What is Sports Massage, and how is it different from Deep Tissue Massage or Swedish massage?
Why should I request it? (Hint: you don’t have to be into sports!)
Think Specific focus (Sports Massage) versus Overall soft focus (Deep Tissue Massage).
People who come to see me for Sports Massage usually want deep tissue-style bodywork for specific places or issues. They often say something like, “I did a killer workout on my quads yesterday, and I need some real focused work there.”
Or, a Keyboard Warrior, sitting at a desk for multiple hours before the big product launch, will say, “My neck is killing me now whenever I turn my head to the right. It’s even challenging when I am backing out of a parking place!”
Contrary to Sports Massage, Deep Tissue Massage tends to have a more overall focus rather than the specific focus of a Sports Massage. Both types of massage generally utilize deeper pressure, according to what the client requests.
Usually, someone requesting a Swedish massage wants to relax. This massage can also help relieve a certain amount of general achiness caused by tension and anxiety, but it probably will not solve or relieve a specific issue you are having with your body.
When should I have a Sports Massage?
There are many situations that call for a good, skillful sports massage:
- For regular, preventive maintenance of chronic or overworked sore spots
- During the recovery part of your training program (Post-event, on your rest day)
- To help prevent injuries or speed up their recovery
- To assist in neutralizing stress and improving sleep
Neutralize stress and bring back nature’s healer – good sleep.
Once the massage is over and the client gets up and is ready to leave, they start yawning and often say, “I feel like taking a nap now!” Or, “Wow, am I going to sleep well tonight!”
What my clients say and the research supports is that a great massage which soothes your sore spots and eliminates your tension from stress is the key to deep relaxation. And that deep relaxation provides the perfect environment for a great night’s sleep.
What a huge relief it is to finally relax after days of juggling stressful deadlines, soccer games, and the nagging soreness from springtime gardening.
Once we finally relax, we suddenly realize we are exhausted! The sooner we can lay down and rest – either for a long nap or for our night’s sleep – the happier we will be.
Sports Massage is my secret formula for improved performance and recovery!
Most of us have heard of the importance of rest and recovery following periods of heavy exertion – like in a race, a competition, or just your regular, intense workout and training schedule.
Since spring is here and we are all getting outside and doing things we haven’t done for months, it is smart to remember to do the things that help us feel good, sleep well, and overflow with energy.
When we wake up tired or irritated, day after day, and we’re still training hard, we are missing a crucial piece of our health puzzle – the recovery piece. Somewhere, we are NOT RECOVERING enough from what we are doing.
Our performance – crunching numbers sitting at our desks or going all out in a competition – will definitely suffer and get worse until we get enough quality recovery time.
Our overworked muscles, tendons, ligaments – and brain – need time to remodel and rebuild following intense activity. We can tell when we are getting enough rest and recovery because We Feel Good! We’re not irritable, our work is more productive, and our athletic performance improves.
One of the best ways to actually improve recovery and rejuvenation is to get regular sports massage. This is because the massage process assists the flushing, lengthening, and softening of tight, exhausted tissues. The massage strips out the frayed, worn-out stuff and brings in the fresh oxygen and nutrition needed to rebuild.
Again, you can tell how good it is for you because you feel so good afterward!
Injuries – you can prevent them or assist their healing with sports massage.
It’s best to prevent injuries in the first place! It takes less time and fewer resources to actively prevent injuries than it takes to deal with the time and frustration of the (much longer) healing process.
So, how do we prevent them?
A regular sports massage will help prevent injuries by keeping our working tissues soft, pliable, and healthy—like a healthy tree bending in the wind rather than an unhealthy tree that snaps in half.
A sports massage will help your body warm up more thoroughly, as the tissues will be healthier and more supple. The massage super-charges your blood and lymphatic circulation which helps your working tissues receive a constant supply of fresh blood/oxygen and nutrition while removing the waste products before they can build up.
I have heard WAY too many times, “I got injured because I wasn’t warmed up enough.”
Most injuries tend to happen in places where our body was not adequately warmed up or where we have not yet recovered from the tension and tightness of previous intense exercise. Sometimes, no matter what we do, something unexpected happens, and we go down with an injury.
When it comes to our warm-up – we know what to do, we just need to make sure to do it! Especially for the active person who likes to lift weights, go running or cycling, and other intense activities. Warming up is just as important as putting your clothes on before you leave the house.
At the very least, warm up with five brisk minutes on the treadmill, some bodyweight squats, pushups – almost anything that gets your muscles working, your heart and breath pumping, and blood flowing.
Take a hint from the pro athletes – get your regular sports massage to stay at optimum!
Look at any Olympic or professional team – NFL, basketball, cycling, swimming (the list goes on!), and you will find that they all get regular sports massages. Not because they all want to but because they know it will make them better athletes.
If your goal is to feel great – healthy, strong, and confident – and keep that way well into your 70s, 80s and beyond – take this tip from the pros – get your regular sports massage! And warm up.