What benefits can Sports Massage have for CrossFitters?
Sure, lacrosse balls, foam rollers and stretching can help recovery, but also a regular sports massage can help taking your fitness to a higher level.
What is sports massage?
Sports massage has been around since the ancient times, even the roman gladiators had massages before and after training. (I´m sure they did CrossFit back then….;)
Sports massage is used for a number of different reasons, but it is especially effective in aiding recovery, improving mobility, and treating and preventing injury. This makes it a perfect tool within professional sports to help improve individual performance.
How is it performed?
The therapist uses long or short strokes to move fluid through the circulatory system. As pressure increases in front of the therapist´s stroke, suction is created behind the stroke. This helps repair damaged muscles by increasing a fresh blood and oxygen supply and removing toxins that have built up in the tissue.
The therapist can also stretch the tissues during a sports massage to help muscle fibers release tension and pressure build up.
But can it help me as CrossFitter?
CrossFit is a sport that demands functional movements at different levels of intensity and variety. When you become injured, your body’s effectiveness is reduced and its ability to react and carry out precise movements is compromised.
To make sure you perform at your highest level, the best you can do is recover quickly and efficiently after your training or competition. This enables you to gain the full benefit from a hard WOD or strength-and-conditioning session. If you don’t recover efficiently, then performance and fatigue can set in, and that can lead to overtraining.
Reducing tension and adhesions in your muscles will allow you to improve your range of motion. The sports massage will also dilate your blood vessels and have a positive effect on your cardiovascular system. This improves the delivery of oxygen and nutrients throughout the body while removing waste products and toxins at a quicker rate. Muscle repair times are much faster with massage, ultimately reducing the risk of delayed onset muscle soreness.
If you are new to CrossFit, massage is even more relevant because you will be learning new skills and movements that will put a lot of strain on your body.
Techniques such as trigger point therapy, muscle scraping, medical acupuncture, cupping and myofascial release will help reduce and release adhesions and knots, ensuring your muscles return to their optimum state a lot quicker.
PhysioFitness offers physiotherapy and sports massage (and a wide range of other kinds of treatments) in collaboration with Crossfit Marbella.