Weightlifting and the benefit of massage therapy

We are excited to announce that we now offer massage therapy at our Deansgate clinic in Central Manchester. Meet massage therapist Lisa Ulyatt, who is here to share the benefits of massage for weightlifters, from the regular gym-goer to the elite, competitive lifter.

The benefits of massage in weightlifting are wide-ranging. Working regular massage in to your training regime can increase your competitive success by enhancing your performance and helping you reach your physical potential. Weightlifting and training hard often result in injury and impaired bodybuilding development. Massage therapy is an effective technique to address these negative side-effects of weightlifting. It can help you gain greater muscle mass, develop a more proportionate and symmetrical physique and improve your stage presence to impress competition judges.

Muscle tightness or injury

Weightlifters often experience muscle tightness, which limits range of motion and makes you more susceptible to injury. Massage stretches bundles of muscle fibres lengthwise and sideways to improve tissue elasticity. Massage also helps to release tension and pressure by stretching the sheath or fascia around your muscles. If you’ve suffered injury, trauma or over trained in the past, the resulting muscular scar tissue promotes inflexibility and increases the risk of injury and pain. A massage therapist can directly treat these areas and restore mobility by breaking down this scar tissue.

Muscle recovery

In order to repair damage and grow in strength, muscles need recovery nutrients. Massage speeds up recovery time after training by increasing muscle tissue permeability and opening micro-circulation. A deep massage increases tissue permeability by opening pores so that fluids and nutrients can pass through more effectively. This removes waste products, such as lactic acid, that accumulate while training and inhibit muscular contraction.

Massage for good physique

Massage supports a well-defined bodybuilding physique by increasing circulation and improving muscle tone. Damaged and tight muscle tissues do not hold blood well, resulting in diminished muscle tone. An experienced masseur or masseuse will use a pumping technique to move fluid through blood vessels and lymph nodes. Pumping involves increasing the pressure at the front of the stroke to create a vacuum effect in your blood vessels. This helps damaged and tight tissues get the nutrients they require for growth and repair, thus improving muscle tone.

Massage to prevent against injury

You can treat or prevent injuries while weightlifting by getting a regular sports massage. By identifying and treating muscle tightness as well as trigger points and scar tissues, a masseur or masseuse can reduce the risk of injury in these areas.

Pre-event massage

If you’re a competitive weightlifter, you’ll be interested to know that a pre-competition massage can be a great benefit. It can improve your performance by enhancing your mental state, boosting your level of confidence and reducing any accumulated stress from your weightlifting training. Feeling confident and relaxed before a competition will reflect in your performance, therefore boosting your chances to success

The expert’s view

Theo Golaub is a competitive bodybuilder, personal trainer and Bodyset Brand Ambassador. We asked him for his opinion about the importance of having regular massage therapy, both during and outside of competing:

“As a competitive bodybuilder, I am always pushing my body, trying to maximize every workout. Doing this often leads to a build-up of scar tissue and muscle tightness which reduces the effectiveness of my training and increases the risk of injury. By having regular massages, it allows my body to run at an optimal level whilst keeping it in a healthy state and puts it in a position to receive the full benefits of each workout.” – Theo Golaub (Personal Trainer, Competitive Bodybuilder). 

If you think that our team can help you, then please don’t hesitate to get in touch. Click here to find your nearest Bodyset clinic, where our expert clinicians are ready to help you with a personalised treatment programme. Any questions? Contact our friendly Holborn HQ by calling 033 0333 0435 or emailing clientcare@bodyset.co.uk.