an essential component of the training process since without adequate recuperation, it might have detrimental effects.
This massaging effect has the following effect on the body :
- Reduced levels of fatigue and a significant increase in endurance. Regular exposure to the muscles helps to perform physical exercises longer and maintain a certain pace of movement.
- Rapid repair of tissues after physical exertion. Both amateur novices and expert athletes can benefit from the massaging effect, which lessens soreness after strenuous exercise.
- Quick recovery from sprains and bruises. The increased blood flow from massage encourages tissue repair.
- Increase muscle elasticity. This protects the muscles from microtrauma during training and prevents the appearance of pain.
- Improve blood supply to tissues and lymph flow. The physique is often tonified after a massage.
- Elimination of lactic acid stagnation that provokes the appearance of muscle pain after high loads.
- Increase your capacity to withstand stress. the procedure helps to increase the effectiveness of training and prepares the athlete for the best result in the competition.
Massage is essential.
Bodybuilders and fitness aficionados can also benefit from it, as can practically all professional athletes.
Types of sports massage
Sports massage is usually divided into general and special: in the first case, work is done with the entire muscular system, in the second - only with individual muscle groups. The general effect on the body is performed only by a masseur, with individual muscles you can work independently after training and preparing for competitions. Self-massage in any case should be carried out according to the same rules as professional procedures. Failure to follow the technique can lead to a negative result, so it is safe to use the help of a specialist.
Sports massage procedures are usually divided into three main types:
- Training. It contributes to the protection against fatigue and overwork during the intensive training process. It also helps to create the right mental attitude and helps the athlete cope with emotions to achieve the highest results. The massage technique includes special exercises and techniques to maximize the range of motion, increase the elasticity of the ligaments, as well as a relaxing effect on certain muscle groups.
- Preparatory (preliminary). It is carried out directly during the athlete's preparation for the competition. Each sport has its own massage techniques, they are based on which muscle groups are subjected to the greatest stress. This type of massage has several subspecies: it can be warming up, tonic, warming up, etc.
Restorative.
It is performed for accelerated muscle regeneration after exercise, both during the training program and after the completion of the competition. Recovery procedures can be carried out in addition to water: massage is performed after a warm shower or swimming in the pool.
For the most effective restoration of muscles, the massage effect can be supplemented with a variety of water procedures, including herbal baths or saunas, and warm baths of different durations.
A list of the benefits and risks of sports massage
Private and general sports massages are provided, as well as regular workouts to maintain good general physical fitness or to prepare for a competition. It is necessary for professional athletes of almost all directions and for amateurs who train on their own or under the supervision of a personal trainer. This type of massage is widely used by swimmers, bodybuilders, football players, gymnasts, and many other athletes who have to expose the body to constant high loads to get maximum results.
Sports massage is not therapeutic. It is intended for healthy people who seek to maintain maximum readiness of muscles and ligaments for high loads.
For this reason, this type of massage has several contraindications :
- Inflammatory processes in the body are in the active phase. During the period of illness, it is better to abandon intensive training and massage effects to give the body time to recover.
- High body temperature due to various diseases. During this period, it is necessary to focus on treatment and recovery.
- The period of pregnancy and lactation. For pregnant women, the amount of permissible physical activity is significantly reduced, and contact, traumatic and traumatic sports are completely excluded. Massage during this period is also not performed due to the increased risk of increased uterine tension.
- The presence of pustular formations, irritation, and other skin lesions. Massage is carried out exclusively on areas of the body with healthy skin.
- Large varicose veins are caused by various processes in the body.
- Mental disorders.
Prior to beginning a rigorous training
It is best to visit a doctor and be checked out. The training regimen and frequency of sports massage sessions are selected individually depending on the type of sport, goals, and other factors.
Rules of sports massage
The duration of the massage session depends on its type and the techniques used by the massage therapist. The more intense the training regimen, the stronger and longer the muscles will be. Massage during the training session should take from 40 to 60 minutes, depending on the specific muscle group. The effect can be carried out on a massage sofa, although another hard surface is also suitable. The athlete's body should be as relaxed as possible, he should lie down in a comfortable position.
When performing the procedure, several important rules must be observed :
- The specialist massages the muscles in the direction of the lymph flow while avoiding direct exposure to the lymph nodes.
- The session begins with stroking - light smoothing movements that should prepare the muscles for more intense exposure. When stroking with one hand or two hands, the sweat glands begin to open, and the muscles relax. Preliminary relaxation allows you to avoid pain during and after massage.
- After preparation, the masseur proceeds to press-deep stroking, during which the master acts on deep tissues. At this stage, muscles, ligaments, and tendons are worked out, and blood circulation in the tissues of the body is activated.
The third stage is friction
The effect becomes more intense, it can be combined with vibratory massage. This provides the deepest study of the muscles.
With proper massage, there should be no pain or discomfort. The appearance of pain is possible only after very intense loads, which lead to microscopic damage to the muscles. In this case, just a massage is not enough: it will take several days to recover, and during the recovery period it is necessary to significantly reduce the intensity of training.
Techniques of rhythmic sports massage
The training and preparatory type of sports massage should have a tonic effect on the body to prepare the muscles for severe stress. To do this, after the stroking, kneading, and rubbing stages, the following percussion techniques are included in the session:
- Patting. The masseur performs it with palms with tightly clenched fingers, patting stimulates blood flow to the skin and gives a warming tonic effect. The blood supply to peripheral tissues improves, and the functioning of capillaries normalizes.
- Shredder. It implies a moderate effect on the muscles of the ribs of the palms. The percussion technique intensively kneads the muscles and helps to increase their endurance.
- Eavesdropping. This is an intensive impact on the palms for a deeper study of the muscles, performed in a uniform position.
The above effects can be supplemented with vibration:
the massage therapist intensively shakes the muscles to normalize blood flow and the correct distribution of interstitial fluid.
The session ends with stroking movements that help calm the muscles and normalize blood flow. With proper behavior, the patient feels a surge of strength and vitality, improves well-being, and relieves a feeling of fatigue.
The effect of massage treatments
Correctly performed sports massage helps the athlete to significantly increase the effectiveness of training and show higher sports results in competitions. This message can be used not only by athletes: it also helps to restore muscles after other loads, for example, after hard physical work or very active recreation outside the city. Recovery procedures relieve muscle pain and significantly improve your health.
In combination with water procedures, this massage contributes to the rapid cleansing of the body of toxins due to the activation of sweat and sebaceous glands. Sweating is activated: as a result, the skin begins to breathe better, and improved blood flow supplies tissues with oxygen. It is this effect that provides an improvement in endurance, as a result, after such training, the athlete achieves better results.
One of the important effects of restorative sports massage
is the removal of stress that accumulates during an intensive training regimen or other significant loads. Stress creates constant tension, reduces efficiency and mood, and causes a feeling of extreme fatigue. Massage helps to cope with stress and relaxation to significantly improve emotional mood.
Properly performed restorative massage helps to put aside all problems for a while. Patients often fall asleep immediately at the table-this is an indicator of high-quality relaxation and relieves the feeling of fatigue. The Anti-Stress Effect makes this procedure useful for everyone who is engaged in active physical and mental work.