This article provides helpful background information on the physiology of muscle building and explains how massage chairs for athletes help them get more enjoyment from their workouts and achieve their fitness goals.
As fitness enthusiasts know, vigorous exercise often “hurts so good.” That’s because, at the microscopic level, growing muscle requires damaging muscle. Post-workout soreness is typically a sign that you have pushed yourself hard enough that your body will respond by rebuilding fibers and increasing muscle strength and mass. However, you need to recover from one session to get the most from the next. That’s where massage chairs for athletes come in. Regular in-home massage therapy sessions can shorten recovery time and boost the benefits of your exercise regimen.
Note: Experiencing pain during or after exercise is different from being sore. It can be a sign of injury, and you should take the necessary action—including ceasing your workouts to enable healing or contacting your doctor or other healthcare provider as appropriate.
Muscle Building Basics
Understanding how the body builds muscle can be helpful for people focused on increasing their fitness. Exercise (especially strength training) is the primary catalyst for muscle growth. Called muscle hypertrophy, this growth results from microscopic damage to muscle fibers during moderate to intense workouts.
When you perform weight lifting or other resistance exercises, tiny tears develop in muscle fibers. This type of damage actually has a positive effect. In fact, it is essential for muscle growth, as it causes the body to initiate the muscle repair and building process.
The body activates specialized cells (called satellite cells) near the damaged fibers. These cells attach themselves to the fibers to help repair them. At the same time, the body increases protein synthesis, meaning it makes more protein to aid in repairing muscle damage. Vigorous exercise also stimulates the release of hormones, including growth hormone, which drives protein production.
The key to muscle maintenance (and muscle growth in particular) is consistently reaching the point in your workouts where you have pushed your muscles to the point where their resources have been depleted. When you just can’t do another rep, you know you have triggered a response that will enhance your strength and increase your muscle mass.
The Limitations of Traditional Recovery Methods
Your body knows how to repair damaged muscle tissue and will begin that process as soon as your workout ends. However, athletes and fitness enthusiasts understand they can accelerate their recovery through actions like applying ice to and elevating sore muscles to help natural inflammation subside more quickly. Still, for someone eager for their next workout, it can feel like recovery takes a long time.
The good news is that post-workout sessions in a sports massage chair can accelerate and improve your body’s response to exercise. Sports massage therapy can prepare you for your next workout more quickly than using traditional recovery methods alone.
How Massage Chairs for Athletes Promote Post-Workout Recovery
Massages feel great—after a workout or anytime. But fitness enthusiasts get more than just a pleasurable experience from sessions in a massage chair. A lot is going on physiologically that enables the body to recover more quickly and thoroughly after a strenuous workout, including:
- Increased circulation. The kneading, rolling, and tapping performed by sports massage chairs help increase blood flow to the muscles. This enhanced circulation delivers vital oxygen and nutrients crucial for muscle repair and growth while efficiently removing metabolic waste products like lactic acid, which contribute to soreness.
- Reduced muscle soreness and inflammation. Intense workouts often lead to what’s called delayed-onset muscle soreness (DOMS). Massage chairs help alleviate this by reducing inflammation and promoting relaxation. The mechanical pressure applied by the chair can also help break up adhesions in muscle tissue, further reducing pain and stiffness.
- Improved lymphatic drainage. The lymphatic system helps remove waste and toxins from the body. Massage chairs can stimulate lymphatic drainage, helping to flush out metabolic byproducts that accumulate during exercise. This contributes to faster recovery and reduced swelling.
- Reduced muscle tension and improved flexibility. Massage chairs help relax and lengthen muscles, reducing tension and improving flexibility. This can be particularly beneficial for athletes who engage in repetitive movements or experience muscle tightness. Increased flexibility can also help prevent future injuries.
- Stress reduction and improved sleep. While exercise is beneficial, it can also be a stressor on the body. Massage chairs promote relaxation and reduce stress hormones like cortisol. This can lead to improved sleep quality, which is essential for muscle recovery and growth.
By following vigorous workouts with sports massage therapy, active people get the best of both worlds. They experience the soreness that tells them they have stressed their muscles in a positive way but can move past that discomfort more quickly, bouncing back faster, training harder, and achieving their fitness goals more efficiently.
Massage Chair Benefits for Performance
Improved sports recovery with massage chairs is just one of their benefits. Regular massage chair use can boost performance in several ways, including:
Improved muscle function
By increasing blood flow and reducing muscle tension, massage chairs help optimize muscle function. This can lead to improved strength, power, and endurance during workouts. When muscles are relaxed and well-supplied with oxygen and nutrients, they can work more efficiently.
Enhanced flexibility and range of motion
Massage chairs help improve flexibility by relaxing and lengthening muscles. This increased range of motion can be crucial for active people, allowing them to exercise more easily and efficiently. Improved flexibility can also contribute to better posture and balance.
Injury prevention
Regular massage can help identify and address muscle imbalances, knots, and tightness that increase the risk of injuries. By releasing tension and promoting proper muscle function, massage chairs can help prevent common overuse injuries.
Stress reduction and mental focus
Massage chairs promote relaxation and reduce stress, which can have a positive impact on athletic performance but also mental focus and concentration.
Massage Chairs for Athletes: How To Integrate Sessions Into Your Workout Regimen
Using a massage chair is an effective way to improve post-workout recovery. However, it is most helpful when used with other techniques, like taking rest days between workouts, using ice, elevation, and compression as needed, and eating a healthy diet.
You can find the right massage frequency, timing after workouts, and duration through experimentation, along with guidance from your doctor or other healthcare professional as appropriate. It’s also important to learn about the different massage programs that your chair can provide. There can be many to choose from, some leveraging advanced choreography that delivers incredibly lifelike massages.
Finding the Best Massage Chair for Athletes
While time in any massage chair from our curated collection of The World’s Best Massage Chairs® is time well-spent, every model has different options, so it is essential to try several to find the ideal chair—keeping in mind that the goal is finding the best massage chair for you.
At Furniture For Life, we make that process easy (and fun). Our Comfort Consultants are friendly, knowledgeable product experts who take the time to learn about your wants and needs before developing a list of candidates and walking you through demo sessions in each.
If you’re looking to get the most from your workouts, we encourage you to visit the Furniture For Life location near you. There, you will learn how convenient in-home sports massage therapy can be a valuable addition to your workout regimen.
