For More Muscle, Recover Fast with Massage
by Angelo Dela Cruz
One of the most overlooked keys in strategically building lean body mass is providing the body with proper recuperation. In addition to appropriate nutrition and the right type and amount of exercise, it is essential to have a program of rest and recovery to help build a stronger body. Restorative massage may be a powerful tool in boosting your body’s ability to recover from muscle-building workouts. The more demand that is placed on your body, the more significant it is to establish massage as part of your workout and recovery regimen.
Let’s take a quick look at a few physiological responses and consequences that occur when you challenge your body with exercise:
• Microtraumas (“microtears”) in your muscle and connective tissues lead to inflammation causing adhesions and decreased circulation, all contributing to soreness, stiffness, and perhaps less willingness to workout or a decrease in performance during the next workout
• Energy stores in your muscles are expended. Of course, eating nutrient dense foods will help to replenish, but it may be more challenging for oxygen and nutrition to get into your muscle cells when blood circulation is sluggish due to adhesions
• Your nervous system shifts into stimulation mode. This is excellent to get your heart beating faster and muscles to work harder, however, your body will increase the production of cortisol, the “stress” hormone. This benefits the body by acting as an anti-inflammatory agent, but sustained elevation of this substance after exercise leads to the breakdown of muscle tissue.
Massage from a skilled therapist can help you overcome these obstacles. Flushing massage strokes in the areas of microtrauma will aid in reducing the inflammatory response and help minimize the pain associated with soreness. Other specific massage techniques can lessen the formation of adhesions and also eliminate them. With fewer adhesions in your tissue, you will be able to move more freely and efficiently. Furthermore, the much needed oxygen and replenishing nutrients will have an easier time getting into your cells and the metabolic wastes will more readily be eliminated.
It is also important to bring the nervous system back to a calmer state after a workout . This tends to happen automatically, but if you are chronically overstressed physically, mentally, or emotionally, you can use a helping hand to alleviate the negative effects of cortisol. By taking advantage of the relaxing and calming effect of massage, your nervous system can quickly return to a more balanced state promoting muscle growth, quality sleep, and an overall sense of well-being.
When you increase the amount of time your body is able to recover, you increase the ability for your body to build muscle. And the faster your body is able to recover from strenuous activity, the faster you will be able to reach your goals of fitness and vitality. Massage can definitely help you achieve new gains in your fitness program by keeping your muscles supple and healthy and creating a physiological environment enabling your body to thrive. Ask your massage therapist how they can tailor your sessions to fit your personal needs and goals.
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Angelo Dela Cruz is an Orthopedic Bodywork Specialist, working at FIT. You can also visit his website:
http://www.kineticbodywork.com
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