How Long Should You Wait After a Massage to Work Out?

Massage and exercise are part of a healthy lifestyle, and after a massage, it's important to wait at least 24 hours before doing any strenuous exercise. Strenuous exercise includes running, lifting weights, high-intensity aerobic exercises, strength yoga, and more. If you are one of these people, I recommend that you exercise before the session and then take it easy afterwards. Creating an awareness of what you really need and want from the massage session and what your body is prepared for is essential.

Massage therapy offers countless physical benefits, but sometimes we forget everything practical treatments can do for our emotional well-being. Let's take a quick look at the importance of touch and some of the specific ways it can help our mental and emotional health. Tendonitis (or tendinopathy) is a common injury that can be caused by sports, accidents, or repetitive use of a part of the body. It is generally recommended to wait about 24 hours after the massage to work out.

There are a number of reasons for this. Deep tissue massage focuses on exerting strong pressure on muscle tissue in an effort to break knots or adhesions. This massage technique works muscles together with the fascia, a network of connective tissue that surrounds muscles. It can help release chronic tension, relieve stress from intense physical activity, promote recovery from exercise and mobilize joints.

While deep tissue massage is beneficial for athletes and those who exercise avidly, you should avoid strenuous exercise for 24 hours after performing it. It is best to save the massage for after training. Your muscles need approximately 24 hours after receiving a massage to recover before doing any strenuous exercise, such as running or weight training. If you push your muscles to work too soon, it can actually increase pain and decrease the effectiveness of the soft tissue work done during the massage therapy session.

If you've just completed an important event, such as a marathon, receiving a soft tissue massage right after or the next day can help reduce muscle pain and facilitate a faster recovery. Beyond offers recovery massages in Hawthorn on Mondays, Tuesdays and Saturdays and in Windsor on Wednesdays and Fridays. However, there are different benefits and treatment styles depending on whether you get a massage before or after exercise. While the actual evidence supporting or denying it is questionable, the research that exists on the subject of massage before and after exercise is revealing, to say the least.

Or if you can wait a few days after the event, the massage therapist will dig deeper into your muscles and focus on any tension or trigger point that may have developed (those knots and tight spots in your muscles that hurt when you press them). Although there is no scientific evidence to support this theory, many people believe that the reason for drinking water after a sports massage is to accelerate the body's metabolism and provide a “flow” to the bloodstream, eliminating any toxins. For example, many athletes assume that massage and foam balancing will remove lactic acid from muscles. Reasons to wait 24 hours a day, massage therapist Ray Bishop explains in “Body Sense” magazine that deep tissue massage can make your muscles look more similar.

Although there are some massage techniques that are used specifically for previous exercises, these are quick movements to provide heat and blood flow to the muscles. While massages can help reduce muscle tension, increase range of motion and decrease stiffness, the same cannot be said for reducing lactic acid. While there were no other side effects, the results indicate that opting for a massage before going to the gym can cause you to get tired faster and potentially experience shortness of breath. An accepted belief among professional massage therapists is that the pressure of massage can make connective tissue and muscles flexible and “look alike”.

Regardless of whether you're a professional or an amateur, getting regular massages will help you improve your performance and recover faster and with fewer injuries, if any.

Mark Szymonik
Mark Szymonik

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