How to improve athletic performance with massage

How to improve sports performance with massage

The method works great, but you should not forget about contraindications.

Recovery after physical exertion is an important part of the training process. It is she who most of all affects the effectiveness of the exercise. Proper nutrition, bathing, warming up and stretching after exertion, self-massage and massage determine the speed of recovery of the athlete and the growth of sports performance.

Together with MySportExpert expert Viktor Anisimov, we’ll look at the usefulness of the massage method and when it’s better to avoid going to the salon.

What is a sports massage like?

Sports massage is divided into:

• preliminary;
• training;
• recovery.

Preliminary massage

It can be a warm-up, pre-start and warming massage. Each of these types is performed at different times of the sporting activity. Warm-up is just before the start and improves the athlete’s performance. Pre-start massage is done 3-5 minutes before the start, lasts 15-25 minutes and creates the necessary psycho-emotional state. Warming massage is carried out in case of threat of hypothermia.

Training massage

Training massage is used to strengthen the muscles and improve the athlete’s condition during exercise. In addition to physical and psychological factors, it affects the balancing of CNS activity. This massage is necessary when it is necessary to reduce or increase the state of excitability of the athlete.

Restorative massage

This massage is prescribed and used to accelerate recovery and withdrawal of decomposition products after exertion, to eliminate the consequences of injuries. It is often combined with hydroprocedures. In this case, massaging has a greater positive effect than passive rest.

Methods of massage depend on the physical condition of the athlete, duration and intensity of training, as well as on the emotional background.

Restorative massage affects:

• strengthening blood flow and lymphatic drainage;
• strengthening of ligaments;
• muscle relaxation;
• acceleration of metabolic processes;
• increasing skin elasticity and cleansing the epidermis of dead cells;
• normalization of the psycho-emotional process;
• calming or excitation of the nervous system.

Using it in a daily, weekly or monthly cycle, you increase the speed of recovery and bring the body to the subsequent physical loads.

What are the contraindications to massage?

But not every athlete can resort to such a method of solving the problem. It is better not to go to a masseur when you have:

• open wounds on the body;
• fungal infections;
• elevated body temperature;
• purulent processes;
• allergic diseases with skin rashes;
• circulatory insufficiency ;
• mental illness with excessive agitation.