The modern world of sports and physical activity emphasizes effective recovery, which is essential for achieving high sports performance and maintaining health and fitness. Massage has long been recognized as an effective tool for improving physical and mental well-being. This article will discuss the use of massage to prepare the body before physical exertion and for recovery after training. You will also learn why it’s worth using a massage chair.
WHAT IS SPORTS MASSAGE?
Sports massage is a specialized form of massage focused on optimizing sports performance and improving muscle recovery for active individuals. Sports massage can be divided into pre-exertion and post-exertion types. Its main goals are to prepare the body for intense physical effort and to aid recovery after training or competitions. Sports massage combines various techniques to meet the specific physical and psychological needs of athletes.
SPORTS MASSAGE BEFORE TRAINING
One of the main goals of sports massage is to prepare muscles for physical exertion. Massage before training or competitions helps increase muscle flexibility, improve blood circulation (resulting in better oxygen and nutrient delivery to muscles), and reduce muscle tension. This type of massage prepares the muscles for intensive work. Techniques used during pre-exertion sports massage include tapping, rubbing, and kneading. Regular sports massage before physical activity can also reduce the risk of injuries by properly warming up and stretching the muscles. Pre-training massage performed by a masseur or physiotherapist is quite intense.
POST-TRAINING MASSAGE
Sports massage is an essential element in the muscle recovery process, such as after gym workouts. It reduces delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) and decreases muscle acidification by improving blood circulation and removing toxins. Sports massage alleviates muscle pain, reduces tension, and supports tissue repair, which is crucial for athletes who need to quickly return to full fitness. The main tasks of post-exertion sports massage are to relax tissues, improve their flexibility and resilience. Techniques used during post-training massage include stroking, rubbing, stretching, and kneading.
Having a massage chair at the gym is a good idea – users can rest and massage their tense muscles, reduce pain, and relax after exercise.
My clients often ask what the best solutions are or what they can do if time is limited. I usually respond that besides the well-known and highly popular biological regeneration methods, such as saunas, cryotherapy, and physiotherapy, massages can be used. The number and variety of massage methods, as well as the equipment for it, are so vast that everyone can choose the right massage for themselves. Traditional therapeutic massage, hydro massages, the increasingly popular self-massage using rollers available in almost every gym, or massages on the increasingly common massage chairs in fitness clubs and homes.
Marek Molęda, personal trainer
MASSAGE CHAIR AND WELLNESS
It’s important to remember that every body has different needs during the peri-training period. Similarly, every person using the gym has different expectations. A massage chair, like a sauna or cryotherapy, can be a great addition to the recovery process. It’s worth discussing the use of such a device with your personal trainer to best meet your individual requirements.
Marek Molęda, personal trainer
The massage chairs available in our offer focus on broad-spectrum regeneration. Whether you are preparing for a demanding gym session, recovering after a marathon, or simply want to relax after exercising, proper muscle care is key to maintaining health and fitness. Massage chairs are becoming an increasingly popular solution among athletes because they offer advanced features that can support both training preparation and recovery after physical exertion.
OUR RECOMMENDATIONS
Each of our massage chairs, working with various massage techniques, stimulates circulation and strengthens muscles. Below are some model suggestions you can use to prepare your body for training as well as for regenerative massage after exertion.
iRest Grandease (A550)
Quick recovery after training is possible thanks to the 4D massage system and numerous automatic programs. Available to the user is, among others, the “Relieve Muscle” program – a relaxing full-body massage that relieves fatigue, or the “Body Balance” air cushion kneading massage, which stimulates circulation and eases muscle pain.
Bodyfriend Phantom Rovo
An exceptional massage chair using independent leg massagers. Among the Auto programs are those focused on specific zones (important for overloading particular areas, such as the neck/shoulders or waist muscles). In Rovo Mode, you can use asymmetrical stretching. For example, the “Hamstrings Relaxation” program increases the flexibility of the hamstring tendons, and “Rovo Recovery” uses acupressure to increase the flexibility of the neck and waist muscles.
Bodyfriend Davinci
An innovative massage chair that will certainly interest active individuals. Thanks to special sensors in the foot and hand areas, the chair measures body composition: muscle mass, fat percentage, BMI, water content, protein, minerals, and fat. Based on the results, it suggests 3 optimal automatic programs tailored to the body’s condition. BIA and the built-in memory of measurement results allow the user to track progress and changes in the body over time. This chair features extensive stretching programs of varying intensities, especially useful after training to improve muscle flexibility and speed up their regeneration.
Fujiiryoki JP3000
The pinnacle of Japanese advanced technology. The chair uses an improved artificial intelligence algorithm (5D AI+). Double scanning, identifying 8 key massage points, recognizing muscle condition, and adjusting massage intensity in real-time. Do we need to say more? This model represents masterful massage precision – blissful relaxation reaches both superficial and deep muscles. The model boasts 53 massage techniques that closely mimic a masseur’s massage.
As you can see, a massage in a massage chair can successfully prepare the body for physical exertion, reducing the risk of injury, as well as aid in post-exertion recovery, relaxing and regenerating muscles. Check out our offer or contact us – we will gladly help you choose the best model.
