pistolet-de-massage

The importance of the massage gun for recovery

When massage was used on ancient Olympic athletes as early as 776 BC, practitioners and athletes themselves may not be able to prove the effectiveness of massage.

But here's what they did know: After the massage, they felt better and performed better.

MASSAGE IS AN ANCIENT PRACTICE THAT WORKS - THAT'S WHY IT IS USED TODAY AND WHY MANY STUDIES HAVE NOW PROVEN ITS EFFECTIVENESS.

It is especially beneficial for athletes and anyone on a training regimen as it reduces recovery times and relieves soreness. With today's technology, massage is available in your own home - and you can do it yourself.

Why recovery is important In the world of athletics, recovery is the third and equally important pillar of an athlete's training regimen, the other two being diet and exercise.

Without proper recovery, our ligaments and bones can become overworked, strained, and eventually they can reach an athlete's worst nightmare - a bench-worthy injury.

And besides injury prevention, recovery is needed to regenerate tissue and bounce back quickly after intense exercise.

But what does the word “recovery” really mean for athletes?

An ordinary person sore from a long hike the night before might need a day or two to sink into the couch with Netflix for proper recovery. But most athletes in training don't have the luxury of shutting down for an entire day, let alone two.

For an athlete to recover as quickly as possible and be ready for their next game or training day, they need the tools and the competitive edge that the pros swear by.

Specifically, the goal of recovery for athletes includes:

  • Improved circulation to oxygenate and deliver nutrients to overworked areas - this allows the body to heal itself at lightning speed
  • Adequate sleep and nutrition (athletes need an extra hour of sleep per night on average)
  • Removal of lymphatic waste Stimulation for the repair of microscopic tears sustained during exercise
  • Preventative Maintenance: Pre-Workout Targeting for Injury Protection There's no one-size-fits-all solution to recovery - it's specific science, specific to every workout and every body.

Physiologically, some people need more sleep than others. Others may benefit from certain types of nutrient-dense foods that other bodies would reject.

However, one thing that works well across the board when it comes to sports recovery is massage — and more specifically (and more conveniently), massage guns.

The benefits of the massage gun

For post-workout recovery, powerful percussion treats sore muscles and overworked hot spots, penetrating deep into tissue fibers.

This allows the body to shed potentially damaging scar tissue while increasing recovery times. Athletes typically use their massage guns daily, for 5-15 minutes before and after training.

There's no 'waiting game' or 'results in weeks' - the massage gun helps heal muscles and eliminate pain from the moment you start using it, meaning the effects are immediate .

Massage Guns & Recovery 101

Not every athlete, professional or not, has the time or even the money for a masseuse to work her magic before and after each day of exercise.

But massage guns have made their way into the locker rooms and homes of gyms around the world, and they're used to help athletes reach peak performance and get back into training mode much faster.

You know what a massage gun is, but more importantly, you need to know exactly what it can do. Let's go over this in a bit more detail.

What do percussive massage guns do?

Percussion massagers focus on five main areas. However, they can go beyond what is indicated and are an excellent resource for sports and even daily recovery.

Repetitive motion

Whether you're a baseball pitcher with an overworked shoulder or a runner with sore calves, massage guns are a game changer for areas that sustain repetitive damage. Hardened, overused fascia is loosened and relaxed, helping to prevent injury.

Traffic

Stimulating blood flow before and after exercise improves performance and helps regenerate tissue faster after training. Increased circulation also helps regulate sleep patterns.

scars

Many internal scars can accumulate over time. If left untreated, these miniature bumps and scars can impair movement and range of motion and, if large enough, can even cause injury.

Massage guns remove internal scars and allow muscles to function properly again.

Lymphatic drainage.

Our lymphatic systems activate after a percussive massage and help flush out biochemical wastes that can hinder performance and recovery times.

Pain

One of the most noticeable effects of percussion massagers is the decrease in pain as well as the reduction in the duration of pain.

DOMS (delayed onset muscle pain) is a particularly difficult phenomenon for athletes, and if severe enough, it can confine someone to bed – and let's face it, we've all been there.

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