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How Massage Therapy Can Benefit Crossfitters?

Author: Massage Heights
Wayne doing pull ups

A rigorous Crossfit WODs (like the ones our Co-Founder participates in) can leave athletes exhausted or even lead to injury if they don’t take care of themselves between workouts. Fortunately, Crossfit athletes may be able to recover more quickly and increase their mobility if they request a reservation for a massage regularly.

When you exercise vigorously, you develop tiny tears in your muscle fibers that lead to inflammation. This is what causes your muscles to feel sore as the muscles work to heal themselves. Research shows that soreness is reduced and muscles heal at a faster rate after being massaged. This is because massage reduces the body’s production of cytokines, which contribute to inflammation, and stimulate mitochondria, which aid in the repair process. Taking an anti-inflammatory medicine like aspirin, on the other hand, can reduce pain but does not have an effect on the reduction of inflammation.

Another effect of vigorous exercise is a build-up of lactic acid in your muscles. Failing to flush that lactic acid can lead to soreness and slower recovery time. Receiving a massage from an experienced Massage Therapist can help work out the lactic acid and other toxins from your body, speeding your recovery and reducing the risk of an exercise-induced injury.

There are plenty of other reasons for Crossfit athletes to get a massage. Many athletes choose massages because:

  • A massage can help lengthen muscles and ease them back into place, giving you a greater range of mobility.
  • In addition to reducing inflammation of the muscles, massage can also reduce inflammation of the joints, bones, nerves, and tendons.
  • Massage therapy improves blood flow and circulation and getting more oxygen into your body also aids in recovery.
  • Massage therapy can help reduce stress and anxiety (which can be especially beneficial before a Crossfit competition).

A massage can be of much more beneficial than popping a couple of aspirin to ease sore muscles. Consider requesting a reservation for a sport massage after a vigorous workout, on one of your rest days, or after a competition in order to help your muscles recover.

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